Garcia withdrew from W Series COTA race due to anxiety
Marta Garcia withdrew from Sunday's W Series race in Austin due to suffering from anxiety, she has revealed.
The Spanish driver, who competes in the PUMA-sponsored team, did not take part in the season finale at the Circuit of the Americas due to an unspecified illness.
But she later clarified on social media that her mental health had been suffering and she felt she had to "put it as a priority".
Garcia wrote: "Hi, just wanted to make you all aware that I'm fine. Thanks for all the support.
"Sometimes we underestimate our mental health. I've suffered from anxiety for a long time and it has been following me throughout this season and yesterday, I felt I had to put my health as a priority."
Abbie Eaton was also unable to take part in Sunday's event, having suffered a compression fracture in one of her vertebra after hitting a sausage kerb in Saturday's race.
The Briton was hospitalised as a result, and branded the kerbs "ridiculous" after a similar incident in one of the day's US F4 races also left a driver injured.
Garcia's message came as the conversation around mental health in motorsport gathered momentum in recent years, with Formula 1 driver Lando Norris having been particularly vocal on the matter, admitting to his own struggles through his rookie season in 2019.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has also spoken out on the issue, telling Motorsport.com in an interview to mark World Mental Health Day this month that the human cost and mental health impact of a 23-race season was something "we have to tackle".
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