Sarah Moore: “To be on the grid is an amazing achievement for myself”

“I can’t wait to get back out in the car,” Sarah Moore tells Females in Motorsport. “I’m really looking forward to it.”

And, Sarah has great reason to be excited.

This weekend, the 25-year-old is heading to Hockenheim to compete in the inaugural round of the all-female W Series. She describes it as the “biggest opportunity in her career to date” and hopes that it’ll take her to the “next level of professional racing”.

Sarah grew up with racing being engraved in her everyday life with her three brothers and sister all involved in motorsport. Naturally, Sarah took to racing at an early age by starting out racing karts. She says herself that racing feels normal to her as she was “born into it”.

“I’m lucky enough to have grown up within a racing family on an airfield with a karting Circuit and a race team,” she says. “So it was easy for me really, it’s all I knew growing up. It’s in my blood!”

After karting, Sarah climbed the ranks to become the Ginetta Junior champion in 2009. This success was recognised in the industry, and she was named Autosport’s young driver of the year.

Fast-forward to the present day, and ahead of the W Series selection process, Sarah hadn’t set foot in a single-seater formula car since 2011.

“To get back in a formula car is so important for me to gain knowledge and further my driving skills to help achieve my goals and dreams,” she says. “I’d say the F3 cars we’re lucky enough to be racing is probably the best car I’ve driven to date. I’m just learning more and more about the car and improving my driving with every lap.”

The W Series drivers will all compete in identical Tatuus Formula 3 cars, to allow an equal playing field from the get go.

Over 100 women applied for the first season of the series, and now only 18 successful competitors remain. Sarah is one of five British drivers to have made it to the starting grid, something she sees as a representation of how strong the talent from the UK is.

“Just to be part of the 18 chosen to be on the grid is an amazing achievement for myself, but it also opened our eyes as to how much more work we need to be putting in,” she says. “For all five Brits to get through just goes to show how strong our drivers from the UK are on track. It’s definitely going to make for an interesting battle at some point!”

With the weekend fast approaching, Sarah is targeting a top eight finish in the series’ first outing.

Supporting the DTM calendar, the W Series will also be broadcast live on Channel 4 throughout its racing year. Viewers will also be able to catch the action on demand.

“My main focus going into the first race weekend is to finish inside the top eight, but as with all drivers our ultimate aim is to win so I will always be giving it my all,” she says. “A win at this level would definitely be the highlight of my career, but as always it’s all about consistency.”

In terms of her main competition, Sarah is adamant that there isn’t one particular person at this stage.

“All the drivers on the grid are there for a reason, they are all fantastic drivers and I think it’s going to be some really good, close racing,” she says. “I’m looking forward to the lights out on the first race!”

And, thankfully, Sarah won’t have to wait much longer. The first qualifying of the W Series season will get underway on Sunday at 10:55 (BTS).