W Series wraps up three-day 2020 Driver Selection test

The all-women W Series has concluded its three-day test to select the drivers who will compete in its 2020 season.

The test, held at the Circuito de Almeria in southern Spain, eventually saw 15 drivers take part:

Brazil: Bruna Tomaselli
Colombia: Tatiana Calderon
Czech Republic: Gabriella Jilkova
Denmark: Michelle Gatting
Great Britain: Abbie Eaton, Abbie Munro, and Katherine Legge
Japan: Anna Inotsume
New Zealand: Chelsea Herbert
Norway: Ayla Argen
Russia: Irina Sidorkova
Spain: Belen Garcia, Nerea Marti
USA: Courtney Crone, Hannah Grisham

The top 12 finishers from 2019 automatically qualified for 2020, while the bottom eight positions on the grid are wide open.

Dave Ryan, W Series Racing Director, said the W Series will now determine which 8 drivers will progress.

“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.”

His comments seemed to suggest that drivers from the bottom eight in 2019 may be invited back if they prove to be more competitive than new entrants.

“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.”