World of Sport: W Series; WTCR; IMSA; NASCAR Cup; Porsche Supercup; Motogp
W SERIES
RED BULL RING (AUT) 26 JUNE
ROUND 1/8
There were high expectations of
W Series on the eve of its second season, with a Formula 1 support slot and FIA superlicence points upping the pressure on its 18 drivers. And it didn’t disappoint. Alice Powell totally dominated the Styrian Grand Prix support round at the Red Bull Ring, scoring a grand slam on the road and bagging her second consecutive race victory.
Powell, it will be remembered, also won the 2019 season finale at Brands Hatch on her way to finishing third in the standings. But the all-female field had to skip the 2020 season amid the coronavirus pandemic, meaning a 22-month wait since the previous event.
It was Powell’s first visit to the Austrian circuit, so by her own admission it was unexpected that she topped free practice. She then managed to “do it where it counts” and convert that pace to a maiden pole position for Saturday’s race. Fellow Brit Sarah Moore completed the front row, less than 0.2 seconds slower, with rookie Belen Garcia snaring third place.
In a race peppered with collisions and spins, Powell held on to first place to lead from lights to flag, also taking the bonus points for fastest lap. Moore, too, managed to hold her position to finish second and become the first openly LGBTQ+ person to earn a podium on a grand prix weekend.
Powell, who gave Racing X victory in W Series’ new sponsor-based teams’ championship, had to survive a late safety car, triggered when Marta Garcia’s car ground to a halt. “I saw Marta’s car on the side of the track and I was dreading the safety car coming out, but I managed to keep control,” she said. “I knew I had the pace, so it was just about staying consistent and bringing it home. I struggled for the first couple of laps to push but I knew the pace would be there, and I was just focused on going forward.
It’s the perfect start and an amazing feeling, better than I had in 2019.”
Fabienne Wohlwend completed the podium after starting in ninth, while Belen Garcia was fourth and Miki Koyama fifth, the Japanese making up seven places on track from 13th on the grid before being bumped up due to a penalty for Jess Hawkins.
Reigning champion Jamie Chadwick started eighth after a cracked carbon pipe scuppered her qualifying, but fought back through the field after a second-lap hit to the rear of her car to finish seventh once penalties were accounted for. She was tagged by Hawkins at Turn 1, sending her to the back of the pack and prompting a charge up the order over the remainder of the 20-lap race. Aston Martin F1 team driver ambassador Hawkins finished fifth, but her 30-second penalty dropped her to 16th.
There was chaos for Beitske Visser, who’d been running in third, at the late restart. The Dutchwoman was spun around at Turn 1 after contact with Emma Kimilainen. Visser fell to last, while Kimilainen moved into her place briefly, albeit with a damaged front wing. This continued to cause problems, dropping her down the order before it flew off on lap 20. Kimilainen later received a three-place grid penalty for this weekend’s race, also at the Red Bull Ring supporting the Austrian GP.