All Scores

Jamie Chadwick, W Series stars ready for spotlight at Miami Grand Prix

Jamie Chadwick, the undefeated W Series champion, headlines the group in Miami. (Joan Valls/Urbanandsport /NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The W Series, entering its third season, is set to kick off as part of the first-ever Formula One Miami Grand Prix on Saturday. The all-women driver series was launched in 2019 by CEO Catherine Bond Muir in response to disturbing data that showed the already dismal number of girls and women in single-seater* motorsports was declining instead of growing.

Lining up on the grid this weekend are purportedly the 18 fastest female drivers in the world, including the undefeated W Series champion Jamie Chadwick.

With the popularity of Netflix’s “Drive to Survive,” a behind-the-scenes docuseries about the world of Formula One, American interest in elite-level motorsports has skyrocketed. While all 10 of the W Series 2022 races will be held in conjunction with F1 Grand Prix events, it’s a mistake to think of it as simply the women’s version of F1. For starters, nobody in W Series is aiming for a “separate but equal” future for women in motorsports, and further, Bond Muir intentionally designed W Series to counteract some of F1’s faults.

“There are two strands of DNA in W Series. One is that a driver doesn’t have to come and pay for their seat. It’s incumbent on W Series to pay all of the driver’s expenses and the cost of the car,” Bond Muir said. “And second is that the cars will be identical. Because where we stand as a business is we’re looking for the fastest drivers.”

Due to the exorbitant expense of building and maintaining insanely fast vehicles, the traditional world of motorsports is infamous for favoring drivers whose parents or sponsors have well-lined pockets. A driver who may not be the fastest athlete available, but is nonetheless selected for a seat because of their financial resume, is what those in the industry refer to as a “paid driver.” On a recent episode of The Ringer’s F1 podcast, motorsport journalist Elizabeth Blackstock lamented the prevalence of “paid drivers” in F1, but also savvily quipped, “Paid drivers were the original drivers. They were the people who could afford to buy a car and go race.” The extent that financial access and backing now influence driver selection has prompted many to call for change.

For her part, Bond Muir is wholeheartedly committed to keeping money out of the equation when filling W Series driver seats and looking solely for the best raw talent.

“In my tenure, I certainly don’t believe that drivers will be paying for their seats, because that is a point of differentiation for W Series,” she said. “I never want that to change. I don’t want it to be about rich kids. I want it to be about kids.”

To Bond Muir, a large portion of this year’s W Series drivers are still just “kids.” Out of her 18 drivers, six of them are teenagers. But she’s also referring to the larger impact she envisions for W Series on junior levels of racing.

“There is money that goes into the young kids who are super-fast because they believe that either their child or the person that they’re choosing to sponsor can get into Formula One or into IndyCar,” she said. “When I started looking at motorsport in 2016 … women were not being thought of as a group of people who could do that. Maybe the next female driver in Formula One is [now] 7 or 8 years old, but because we have changed the environment of motorsport to demonstrate that women have a valid place in motorsport, that 8-year-old, when they are super-fast, money will go into them at that point.”

Along with her large-scale vision for how W Series can change the world of motorsports, Bond Muir is at base level a pure sports fan, and one of the things she’s most excited to see this season is, “Who’s going to challenge Jamie?”

Jamie Chadwick: The Champ

Jamie Chadwick didn’t start karting until she was 11, which in racing made her a bit of a late bloomer. But she caught up quickly, and what started as a fun family activity became a serious competitive endeavor, demonstrated by her becoming the youngest driver and first-ever woman to win a British GT Championship at age 17. Now, having won both the 2019 and 2021 W Series titles (the 2020 season was canceled due to the pandemic), Chadwick is entering her third season with an enormous target on her back.

“I think where I’ve been fortunate in the past two seasons is consistency,” she said. “In the championship with so few races, you need to be scoring in every race or otherwise. If you have even one bad result, it can really set you back in the championship.”

Just 23, Chadwick is now cast as the seasoned vet who will have to defend her crown against a new class of young speedsters.

“It’s getting more and more competitive,” she said. “There’s a lot of young girls, which is really exciting. Great for the sport. Harder work for me.”

Chadwick has been very direct about her long-term career objective to become a Formula One driver, as she told Kelley O’Hara on JWS’ The Players’ Pod last year. Of the current W Series drivers, she has the strongest resume, but a significant gap remains between W Series and F1. The traditional path for the minuscule percentage of drivers who eventually get to F1 is to progress from karting to F4, then F3, then F2, and finally F1. Currently, W Series falls somewhere next to or just behind F3 based on the car they race. Where Chadwick lands next will be a telling indication of how W Series fits into this leveled progression.

“There’s still quite a lot I need to achieve and different series that I need to go through before Formula One is an option,” she said. “But I made no secret of the fact that’s my ambition.”

