Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Ex-F1's David Coulthard 'doesn't get' continued W Series criticism

Former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard says he 'doesn't get' the continued criticism of W Series from high-profile sceptics of the championship

Coulthard - who is the Chairman of W Series' advisory board - was referencing the continued criticism that W Series has faced from other high-profile female racing drivers due to the series segregating women from male competition in motorsport.

Speaking at the Brands Hatch finale, Coulthard urged W Series critics to work together "collectively" for a common goal.

While the championship is formally FIA-ratified, the W Series is not affiliated with the FIA Women in Motorsport commission or Susie Wolff's FIA-backed Girls on Track and Dare to be Different initiatives.

"The reaction that we have received from [FIA president] Jean Todt at the FIA and Dave Richards at the MSA and Gerhard [Berger] at ITR has been incredibly positive," said Coulthard.

"In all of our meetings, Jean [Todt] has been supportive of anything that is supporting women in motorsport.

"What is surprising for me is that some other, let's say notable, women in motorsport who have still not been very supportive of us.

"I simply don't get it, we are all trying to achieve the same thing.

"There are initiatives out there to support the grassroots and that's great, but we'd be denying this generation who are ready now [for] their chance - and to me, that doesn't feel right.

What W Series must look like in 2020

"This is a collective thing, we all want the same thing, so let's do it together.

"I don't understand why anyone would think this was anything other than a great thing for women in motorsport.

"But sometimes when someone has decided, it doesn't matter how absolutely reasonable your arguments are. You realise that the problem is not with us, it's with them."

The inaugural W Series title was won by Jamie Chadwick, who signed for the Williams Formula 1 team in a development role after the opening rounds of the season at Hockenheim and Zolder.

Williams team principal Claire Williams had attended the Hockenheim opener as a guest of W Series and said after the weekend that her initial fears about the series had now been allayed.

"Claire came to Hockenheim because we were presenting what we were doing and as a senior member of the motorsport community, we wanted Claire there and we wanted her support," said Coulthard.

"She wasn't sure about it, but she made the time and effort to come along and saw the talent and changed her mind, publicly changed her mind.

"That's why it's so surprising that there are others who are just blinkered when they should be thinking 'it's not the way we have done it, or the way we would do it but that it has its own place'."

Be part of the Autosport community

Join the conversation
Previous article What W Series must look like in 2020
Next article How Chadwick became motorsport's face of change

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe