The final two races of the 2022 W Series season are in doubt amid ongoing financial problems. The all-female championship is racing in Asia this weekend for the first time as part of the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix support package, where Jamie Chadwick could wrap up the title. Its presence at the Marina Bay Street Circuit was only confirmed at late notice, amid ongoing financial issues that see it owing significant amounts to creditors. It was set to support F1 at both the United States and Mexico City Grands Prix, but that now looks in doubt as CEO Catherine Bond Muir seeks to secure investment. "We’re having lots of conversations at the moment and I’m very optimistic," she told RacingNews365 . "We’ve had to fight from day one. It has always been a struggle but we’re fighters. “We’re looking at our budgets. We're confident that we’ll continue to raise money."
Bond Muir: W Series already had "huge impact"
The financial problems come a few days after Bond Muir noted the areas where W Series can continue to 'mature' . The series has pledged a cash prize of $500,000 if Chadwick, who would secure her third championship in a row after winning in 2019 and '21. The series did not race in '20 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although W Series has highlighted female talent in motorsport, its drivers have been unable to attract funding to enable them to progress further up the junior single seater ladder. Chadwick, who is also a Williams F1 test driver, has struggled to find backing for a FIA Formula 3 seat - with the Briton recently testing an Indy Lights car at Sebring with a view to moving to America for 2023. But Bond Muir thinks W Series has already had a "huge impact" and been a "force for good" in its three years of operation. "You have to understand W Series is a brand new sport. Tennis has equality now because Billie-Jean King fought for those rights 50 years ago," she said. "Football is slowly starting to become more equal. Rugby? We saw recently that England’s women flew economy to the World Cup where their male counterparts flew business. It takes time. "We’re only in our third season. But we have had a huge impact already and we are a force for good."
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