Alice Powell says some "bruised up" drivers are ready to compete this weekend after the dramatic crash in Spa

After a dramatic weekend in Spa with the crash and the bad weather, how are the W Series drivers?

We've all had a couple of days off in Amsterdam, we've been exploring a little bit. We've had a tour of the Heineken brewery, we're near Zandvoort now and heading to the track on Thursday. 

It was a very bizarre weekend, of those involved in the incident some are fairly bruised up and are struggling a little bit with aches and pains but hopefully they will all be good for the weekend. 

The crash was terrifying to watch, is it something you try to avoid seeing yourself?

I saw the replay anyway when I was in the pit lane after the session. It's not something that fazes me at all to be honest. It's just one of those unfortunate incidents. It's a dangerous sport, we are traveling at high speeds, and unfortunately with the tricky conditions we faced at Spa it was one of things. Thankfully, everyone involved was ok. 

(In the race) there was a safety car at the start, and visibility was quite tricky but it's good that we managed to get some racing in. 

You finished fourth in the race, how do you assess that performance now?

We struggled a lot with the car. We struggled to generate any tire temperature, which in turn lead to struggling with grip. Finishing fourth was not too bad, but since we started in second on the grid and we would have liked to have moved further forward. Unfortunately we have slipped a little bit further back from Jamie in the championship but there are still three races left.

What grade do you give your season so far?

I didn't know what to expect going into the season because quite a few of us had quite a while out of the car, myself included (due to COVID-19 disruption). For me to win the first round was great, and to win my home Grand Prix at Silverstone was extra special. 

I couldn't really give myself a tough grade, there are some areas where I could have done slightly better, and other areas we've done quite well in. Hopefully we will string it all together have a good end to the season. 

What kind of circuit is Zandvoort?

I've never been here before, so I've been watching some races on-line, some on-board. It seems a tricky circuit, high speed, the tarmac looks pretty fresh. We expect it to be fairly grippy, and physical in these cars. It's a challenge I'm really looking forward to. No rain forecast, and hopefully it stays away so we can have a safe and enjoyable full race. 

After this weekend, there's a short break and then you come to Austin, USA - what are your expectations?

I've raced in America but I've never raced at the Circuit of the Americas. I'm really looking forward to the circuit. Sabre (Cook) said she'll show us all around so I'm looking forward to a tour of Austin. It will be an extremely important weekend. And of course, no BBQ until after the race!

What difference has there been between W Series 2019 and this year with the partnership with Formula 1?

It's been fantastic. All the drivers can vouch that social media increases and for W Series as a whole as well. It's great to get the attention and support from Formula 1. It's pretty special to be the support races. Unfortunately we are still in tight COVID bubbles, so no mixing with the F1 drivers I'm afraid. 

Watching the latest Off Track show and the drawing challenge - you have a couple of weeks now to work on your art skills?

One of the drivers that I coach, Abbi Pulling, is very good at drawing so I need to get her reverse the roles and give me a bit of coaching. As you can see I'm pretty awful at it!