There are positive signs that F1 teams are interested in growing their pool of female drivers. Three W Series drivers have now signed on in some capacity with F1 teams. Chadwick, for one, has been a development driver for Williams since 2019.

Chadwick also isn’t shy about where her career would be if W Series didn’t exist.

“Honestly, I don’t think I’d be racing,” she said. “I think I probably would’ve had a year or two maximum of continuing to try and find something, and it definitely wouldn’t have been in single-seaters … W Series came about at the perfect time. It gave me this opportunity to continue racing with a huge platform. It’s been pretty career-changing.”

Chloe Chambers: All-American Teenager

W Series is much more than a potential stepping stone to F1, but this encapsulation is what is most appealing to many of the youngest drivers. They see its potential to serve as an express lane, providing them with critical track experience and full-funded support to make up for the lack of opportunities for girls and women in the existing pathways.

“The younger drivers are much more fixated on getting into Formula One, because they’re young enough to be able to do that,” Bond Muir said. “Without putting our older drivers down, if you are in your late 20s, you’re not going to get into Formula One.”

It’s a harsh reality that exists in racing regardless of gender. But in the mind of 17-year-old Chloe Chambers, the sky’s the limit.

“My goal from when I first started racing was to get into Formula One. Obviously getting into Formula One is an accomplishment, but I want to be competitive in it. I want to be able to win and fight for race wins and just show to the world that I’m a good driver, not just a good female driver,” she said. “W series is definitely a stepping stone for that. It can definitely help me a lot in getting me up into F3, F2, and then F1.”

Adopted from China when she was 11 months old, Chambers lives in New York with her parents and two younger siblings, both also adopted internationally.

“I think it’s really cool for me to be able to have that kind of experience and that knowledge of other cultures,” she said of her family’s diverse heritage. “Especially in a sport like racing, where you have to experience a bunch of other countries and cultures.”

img
The 17-year-old Chambers joined W Series this year after a successful F4 campaign. (Joan Valls/Urbanandsport /NurPhoto via Getty Images)

After quickly making her way through the karting ranks at the same track where Danica Patrick raced as a kid, Chambers spent last season in the F4 U.S. Championship before being selected for W Series this year. Despite the fast progression, Chambers says she feels very comfortable in the car heading into Miami this weekend.

“I think you get used to the speed. All the things that people would find scary, you get used to it really quickly, especially having grown up racing,” she said. “I am just going in with a fresh mind and willingness to learn.”

And she’ll be learning from the best. In her corner will be her Jenner Racing teammate, Jamie Chadwick, and team owner Caitlyn Jenner.

“Caitlin has just a wealth of knowledge in the sports world, and she loves racing too,” Chambers said of her new boss. “She has so much to say about racing and cars and just things that I love. I can just learn so much from her.”

Emma Kimilainen: Mother of the Grid

Besides the fact that her profession is to drive some of the fastest cars in the world at ridiculous speeds, Emma Kimilainen is just like most working mothers trying to find that delicate balance between career and family.

As a sports loving kid, Kimilainen pursued basketball, soccer and karate before deciding her primary passion was in racing. By the age of 12, she was winning almost every karting race she entered, and by 18 she was an Audi factory driver in a European junior single-seater series. Unfortunately for Kimilainen and many of her peers, the financial crisis of 2008 made sponsorship funding almost impossible to come by for the next few years, so she stepped away from the sport and eventually accepted it was a thing of her past.

Fast forward to 2014, Kimilainen and her husband were adjusting to life as new parents to their baby daughter when she received a very unexpected phone call.

“When she was 6 months old, I got that golden phone call that no one ever gets,” Kimilainen said.

The caller was the team manager of PWR Racing, a Swedish touring car team, offering her a driver seat, which she enthusiastically accepted. The physical challenge of getting back in shape and adjusting to being back in the car was easy compared with the emotional challenge of the accompanying “mom guilt.” On her daughter’s first birthday, Kimilainen was out of town, competing in her very first race back behind the wheel.

“Being away from home, from my daughter and family when she had the birthday was like a slap in the face,” she said.

img
Kimilainen rediscovered her passion for racing after giving birth to her daughter. (ROC/Jerry Andre/Hasan Bratic/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

It took a lot of self-examination and reevaluation of internal and external expectations for Kimilainen to feel secure in her work-life balance.

“With the first three years, I really worked hard mentally to balance what I thought that a good mother is, to what I actually am,” she said frankly.

Kimilainen found that her driving performance improved significantly when she got back on the track.

“I’m a lot better driver than I have ever been because of being a mother,” she said. “I realized that I’m a lot more than a racing driver. My identity is not the thing that I’m passionate about. I can be very passionate about it, I can be very ambitious about it, and it’s something that I really love to do, but it doesn’t define who I am as a person. Getting that right was the whole key to a completely new performance level.”

