Max Verstappen and Jamie Chadwick have at least one thing in common this season: they both only heard outside a race that they had taken the world title. The W Series winner tells Sky Sports that the joy was less than normal as a result.
Chadwick was way up in the standings when she was told by the organisers that the season was coming to an end. Due to financial problems, it was no longer possible for the female motorsport class to host any more races in 2022.
It meant the championship leader was assured of the top prize. In this, she considers the situation worse than Verstappen, who had to wait a long time to get certainty after the Japanese Grand Prix. "I was thinking that, I was watching it [the race] thinking ‘oh that’s a bit of an anti-climax’, and then I feel like this is probably even more so," she points to her own situation.
Chadwick balks at situation
The British racing driver, who hopes for an adventure outside the W Series, took her third victory in the world championship this year. That still makes her the only winner ever in women's racing. She considers her current world title less special.
"I guess down the line I won’t even remember thinking about it like this, but at the same time, you always want to have the best opportunity to win it on track," she explains. "It’s mixed emotions. I wasn’t hoping to be sat at home when finding out I’ve won a championship, but it’s how it falls this time."