The all-female racing series, Formula W, has announced the names of more than 50 drivers who will enter a selection process to claim a place on the 2019 grid.
The series will select 18 women to take part in the inaugural season, which will get underway at Hockenheim on May 3 next year. The current list has been narrowed down from over 100 applicants and the selected drivers now have two months to prepare for a three-day on-and-off-track trial, including fitness tests and psychometric profiling, as well as multiple driving skill tests.
Former F1 stars David Coulthard and Alex Wurz will be among the judges, alongside former McLaren sporting director Dave Ryan.
“We are thrilled but perhaps not surprised by the response,” Catherine Bond Muir, W Series CEO, said. “Even today there is a massive gender imbalance in motorsport and W Series is making the first step to correct that. Drivers from all over the world have stepped forward, so it’s clear that with the right framework we can make the changes this sport desperately needs.”
Coulthard, W Series Advisory Board Chair, added: “We designed W Series specifically to shine a light on female talent right around the world. I can’t wait to be part of the next stage and to see some of that talent in action.”
The series is free to enter for the 18 drivers selected and comes with a total prize money purse of $1.5 million, $500,000 of which will go to the winner.
The full list can be seen below and includes former GP3 drivers Carmen Jorda, Vicky Piria and Alice Powell.
Ayla Agren, 25, Norway
Amna Al Qubaisi,18, UAE
Chelsea Angelo, 22, Australia
Carmen Boix, 23, Spain
Sarah Bovy, 29, Belgium
Toni Breidinger, 19, USA
Ivana Cetinich, 22, South Africa
Jamie Chadwick, 20, UK
Veronika Cicha, 31, Czech Republic
Sabre Cook, 24, USA
Courtney Crone, 17, USA
Natalie Decker, 21, USA
Mira Erda, 18, India
Carlotta Fedeli, 26, Italy
Cassie Gannis, 27, USA
Marta Garcia, 18, Spain
Michelle Gatting, 24, Denmark
Angelique Germann, 27 Germany
Megan Gilkes, 17, Canada
Samin Gomez, 26, Venezuela
Grace Gui, 27, China
Michelle Halder, 19, Germany
Esmee Hawkey, 20, UK
Jessica Hawkins, 23, UK
Shea Holbrook, 28, USA
Carmen Jorda, 30, Spain
Vivien Keszthelyi, 17, Hungary
Emma Kimilainen, 29, Finland
Natalia Kowalska, 28, Poland
Stephane Kox, 24, Netherland
Miki Koyama, 21, Japan
Fabienne Lanz, 32, South Africa
Milla Mäkelä, 25, Finland
Alexandra Marinescu, 18, Romania
Milou Mets, 28, Netherlands
Sheena Monk, 29, USA
Sarah Moore, 25, UK
Marylin Niederhauser, 22, Germany
Tasmin Pepper, 28, South Africa
Vicky Piria, 24, Italy
Taegen Poles, 20, Canada
Alice Powell, 25, UK
Charlotte Poynting, 20, Australia
Naomi Schiff, 24, Belgium
Carrie Schriener, 20, Germany
Sharon Scolari, 23, Switzerland
Doreen Seidel, 33, Germany
Siti Shahkirah, 24, Malaysia
Sneha Sharma, 28, India
Bruna Tomasell, 21, Brazil
Shirley Van Der Lof, 31, Netherlands
Beitske Visser, 23, Netherlands
Fabienne Wohlwend, 21, Lichenstein
Caitlin Wood, 21, Australia
Hanna Zellers, 21, USA