Having finished fifth overall and third overall in the previous two seasons, Kimilainen said she’s better prepared this time around and is optimistic she’ll be competing for the championship at the end of the year. She’s also more confident than ever that her decision to pursue her dreams will be invaluable for her daughter in the long run.

“Even though I’m away a lot, I hope that she understands why and then can appreciate it later,” she said. “I just want to show her that you can become whatever you want and there’s no barriers or limits, no boundaries of what she can become.”

W Series Miami Race 1 takes place Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET, with Race 2 to follow on Sunday at 10:35 a.m. All qualifying sessions and races will be broadcast in the U.S. on ESPN. You can also follow W Series action on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

*The term single-seater, in motorsport, refers to racing cars with only one seat and wheels that are outside the body of the car. Single-seater race cars are seen to have a higher degree of technological sophistication than other types of racing vehicles.

USC’s McKenzie Forbes: From Gap Year to the NCAA Tournament

As part of our 1-v-1 video series, USC’s India Otto sat down to interview her teammate McKenzie Forbes. 

Here are five things to know from our conversation with the graduate transfer from Folsom, California.

#1 Inspired by USC’s Head Coach, Lindsay Gottlieb, McKenzie wants to be a basketball coach or work in the front office in the future.

When weighing in on what makes a good coach, McKenzie said x’s and o’s are important but “Coaching is a lot of relationship managing and people managing. I think you have to be a good people person and be able to build those relationships, but also in that same breath, you can’t be afraid to have people dislike you in moments. I think that’s a big part of leadership.”

#2 McKenzie says the trajectory of her career changed when she made the decision to transfer from Cal to Harvard.

 In order to transfer, she was forced to take a gap year and spend a lot of time in the gym. “I completely transformed my body and, going into the Harvard season, felt like I was a completely different player. Going to Harvard and playing in a more mid-major conference, I had the ball in my hands a lot more than I might have if I transferred to another Power 5. It really developed other parts of my game.”

#3 How does McKenzie think USC will do in the Women’s College Basketball Tournament?

“I’m not going to give a typical interview answer. I want a Final Four. We have that potential and capability. Like why not? Why not us? I think we have all the pieces.”

#4 Her older brother, Marcus, was her biggest mentor growing up.

“He was basically my trainer from Elementary school on until he went to college.”

#5 Fun facts about Forbes:

She can juggle and she was the quarterback of her Pop Warner football team. “I was slow but I could throw it!”

Watch the full conversation on the Just Women’s Sports YouTube channel.

Christen Press back training with Angel City FC

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 15: Christen Press #23 of Angel City FC waves to fans following a game between the Portland Thorns and Angel City FC at BMO Stadium on October 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images)

Christen Press continues to inch her way back to a return, having returned to training with her club team Angel City. 

Angel City FC coach Becki Tweed said on Wednesday that Press is back with the team full-time as she continues to make her way back from an ACL injury. While she’s still working on rehab, her being back with the team gives staff a better picture of her progress. 

"Christen [Press] is back with us full time which is amazing,” she said. “Having her in and around the team every day, continuing to work hard on rehab ... she's in a space where being in with the team is really important to her and her progression as well.”

The status update comes days after Press posted videos to social media that featured her doing lateral movement in cleats on grass. 

“Look out world she’s on the move !” Press captioned it. 

Press has been sidelined with an ACL injury since 2022, which caused her to miss the 2023 World Cup. She’s since had four separate surgeries to help repair her ACL.

Press told The Athletic a month ago that she’s been “relentless” in her optimism with her recovery despite it being a “slow process.”

“I have a bit of relentless optimism,” she told The Athletic. “I never, ever doubted that I would make it back on any of the timelines I’ve been on."

"Every single time I’ve heard, ‘You have to have surgery,’ I’m completely shocked,” she said. “When somebody asks me how it’s going, I’m like, ‘It’s going great. And it was going great every time. So I don’t know what to tell you anymore!’”

Sophia Smith re-signs with Portland on record deal

(Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports)

Sophia Smith is now the NWSL’s highest-paid player. 

The Portland Thorns announced on Wednesday that they have signed Smith to a new contract through the 2025 season, with an option for 2026. While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, the team did reveal that Smith is now the highest-paid player in the league on an annual basis.

It’s the latest in what has been a series of record-breaking contracts in the NWSL offseason. 

Chicago Red Stars forward Mallory Swanson, Bay FC forward Racheal Kundananji, and Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda all signed multi-year deals worth between $2 million and $2.5 million in total. While Smith’s contract is shorter and not worth as much over the long-term, the annual worth is higher. 

“We are over the moon to have Soph commit again to the Thorns. She is a proven, world-class talent and one that we are excited to have contribute to the team’s continued success,” said head coach Mike Norris in a statement. “We look forward to working with her in a Thorns jersey as she continues to shine as one of the top strikers in the world.”

