W Series will stage a five-day on-track test at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia, between 26-30 April.

The test will allow the drivers who will contest the 2021 season, consisting of eight Formula 1 support races, to put the W Series' Tatuus T-318 Formula 3 race cars through their paces.

"After the success of W Series' inaugural season in 2019, the disappointment of last year's enforced on-track hiatus and the excitement which followed the announcement of our new partnership with Formula 1, everybody at W Series is very much looking forward to our second season," said Catherine Bond Muir, Chief Executive Officer, W Series.

"It will be contested by all of the drivers who should have raced with us in 2020, including W Series' reigning on-track champion Jamie Chadwick," she continued. "I know that every one of them will be relishing the prospect of getting behind the wheel of our Tatuus T-318 Formula 3 race cars and being in a W Series paddock for the first time since the spectacular finale to our first season at Brands Hatch in August 2019.

"Our first race of 2021 will take place at Circuit Paul Ricard, France, on 26 June, and April's five-day on-track session at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo will be the perfect preparation for that rigorous circuit."

"Pre-season tests are always important," added Dave Ryan, the series racing director, "but this one is especially so given the extended period that our drivers have spent away from on-track action due to the Coronavirus pandemic. It is for that reason that we have set aside five days for this year's W Series pre-season test.

"Our engineers and mechanics will now get ample opportunity to get W Series' Tatuus T-318 Formula 3 race cars in perfect shape for the exciting season which lies ahead when W Series will stage eight Formula 1 support races. Five days of testing will ensure that our drivers, both old and new, can learn as much as possible about our cars and hone their driving technique, thereby enabling them to showcase their skills fully when W Series makes its debut on motor racing's biggest stage in Le Castellet in June.

"The Circuit Ricardo Tormo is perfectly suited to testing Formula 3 cars. The tight and twisty layout is 2.488 miles [4.005km] in length and consists of one long straight and 14 corners. Few are trickier than Turn One - an 80-degree left-hander that requires precise but heavy braking. I know all of our drivers are eager to get going and work as hard as possible to prepare themselves for the 2021 season, and I expect to see some impressive performances from W Series' established stars and newcomers alike over the five days in Valencia."