W Series targeting spot on F1 support card

The new W Series is targeting a spot as a support event during Formula 1 race weekends, according to David Coulthard.

The series is aimed at giving more opportunities to female drivers in motorsport, and hosted its first ever race at Hockenheim at the weekend. Coulthard is chairman of the W Series advisory board and co-commentated on the opening race. Saturday's race was a support event for DTM, but the former Williams, McLaren and Red Bull driver said there was a chance to be on the schedule alongside F1 earlier this year.

“Australia wanted us to be there for the first race,” Coulthard told Reuters. “They’re a government-funded event, and ... they would have no problem bringing us down there.

“I was really excited: ‘We’ve got to be in Australia, at the Grand Prix, the first race.’ But the team was just, ‘To go there, on that stage, if we don’t get it right for whatever reason...’.

"They made the right decision. I was being emotional,” Coulthard added.

Despite the final decision not to kick off the W Series in Melbourne and the inaugural season set to feature six races all accompanying DTM, Coulthard sees a number of other circuits with potential to host the series alongside and F1 race in future.

“There’s a few grand prix tracks where the undercard is not controlled by Formula 1," he said. "I think it would be quite interesting if there was a little bit of pressure applied to F1.

“We are very happy partnering with DTM. This is their first race, their first season. But we could have additional races in the same way that our competitors are not locked in to W [Series].”

Despite his comments about venues 'not controlled by F1', Coulthard added that the sport’s current owners, Liberty Media, have shown an interest in the series.

“I think [the W Series] fits perfectly with [F1's] new owners and everything they stand for and what they are doing. We have had a conversation; they would like to see how it develops.”