Agren Interview: W Series, Danica Patrick and IndyCar dreams

The 27-year-old moved to America 10 years ago to pursue her dream of emulating Patrick and is now set to make her W Series debut when the season kicks off later this year.

Despite a global pandemic and spells without funding, Agren has been determined throughout and after nearly four years away from competitive racing, she will be driving on the Formula 1 undercard come June.

"When I started looking into IndyCar and the whole reason our eyes got open to it was due to Danica Patrick leading the Indy 500 that made the news to Norway," she told GrandPrix247. "And my parents were like, hey, look at this.

"It's a girl doing what she loves and she's leading the Indy 500 field."

Having had success in karting and the junior formulas in the US, Agren tried to get onto the W Series grid back in 2019 ahead of the inaugural season but was not selected.

However, she was successful at the second time of asking and is now set race alongside 19 other women hoping to propel their motorsport careers forward via the ground-breaking series.

"When I heard about the W series, I'll be honest, at first I didn't know if it was the kind of direction I want to go," she said.

"I've always really enjoyed racing against both girls and guys, but then, the more I thought about it, and the more people I spoke with, and kind of the more information received from the series, I saw it's not to take girls away from competing with men, but to give more opportunity and track time in preparation to move forward.

"That all made sense to me and so there wasn't any doubt in my mind that it was something I wanted to do. I actually tried out the first go around in Austria and didn't make it in for the 2019 season at that point. I’m not going to lie and say that it wasn't a big disappointment, but I kept at is and then when Dave Ryan gave me a call to get a second shot and get in a car for testing at Almeria at the end of 2019, I gave it all I got and I was very happy to receive the news, that I got the seat for 2020.”

Unfortunately for Agren, the 2020 season, along with plenty of sporting events around the world, was postponed, leaving her away from the track for another year.

Being without the opportunity to drive is difficult for any racing driver, but through visualisation and watching onboards, Agren is confident in her ability to remain sharp.

“Like everyone else, I'm sure just staying on top of your fitness to make that as little as a limitation when you get back into the car," she explained.

"But for me, a big source has always been watching onboards, analysing videos, but most of all visualisation to kind of keep the feel intact, as well as simulator work to learn new tracks, to find your marks as close to realistic as possible for when we get the chance to get back in the car so that you know what direction you're going and what you're looking for. But I think in my case, because I've been out of the car for long period of times before, I've not been lucky, but I've had kind of similar situations before that I've had to overcome that. I've had to shake off the cobwebs as fast as possible once or twice before."

While the W Series has brought through a number of younger drivers, the 2019 season also showcased the skills of some of the older drivers who, for various reasons, had previously taken a step back from competitive racing.

Emma Kimilainen and Alice Powell, both race winners in the championship, are two examples of this and it is a feature of the series that Agren has been impressed with.

“If it wasn't for the W Series, I am 99% sure that I wouldn't be back in a car again," she explained.

"I'd probably be back in the car but not in a professional context like the W Series is providing. And without it, I'd keep working and maybe get here and there, but this is an opportunity, once in a lifetime but also an opportunity to keep that lifelong dream of becoming a professional race car driver in the future alive."

Despite having spent time out of the cockpit, Agren has not lost her competitive spirit and explained that she would not be racing if there was not the hope of challenging for wins.

“My philosophy on things is if my goal isn't to win, there's no point in me being there," she said.

"Because that's kind of how I've always gone at it. Some people might not say that that's realistic, or you shouldn't kind of have those high expectations. But if I don't believe in it, and if I don't work towards that, then then I might as well watch the race from the sidelines. It's going to be hard and I think we'll see the 2021 season is probably even more competitive than 2019, with tighter fields, more drivers fighting for podiums and wins, and I'm really looking forward to being a part of it.”

After running a six-race calendar in support of DTM during its first season, W Series has since agreed to act as a support series at eight separate F1 Grands Prix in 2021, starting at Paul Ricard on June 26.

Before the first race though the drivers head to pre-season testing at Anglesey Circuit in Wales, which is set to take place between May 17 and 21.

“For me, it's about shaking off the cobwebs and then just getting up to speed and getting comfortable with the car," Agren said of her goals for testing.

"I've been out of open wheels for a long time so I just want to get the feel back and maybe make a couple of mistakes. I want to be pushing the braking points and know where the limits are so when we show up to Paul Ricard you're not looking to find where the limit is so that the lap times start coming off early and not later into the sessions. Because we know track time is going to be limited for everyone. The more we can learn and get kind of caught up to at the test where we're doing, the better.”

The championship will race at some of the finest circuits in the world this season, including Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps, with Agren highlighting Spa as the track that excites her most.

“I haven't driven on any of the tracks were competing at this year," she said.

"I actually haven't competed at COTA, I've been there but never competed. To me, they're all really new and I need to need to learn them really fast to be competitive. But the one I'm really looking forward to is Spa. Growing up and watching the races, there is something about that track and I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to race there and show what I can do.”

W Series has offered Agren, like many others, a chance to keep chasing her dream of competing at the highest levels in professional motorsport, but regardless of how far she gets she is excited to be a role model for the next generation, just like Patrick was for her.

“I grew up watching F1 loved it," she said.

"We had our Sunday routine like a lot of other racing families as well. But when that news about Danica Patrick made it, it was almost like a lightbulb and it was something that seemed more feasible. I think that showcases a lot of what the W Series is trying to accomplish, by showing other young girls that it is possible to be a driver, an engineer or an astronaut."