Hungary, where round four of the 2021 W Series season will be held this weekend, is over 1,000 miles from the series’ UK base. However, for Caitlin Wood – who will race for the first time this season at the Hungaroring – it is 10,000 miles from her home in Australia.
The 24-year-old from Maitland, New South Wales, is a reserve driver for the international single-seater motor racing championship for female drivers. In Hungary, she gets her first opportunity to race at the wheel of the PUMA W Series Team’s Tatuus T-318 car since narrowly missing out on automatic qualification for season two at the final race of W Series’ inaugural campaign in 2019. But Caitlin – who is based in Kettering, UK, and has not been back to Australia since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic – knows the Hungaroring well having raced there in the European GT4 Series in 2016.
“It’s great to be back and the Hungaroring is one of my favourite circuits having raced there in 2016 in the European GT4 Series. The circuit is quite technical so you have to know where to position the car to get the most out of it, but the rhythm is really cool. It’s going to be tricky because I haven’t had the three rounds of seat time that everyone else has had. The fact that I know the circuit helps, but I’ll need to be smart and focus on myself. There is pressure because I want to perform. I’m preparing myself well and working with the right people to set myself up to do a good job. Hopefully that rewards me with more drives this season because I’m loving being here and I want to be in the seat,” said Caitlin Wood, PUMA W Series Team driver.
“I’ve been at every round so far this season watching and learning from the other drivers and I know I need to work as hard or harder than all of them. After the disappointment of just missing out on automatic qualification at the end of season one, I have a very refreshed outlook for 2021 and I feel comfortable and confident in my ability to do a good job. Every setback is a chance to be better and I’ve tried to learn and improve on 2019. I did well at the pre-season test in Wales and that’s given me this chance to get back in the car. It’s amazing to be supporting Formula 1 and now I want to show my pace and enjoy a good weekend in Hungary,” added Caitlin.
Other W Series drivers who have raced on this track just outside Budapest include Alice Powell (Racing X, GBR), Beitske Visser (M. Forbes Motorsport, NED) and Gosia Rdest (POL), who will be the reserve driver this weekend. Emma Kimiläinen (Ecurie W, FIN) has only tested at the circuit, but there is a special affinity between Finland and Hungary as the two nations belong to the same linguistical family and share several cultural and historical ties.
The battle for the W Series title and $500,000 winner’s cheque is intensifying, with double race-winner Alice Powell (Racing X, GBR) leading the standings by six points from 2019 champion Jamie Chadwick (Veloce Racing, GBR). While the top of the table is very much a British affair with Sarah Moore (Scuderia W, GBR) in third place, two podium finishes from the first three rounds mean Fabienne Wohlwend (Bunker Racing, LIE) is fourth.
The track, situated 24 kilometres from Budapest, was first used for a Formula 1 Grand Prix in 1986 and has been the home of the Hungarian round every year since, making this the 36th World Championship race to be held there. It is 4.381 kilometres (2.722 miles) long and notoriously difficult for overtaking, so a good qualifying position is imperative. This is also a track where the drivers’ fitness is pushed to the limit as the ambient summer temperatures in Hungary often top 30 degrees Celsius.
W Series’ on-track schedule this weekend begins with a 30-minute practice session on Friday 30 July at 8.55pm AEST, followed by a 30-minute qualifying session on at 12.30am AEST on Saturday 31 July 16.30. The race of 30 minutes plus one lap will start at 12.30am AEST on Sunday 1 August. The action can also be seen across W Series’ digital and social channels, as well as being broadcast in more than 175 territories with a full list available at wseries.com/where-to-watch/.
Main photograph by Drew Gibson and other image by W Series.