Click2Drive Bristol Street Motors W Series- 2022 Season Round-up
After an incredible series for the Click2Drive Bristol Street Motors racing team, we take a look back at the highs and lows of the season as it comes to an end.
The season for W Series has now come to an end, and we’re looking back on what has been a fantastic season for our Click2Drive racing team, with drivers Alice Powell and Jessica Hawkins working hard to represent our brand, and women, in motorsport.
To end the season on a high, we’re throwing it back to where it all began in May, with round 1 kicking off in Miami, charting Alice and Jessica’s hard work throughout from start to finish.
Round 1 – Miami (06th – 08th May)
Alice and Jess showed promising potential in practicing, with Alice finishing in first position and Jess in 8th, the former ahead of rivals Fabienne Wohlwend and Jamie Chadwick. Though when it came to the race, Alice’s time was cut short after making contact with a wall in the opening lap, bringing her out of the race.
Meanwhile, Jess sped onwards holding a comfortable 5th position behind the likes of Marta Garcia, Fabienne Wohlwend and Jamie Chadwick, as the former two battled it out for 4th position. Though neither would win it, as Jess came swooping in to take it for herself, soon moving up to 3rd position after Emma Kimilainen slipped down the ranks after a yellow flag.
Jess finished in 3rd place, an excellent start for her this season, with Marta Garcia coming in 2nd and Jamie Chadwick on top at 1st.
Overall, a successful kickstart to the season for Jess Hawkins, and a challenging one for Alice, which would only make her more determined to pull back in round two.
Round 2 – Barcelona (20th – 21st May)
The second round of races saw Alice well and truly bounce back, undeterred from the misfortunes of round one, finishing in 4th place in practicing, and Jess in 8th, putting both women in comfortable starting positions for racing time.
In qualifying, Alice pulled it up to 2nd in an impressive 13 laps, placing her behind rival Jamie Chadwick, while Jess dropped down to 9th in qualifying before it came to crunch time in the race.
Alice got off swiftly at the start, battling it out with Abbi Pulling for second position, with Chadwick taking the lead ahead.
Tailing Pulling closely, Alice tentatively prepared to nip in front of Pulling though decided against it taking no risks in her determination to stay in the race.
Meanwhile, Jess put in the work to fend off Hannah Moore vying for 10th place, with a nail-biting 0.139 seconds between the two. Though despite her best efforts, Jess fell back to 11th in order to avoid contact as Moore stubbornly powered through from the inside.
Alice held strong in third position after being overtaken by Pulling, as the Racing X driver tried to take the lead from Jamie Chadwick, though the cards had already been dealt with Chadwick finishing 1st, Pulling 2nd, and Alice in 3rd, with Jess bringing the team home in 11th place.
Round 3 – Silverstone (01st- 02nd July)
Round 3 was a tough one for Alice and Jess, with the two starting out well in practice at 3rd and 6th respectively, followed by 5th and 10th in qualifying, though when it came to race time sadly neither would see a podium finish.
Alice quickly slotted into 3rd place soon after leaving the starting line, defending her position against Fabienne Wolhwend who followed closely behind. Though Powell was soon given a 10-second stop-go penalty for being out of position at safety car line one seeing her take to the pit.
Alice fought successfully up to 15th place after a shaky start back from the pit, meanwhile Jess had made promising progress to up to 6th, though with the final lap in full swing it looked like both drivers’ fates were sealed for this round.
A difficult race for Alice, and a slow push upwards for Jess, so went round 3 at Silverstone.
Round 4 – Le Castellet (22nd – 23rd July)
Round 4 of the season saw the Click2Drive team take to the tracks in France at Le Castellet.
Practice saw Alice finish 7th and Jess in 13th place, before they took to qualifying, finishing 11th and 8th place respectively. This showed a potentially difficult race to come for the team around the 15-turn track.
The race itself was very eventful with Abbie Eaton out within the first 10 seconds and a poor start for Nerea Marti, as well as a tight-cut corner bringing Chloe Chambers and Emely De Heus to a sudden halt.
Amid the chaos, Alice kept a calm 6th position before moving up to 5th, while Jess drove on comfortably at 10th. However, this would be the best they could do considering a fierce battle up ahead between Jamie Chadwick, Belen Garcia and Nerea Marti with the three drivers taking 1st, 2nd and 3rd on the podiums.
A nail-biting race from the beginning, which saw Alice and Jess keep out of trouble and bring the team home with a respectable finish.
Round 5 – Budapest (29th – 30th July)
Kicking off in Hungary was round 5, wrapping up the European leg of the season. Alice had a great start, finishing 1st in qualifying giving her a head start in the race, followed by Beitske Visser, Marta Garcia, Nerea Marti and Jamie Chadwick.
Jess held strong in 10th position just behind Fabienne Wolhwend. A near-miss which sent Marti skidding off-track helped bump Jess up to 7th. Though in the fastest lap she slipped back down to 16th amid gathering tensions.
In the final lap of the race, Alice was ruthlessly pursued by Chadwick battling for the lead. Handling the pressure tremendously, however, Alice whizzed over the finish line beating Chadwick in what was a fantastic moment for the Click2Drive W Series team.
Round 6 – Singapore (30th September – 02nd October)
Singapore saw the final round of the season for the W Series, with a whopping 23-turn circuit featuring a total circuit length of 5.063km. Alice and Jess pulled off a fantastic final performance with Alice achieving a podium finish in 2nd place, and Jess bringing it home in 5th.
With the final spray of champagne on the podiums we were reminded of the amazing efforts of our drivers this season, making a name for the Click2Drive Bristol Street Motors racing team, and making us all well and truly proud.
It’s been a great ride this season, and we’re happy to have been a part of steering the team towards success, as they have worked hard to change the world of motorsport and represent women drivers everywhere.
From the drivers themselves to the cars that helped them get there, learn all about our Click2Drive Bristol Street Motors W Series racing team here.