Lewis Hamilton accused Formula 1 of not doing enough to help W Series to save its season amid its financial woes.
The all-female series was forced to cancel the final three races of its season after some funding that was expected never arrived. So W Series will not be supporting F1 in Austin this weekend, or in Mexico seven days later.
It meant Jamie Chadwick was crowned champion for the third time, in her final season in the series before departing to further her motorsport career. But while the Brit was already leaving, many of the other drivers will be left concerned for their own future.
Hamilton feels F1 owners Liberty Media should have stepped in to help W Series to finish their season. Asked if he felt the sport's bosses had a duty to intervene, he replied: "100%. I do. Particularly the W Series.
"There has not been enough focus on women in sport for the whole of Formula 1’s life. There is not enough emphasis on it now. They're not magnifying enough the great work that is being done there.
"There is not enough representation across the board within our industry. There is not really a pathway for those young, amazing drivers to even get to Formula 1. Then you have some people who say: 'We're never going to see a female F1 driver'. That's not a good narrative to be putting out. So, I think we need to be doing more."
The massive growth of F1 as a sport since Liberty Media took over has seen revenues soar. Given the amount of money that has been made as a result, Hamilton went on to say he felt it would be "not a lot" for F1 to provide the funds W Series needed to complete their season.
"With the organisation, with Formula 1 and Liberty doing so well, it was not a lot for them to be able to help out in that space," the Mercedes star added. We need to be doing more to encourage young women."
Explaining the decision to curtail the season, W Series chief executive Catherine Bond Muir said: "It is well-documented that women's sports receive far less funding than its male counterparts, and W Series is no exception. We are incredibly thankful for the help and support we have received in recent weeks following the news of the financial difficulties we've been facing, which has accelerated our fundraising process and given us great optimism as we look to 2023 and beyond."
