Following three days of on-track testing, which came to an end this afternoon, a group of aspiring W Series drivers will now return to their homes to await news of whether they have done enough to secure places in the 2020 W Series championship.
It was a rigorous test: cumulatively, they completed more than 300 laps, in W Series Tatuus T-318 Formula 3 cars, at the 2.61-mile (4.2km) Circuito de Almeria in southern Spain.
Set against a spectacular mountainous backdrop in the semi-arid Tabernas desert, Circuito de Almeria is the warmest and driest racing circuit in Europe. Over three days, temperatures soared into the high 20s (Celsius), with humidity to match, creating challenging driving conditions for all participants.
The 15 drivers who took part in the three-day test were Abbie Eaton (GBR), Abbie Munro (GBR), Anna Inotsume (JPN), Ayla Argen (NOR), Belen Garcia (ESP), Bruna Tomaselli (BRA), Chelsea Herbert (NZL), Courtney Crone (USA), Gabriella Jilkova (CZE), Hannah Grisham (USA), Irina Sidorkova (RUS), Katherine Legge (GBR), Michelle Gatting (DNK), Nerea Marti (ESP) and Tatiana Calderon (COL).
Dave Ryan, W Series Racing Director, said:
“We’ve spent a productive and illuminating three days here at the Circuito de Almeria.
“However, although the drivers will now fly home, for us at W Series the hard work will continue unabated for a while yet because our task will now be to gather, assess and scrutinise the driver data we’ve captured over the past three days.
“Then we’ll compare that data with the data we already hold in respect of the eight 2019 W Series drivers who didn’t automatically qualify for the 2020 season [by finishing inside the top 12 in the 2019 championship].
“We’ll therefore make no selection announcements just yet but will do so in due course.”