Hankook and W Series enter second half of the season with Formula 1

Hankook Ventus Race tyres in racks

Hankook, the exclusive tyre partner of the all-woman W Series since its inaugural 2019 season, will travel to the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium to commence the second half of this year’s series. Featuring on the support programme for Formula 1, with which it shares the bill on eight grand prix weekends, the W Series runs on Hankook high-end Ventus Race tyre.

The manufacturer says the predictability and high level of consistency in the Ventus Race mean drivers need not focus on tyre management and can instead gain valuable racing experience out on the track, Hankook says.

Manfred Sandbichler, Hankook motorsport director Europe: “The W Series has landed a real coup with its starts at Formula 1 events. This automatically brings this extraordinary format to the fore in the international motorsport world. Hankook has supported the W Series as exclusive tyre partner since it was launched. During this time, the drivers have learned a huge amount and are improving with every race. We are proud to be able to contribute to this improvement with our race tyre.”

W Series standings

Jamie Chadwick comes into the second half of this season’s W Series as defending champion and with a one-point lead at the top of the overall standings. Her closest rival is compatriot Alice Powell. The two Brits have shared the victories in the four races so far between themselves.

Both drivers recorded a win when the season kicked off with a double-header at the Red Bull Ring, Austria, in June. 28-year-old Powell then won their home race in Silverstone. Last time out, at the Hungaroring, it was the woman four years her junior who climbed onto the top step of the podium. As Chadwick’s other results have been the better of the two, it is she that tops the overall standings. Third, 36 points behind the championship leader, is Nerea Marti from Spain.

After Spa-Francorchamps, the W Series heads to Zandvoort, Netherlands, the following week. From there, the series travels to Austin, Texas, and the Circuit of The Americas in October. Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico hosts the finale. In the W Series, up to 20 drivers line up in 270-hp Formula race cars with identical chassis and engines.