Jamie Chadwick has revealed how the backlash to her W series return this season drove her off social media.
In February, when Chadwick announced she would be attempting a treble of titles in the Women’s Singles Championship, she was not greeted as a hero.
The W series was always intended to function as a feeder series for other championships, namely Formula 3 or 2 and possibly 1, and Chadwick – one of the world’s leading female drivers – had already declared her intention to move on. to something else last November. “I think I have to present it as a boost for new opportunities,” she said. “I don’t think it would make sense for me to go back to the W series.”
But Chadwick told Telegraph Sport that the lack of funding and the “competitive seats” available in F3 meant that it had finally decided its best option this season was still the W Series, which offers a free seat, acts as a series of support for F1 Grand Prix weekends and £400,000 in prize money for the winner.
Aware of herself, she knew that the reversal would not be welcomed. “I expected a bit of a backlash,” she said. “I saw all my social media, before it was announced there were a lot of people supporting me to move up to something like F3 or F2, so I anticipated that, you know, if I was going to announce that I wouldn’t take that step, then there would be a few disappointed people.
“To be honest, I deleted the apps, just because it’s easier. It wasn’t necessarily a criticism of me, but I see a lot of messages from people who accept me. [to bigger things] and it will not be the immediate future. It’s a process, it’s not going to happen overnight.”
While Chadwick, 23, was considering a move to F3, by the time the W Series ended in October the official tests for the Championship had already passed and she felt she had missed the boat to claim a team competitive or raise the necessary funds.
