Photo: LAT Images
The selection process for the 2020 W Series grid is set to begin at the Almeria circuit next month.
A three-day test will take place at the Spanish circuit, where the second round of the selection process for the inaugural season this year was held.
The top 12 drivers in this year?s standings already have the option of a guaranteed place in the second year of the series, where FIA Superlicence points will be awarded, and are not required to participate in the test.
?Prior to the 2019 W Series season, we tested all our drivers at Almeria in W Series race cars ? Tatuus T-318 Formual 3 cars ? and we plan to put our new applicants through exactly the same process,? explained W Series race director Dave Ryan.
?We?ll have one or two drivers from the pool of 12 who are already guaranteed a 2020 W Series drive on hand too, to post comparative lap-times, the better to enable us to understand the ability and speed of our aspiring newcomers.?
Like last year?s test, the selection process will use the W Series Tatuus T-318 Formula 3 car.
All female drivers with FIA International C racing licenses are invited to take part, though the eight drivers from the inaugural championship who haven?t automatically qualified for the 2020 season will not take part.
?To be clear, the eight drivers who finished outside the top 12 in the 2019 W Series championship are not ineligible for our 2020 season, they?re merely not guaranteed to take part in it,? Ryan said.
?Inevitably, they?re now on tenterhooks, eager to race with us again next season, but whether they do or not will to a great extend depend on the quality of the newcomers we test at Almeria in a month?s time.?
In a statement, the series confirmed ?about 40? applications have already been made for the eight remaining seats on the 2020 grid.