In just four seasons in the NWSL, Smith has led the Thorns to five trophies – including the 2022 NWSL championship – while winning league and championship MVP in 2022. In 61 appearances with Portland, she has 34 goals – including a brace to start this season against Kansas City. 

She’s also a member of the USWNT, having scored 16 goals in 44 international appearances.  Set to become a free agent at the end of this season, she told ESPN she “thought of all the options” but ultimately Portland felt like the right decision.

"There is no place like Portland," Smith said in a small roundtable interview that included ESPN. "I don't believe there's an environment like Portland to play in and it's a city that's so special to me and a city that I feel like I've grown up in almost and become who I am."

She also told ESPN that the team’s new ownership “changes everything.” The club is now led by the Bhathal family, who bought the club after Merritt Paulson was forced to sell it following his part in the NWSL’s abuse scandal. 

"Since I've been here there has been a lot of things going on with this club -- a lot of not-great things going on with this club -- and I have just been waiting for some stability and some reassurance that this club is headed in the right direction, and the Bhathal family coming in is doing exactly that, if not more,” Smith said. 

"Their vision for this club is so exciting, and you can just tell how passionate they are about making this what it should be and continuing to push the standard in women's soccer globally.”

Caitlin Clark offered $5 million to compete in Ice Cube’s league

IOWA CITY, IOWA- MARCH 25: Guard Caitlin Clark #22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrates as time runs out in the second half against the West Virginia Mountaineers during their second round match-up in the 2024 NCAA Division 1 Women's Basketball Championship at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on March 25, 2024 in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)

Caitlin Clark has been offered $5 million to play in Ice Cube's Big3 league, he confirmed on social media Wednesday after the offer leaked.

"We intended the offer to remain private while Caitlin Clark plays for the championship," Ice Cube wrote on social media. "But I won't deny what's now already out there: BIG3 made a historic offer to Caitlin Clark. Why wouldn't we? Caitlin is a generational athlete who can achieve tremendous success in the BIG3."

While there has yet to be a women's player in the league, both Nancy Lieberman and Lisa Leslie have been part of the league as coaches and won championships.

"The skeptics laughed when we made Nancy Lieberman the first female coach of a men's pro team, and she won the championship in her first year," Ice Cube continued. "Then Lisa Leslie won it all in year two. With our offer, Caitlin Clark can make history and break down even more barriers for women athletes."

Ice Cube, whose name is O’Shea Jackson, says that the offer was made with the intention that Clark be able to compete in the WNBA “offseason.” Clark is largely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft in April. But it’s unclear how the scheduling of the two leagues would work. 

The 2024 Big3 season is set to tip off on June 15, with 10 games spanning through mid-August. The WNBA regular season, meanwhile, begins on May 14 and ends on Sept. 19.

On “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday, Jackson said that the league has yet to hear back from Clark. 

“We just need an answer, as soon as they are ready to give it to us,” he said. “It’s always 50-50 till we get a no. At the end of the day, it’s a generous offer.”

The offer – as well as the confusion on Jackson’s part about the timing of the WNBA season – caused some current WNBA players to react. 

"It's funny cause I be seeing his son at W games.. they don't talk?" wrote former No. 1 pick Rhyne Howard

"So no other women's basketball player has came to mind in the last 7 years?" wrote Lexie Brown, adding that she'd support if Ice Cube wanted to build a women's iteration of the league. She later discussed it on the Gils Arena Show, noting that his reasoning of wanting to “uplift and support WNBA players and women athletes” is a “cop out.”

Kalani Brown, meanwhile, told Clark to "take that money" and start a women's Big3.

WNBA salaries has been a talking point in recent months as more collegiate stars declare for the league. WNBA stars have often made more money playing abroad than they have in the WNBA. Clark is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft on April 15, with a rookie salary of $76,535 for lottery draft picks (Nos. 1-4) that rises to $97,582 by her fourth season. But she also has an NIL valuation of almost $3.5 million.

Diana Taurasi famously skipped the 2015 WNBA season at the request of her Russian club, who paid her more to sit out than she would have made in the W. Her contract with the club was reportedly near $1.5 million per year.

Jackson also seemed to suggest that his league could be an alternative to going abroad

“America’s women athletes should not be forced to spend their off seasons playing in often dismal and dubious foreign countries just to make ends meet,” he wrote. Although it’s unclear whether or not the rapper intends to make offers to additional WNBA players. 

While the league does hold prioritization rules in its CBA, those typically apply only to players playing in overseas leagues. It’s unclear whether or not that would prevent Clark’s participation in the Big3 league.

WNBA players that don’t want to go overseas currently have the option of playing in Athletes Unlimited, which competes in the WNBA offseason.

Start your morning off right with Just Women’s Sports’ free, 5x-a-week newsletter.