The comeback trail Brit making the most of a second chance

Alice Powell has been W Series' standout driver so far in 2021, with grand slams in two of the three races putting her at the top of the drivers' standings heading into this weekend's fourth round in Hungary. But the 28-year-old says she probably wouldn’t be racing without the lifeline the series threw her, having not competed a full season in four years before returning to single-seaters for the inaugural 2019 season.

With outings in the SUV-based Jaguar I-PACE eTrophy her only race mileage in 2020 as the pandemic forced W Series into a hiatus, the Brit made a flying start to 2021 with victory at the W Series season opener in Austria before sweeping past Fabienne Wohlwend to take the top step of the podium at an “unforgettable” Silverstone in front of adoring fans, friends and family.

It means she carries a six-point cushion over second-placed reigning champion Jamie Chadwick approaching the season's halfway stage, with another expected favourite in 2019 runner-up Beitske Visser 46 points down after a tough start. But Powell retains a calm and collected approach, continuing the “pretty relaxed” mindset she carried into the season.

“Obviously, I knew that quite a few of the drivers were racing last year – Jamie does the [Formula] Regional championship, Beitske had her LMP2 stuff - so I knew that I still had a lot of work to do to try and catch these drivers up,” Powell tells Autosport. “To start the year off the way that I have so far is great, but I'm very mindful that there's still five races left to go and a lot of points to be won and lost.”

That Powell isn't getting too carried away is perhaps understandable when considering her previous experiences in motorsport. The first woman to score points in GP3 (the precursor to FIA Formula 3) back in 2012, she was unable to find a budget to continue racing after winning the 2014 Formula Renault Asia title, instead working as a labourer with her father while coaching drivers to remain involved.

Powell's victory in the Austria season opener set up a strong start to the 2021 season

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Named a BRDC’s Rising Star for 2015, her only race outings were four MRF Challenge starts before dropping off the grid altogether.

“I’ve been a motorsport fan since I was very small, so the love of the sport has always been in me basically,” she says. “So I was always still going to racetracks, doing the coaching for karting or F4 or other championships as well - I was still visiting British race circuits, some European circuits as well.

"It’s important for me to make sure I’m taking it race-by-race. There's still a long way to go in the championship fight" Alice Powell

“As the years went by that I’d been out of a seat, your hope starts to fade year-on-year. If it wasn’t for W Series, would I be racing? Probably not, so W Series has been a real saviour in that sense. Huge credit to Catherine [Bond-Muir, series founder], Sean [Wadsworth, principal investor] and the team for getting the series where it is today and getting so many of us on the grid.

“The sponsors W Series is attracting are incredible and to have a series in its second series be on the [Formula 1] support package is kudos to how appreciated the series has been by F1 and the efforts that Catherine and Sean are putting in.”

Powell made good use of her W Series lifeline in 2019, finishing third in the championship behind compatriot Chadwick and Visser with victory in the Brands Hatch finale helping to make up for a run of misfortune that included a first lap clash with Wohlwend at Misano.

She parlayed that into a maiden GT3 appearance in the IMSA SportsCar Championship at Virginia International Raceway. Her deal with the Heinricher Racing with Meyer Shank Racing squad alongside fellow Briton Katherine Legge was always meant to be a one-off, but Powell doesn’t rule out a return to the series in future having been impressed by the standard of competition.

“I had never really experienced that level of racing before,” she says.

Powell enjoyed her IMSA one-off in MSR-run Acura in 2019 alongside Legge

Photo by: Scott R LePage / Motorsport Images

Neither does she rule out pursuing a career in Formula E, having recently joined Envision Virgin as a simulator driver. She first drove for the team in Formula E's rookie test last March in Marrakech and had been scheduled for another run out this year in Valencia until it was cancelled due to the pandemic.

“I've actually been working with the team since Puebla, I've really enjoyed so far working with them,” she says. “They're a great bunch of people and I'm looking forward to continuing my work with them.

“Hopefully, we can seal the teams' championship. Robin [Frijns] is very close at the top of the drivers championship as well, so it’d be really special if they can deliver that first team championship this year. Who knows? Maybe it will lead to a seat in the future, we'll have to wait and see.”

To put herself in the frame for a race seat in the future, Powell knows she just has to keep doing what she's doing in W Series. Her recent win at Silverstone is a result that will live long in the memory - “just what dreams are made of,” as she puts it - made all the more special by the fact her parents, sister and partner all happened to be stood at Club, where she made the decisive pass on Wohlwend.

But Powell says she has “sort of put that behind me now” as she prepares for her next battle at the Hungaroring, a circuit she last raced at in 2012.

“Budapest is a totally different circuit [to Silverstone], it’s certainly gonna be a lot warmer,” she says. “So it’s going to be different, and I think that’s important for me to make sure I’m taking it race-by-race. There's still a long way to go in the championship fight.”

Unlike in its inaugural season, the 2021 W Series champion will be unable to return to the grid next season after it was given FIA Super License points. So where next for Powell if she does take the top spot?

Pass on Wohlwend set Powell up for Silverstone victory and points lead

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

“To be honest, I haven't really thought about the future that much,” she says. “It may sound a little bit crazy, but I'm sort of taking the same approach as I'm taking this year, taking it step-by-step.

“Race-by-race is what I'm doing this year and I’m really trying to make sure that I'm keeping up my form as much as I can throughout each race.

“If I won the championship this year, who knows the opportunities that might arise? There's plenty of opportunities that hopefully will come with me winning the championship, but I'm just keeping my options open at the moment.”

Whatever happens this season, Powell is sure to end up in a seat somewhere if she continues this impressive form.

Powell walks the Hungaroring track

Photo by: Dom Romney / Motorsport Images