W Series Austria: Chadwick dominates second Spielberg race

The reigning champion, driving for Veloce Racing, dominated the second consecutive weekend at the Red Bull Ring, leading every session while also taking the bonus points for fastest lap to take her third W Series win.

It came as redemption after she had a difficult weekend last time out, starting eighth after a cracked carbon pipe scuppered her qualifying, before fighting her way back through the field after a second lap shunt to finish seventh.

Irina Sidorkova, one of the rookies driving for W Series Academy, finished in second to take her first W Series podium, while Emma Kimilainen (Ecurie W) finished in third.

Sarah Moore (Scuderia W) eventually swept past Chadwick’s team-mate Bruna Tomaselli after putting on laps of intense pressure to finish in fourth and fifth respectively, with Abbie Eaton (Ecurie W) passing Academy member Nerea Marti with minutes to go to take sixth.

Beitske Visser (M Forbes Motorsport), who started second, was left stranded on the grid after her car stalled, with the same predicament striking Puma-sponsored Marta Garcia further back in the field in seventh.

But by the third lap, Visser was up into 14th, with Sabre Cook, driving for Bunker Racing, up from the back of field to 11th place after she went off during yesterday’s qualifying.

Miki Koyama leads Sabre Cook

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

With 24 minutes remaining, Chadwick remained totally in control, two seconds ahead of her nearest rival Sidorkova, who was up into second.

Marti passed Moore to take fifth on lap 5 before Moore took the position back the following lap, with Marti going wide over the yellow sausage kerbs amid the tussle.

On lap 8, Puma’s Gosia Rdest went off onto the gravel after contact with team-mate Marta Garcia, but managed to rejoin the track, albeit having been dropped down to the back of the grid.

The Stewards are set to investigate that incident after the race.

Alice Powell, despite having previously complained of a lack of straight-line speed in her Racing X-sponsored car, managed to sweep past Belen Garcia (Scuderia W) on lap 9, taking eighth place.

By the half-way mark, Chadwick had built up a lead of over five seconds, with a similarly large gap between Kimilainen in third and Tomaselli in fourth.

Ayla Agren (M Forbes Motorsport) was shown the black and white flag for exceeding track limits on lap 12, but escaped any further reprimands.

Miki Koyama pitted with five minutes to go with a vibration in the car, possibly caused by a flat spot, but emerged back onto the track to complete the race.

Eaton passed Marti with less than five minutes to go, with the pair tussling for sixth.

Moore, who started ninth, swept passed Tomaselli to take fourth with less than two minutes to go, diving down the inside to take the position after laps of close racing.

W Series returns in support of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone from 16-17 July.

Cla	Drivers	Laps	Gap	Points
1	Jamie Chadwick	21		25
2	Irina Sidorkova	21	6.606	18
3	Emma Kimilainen	21	6.929	15
4	Sarah Moore	21	22.939	12
5	Bruna Tomaselli	21	25.183	10
6	Abbie Eaton	21	26.075	8
7	Nerea Martí	21	26.485	6
8	Alice Powell	21	26.735	4
9	Belén García	21	27.244	2
10	Fabienne Wohlwend	21	27.535	1
11	Beitske Visser	21	27.764
12	Marta Garcia	21	29.526
13	Sabre Cook	21	30.793
14	Ayla Agren	21	34.895
15	Vicky Piria	21	40.964
16	Jessica Hawkins	21	42.921
17	Gosia Rdest	21	43.716
18	Miki Koyama	20	1 Lap
View full results