W Series turned down Australian GP spot

W Series

W Series turned down Australian GP spot

The exposure would have been huge!

Matthew Scott

Monday 6 May 2019 16:42

David Coulthard has revealed that the W Series opted not to accept an offer from Australian Grand Prix organisers to feature on the support bill to the opening Formula 1 race of the season. The women-only competition launched at the Hockenheim DTM round this weekend after much hype.

Jamie Chadwick won the competition's inaugural race, having dominated the weekend through practice and qualifying.

The competition has been launched with the stated aim of helping female drivers onto the ladder to F1, with the winner set to receive $500,000.

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And Coulthard has revealed that F1 exposure was offered up to the competition, although they were not ready to get started.

"Australia wanted us to be there for the first race," Coulthard said.

"They're a government-funded event and for them they would have no problem bringing us down there.

Winning moments. 🏆#WSeries #WRace1 pic.twitter.com/QAGtRnf55O
— W Series (@WSeriesRacing) May 4, 2019

"I was really excited; 'We've got to be in Australia, at the grand prix, the first race.' And the team were just, 'To go there, on that stage, if we don't get it right for whatever reason...'

"So they made the right decision. I was being emotional."

Coulthard says it is possible that the W Series could still feature as a support race for F1 in the future, and believes that Liberty Media could have an interest in the competition.

"There's a few grand prix tracks where the undercard is not controlled by Formula 1," he said.

"I think it would be quite interesting if there was a little bit of pressure applied to F1.

"We are very happy partnering with DTM. This is their first race. But we could have additional races in the same way that our competitors are not locked in to W [Series].

"I think it fits perfectly with the new owners and everything they stand for and what they are doing.

"We have had a conversation, they would like to see how it develops."