The all-female series announces a 5 day pre-season test at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia, Spain at the end of April 2021.
The W Series will hold a 5 day pre-season test at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia, Spain between the 26th and 30th April 2021. The test will open to all drivers who competed in the 2020 Esports League, including reigning on-track champion, Jamie Chadwick.
It will give competitors a chance to get thier hands on the Tatuus T-318 Formula 3 race cars having had to miss out of any real world racing 2021 due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
On this announcment, series CEO, Catherine Bond Muir said, “After the success of W Series’ inaugural season in 2019, the disappointment of last year’s enforced on-track hiatus and the excitement which followed the announcement of our new partnership with Formula 1, everybody at W Series is very much looking forward to our second season.
It will be contested by all of the drivers who should have raced with us in 2020… I know that every one of them will be relishing the prospect of getting behind the wheel of our Tatuus T-318 Formula 3 race cars and being in a W Series paddock for the first time since the spectacular finale to our first season at Brands Hatch in August 2019.
Our first race of 2021 will take place at Circuit Paul Ricard, France, on 26 June, and April’s five-day on-track session at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo will be the perfect preparation for that rigorous circuit.”
W Series’ Racing Director, Dave Ryan also commented, “Pre-season tests are always important, but this one is especially so given the extended period that our drivers have spent away from on-track action due to the Coronavirus pandemic. It is for that reason that we have set aside five days for this year’s W Series pre-season test.
Our engineers and mechanics will now get ample opportunity to get W Series’ Tatuus T-318 Formula 3 race cars in perfect shape for the exciting season which lies ahead when W Series will stage eight Formula 1 support races. Five days of testing will ensure that our drivers, both old and new, can learn as much as possible about our cars and hone their driving technique, thereby enabling them to showcase their skills fully when W Series makes its debut on motor racing’s biggest stage in Le Castellet, France, in June.
The Circuit Ricardo Tormo is perfectly suited to testing Formula 3 cars. The tight and twisty layout is 2.488 miles [4.005km] in length and consists of one long straight and 14 corners. Few are trickier than Turn One – an 80-degree left-hander that requires precise but heavy braking. I know all of our drivers are eager to get going and work as hard as possible to prepare themselves for the 2021 season, and I expect to see some impressive performances from W Series’ established stars and newcomers alike over the five days in Valencia.”
It was announced last last year that the series partner Formula One in 2021 as part of the race weekend support package. The provisional calender is as follows:
26 June Le Castellet, France
3 July Spielberg, Austria
17 July Silverstone, UK
31 July Budapest, Hungary
28 August Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
4 September Zandvoort, Netherlands
23 October Austin, USA
30 October Mexico City, Mexico
Any announcments regarding schedules around race weekends, such as practice and qualifying, have yet to be announced.
