It really was a case of Miami twice, as Jamie Chadwick took both victories in the Miami double header as the 2022 season got underway.
In what was already a much-hyped race, in a stunning location, dripping with celebrities, it was hard to remember there was an actual race taking place. In a moment when the rich and famous were off quaffing champagne or snapchatting, qualifying took place and it was Nerea Marti who took not only the first pole of the season but her first W Series pole as well. The Spaniard who finished fourth last year piped defending champion Chadwick by less than one tenth of a second. Chadwick’s performance insured a pole in race two of the weekend as drivers second best times determined the grid for race two. With W Series stalwarts Emma Kimiläinen and Alice Powell lining up on the second row for both races, it was bound to be an electric start.
Race one didn’t disappoint. In a race which featured two safety car periods and a red flag, it was Chadwick who took the win after pushing pole sitter Marti aside when the Spaniard stalled on the grid. Powell who had also made a poor start brought out the first safety car when she hit the wall on turn eight. The red flag came out shortly after as there were repairs to be done to the barrier. After a short period of down time the race resumed with 15 minutes left on the clock. Kimiläinen was all over Chadwick’s gear box once the restart got under way, but the Brit held on. Not finished yet, Kimiläinen made another attempt to pass at turn 17, but once again was denied.
With eight minutes left on the clock Abbie Eaton, making her return to racing after injuring her back at the 2021 season finale in Texas last year, collided with Fabienne Wohlwend and this finally allowed Kimiläinen to pass Chadwick. No sooner had the Fin done this the safety car was deployed again and the pack all slowed down. With the clock ticking down, the safety car came in with one lap left ensuring a grandstand finish to the race. Kimiläinen ran wide in turn one and this allowed Chadwick to regain the lead. As Kimiläinen tried to fight back she collided with Marta Garcia and was sent down the grid. Garcia held on to take second with Jessica Hawkins promoted to third. Her best result in W Series so far.
Speaking on her race one win, Chadwick said “I don’t know if I deserved that victory. Emma [Kimiläinen] got a bit unlucky with the restart, not knowing if it was going to be a proper restart or not. I struggled for pace, and she did a good job to get past when she caught me out. I was just trying to get some points as I was struggling. It’s a win and I’m a bit surprised by that but I’ll take it and I’m happy as it’s a great start to the season. We’re on pole position tomorrow as well so I’m looking forward to that.”
It was hard to see how race two would live up to its predecessor but that didn’t matter to Chadwick who took her second win of the weekend, and her fourth straight series win with a lights to flag display which sent a message to the rest of the grid. The Brit crossed the line three seconds clear of second place Marti who secured her best finish and in turn was six seconds ahead of Powell who recovered from a poor race one. As Chadwick sailed off into the Miami sunshine, the rest of the grid battled it out. Kimiläinen kept Marti under pressure and briefly took second before contact with Powell sent her back down the field. Brazilian Bruna Tomaselli picked up a puncture and was relegated to the back of the field. The rest of the race passed with plenty of midfield scrapes and overtaking but little in the way of challenging a dominant Chadwick.
Speaking on her race two win, Chadwick said “I’m really happy with that win and happy to bounce back to be honest. I lacked confidence yesterday and didn’t feel like I deserved the win, whereas this was our first proper race under green-flag conditions and I’m happy to get that one under my belt. With the nature of the circuit and the heat, it was all about keeping it clean, making no mistakes and keeping the tyres in check. Nerea [Martí] kept the pressure on, but I responded when I needed to, stayed calm and managed the gap well which gave me some breathing space at the end.
Of course there is a danger here that we see another season of the Jamie Chadwick show, unable to secure a seat in F2 or F3 the Williams development driver finds herself back here again and some will ask questions of the series if it is struggling to get its top performers into higher formulas. Only time will tell if this becomes a real issue as the W Series returns for round two in Spain on the 20th May.
