First woman to win a British F3 race, three-time W Series champion, race winner in Indy NXT …. We could be here for a long time listing all her accomplishments, because she has broken down barriers in every competition she has raced in. But let’s focus on the most recent one: Chadwick recently joined the elite club of women who have driven F1 cars alongside Doriane Pin, Jessica Hawkins, Susie Wolff or the legendary Lella Lombardi.
32 laps around the Portimão circuit in the FW47: that’s what the 28-year-old Jamie Chadwick did last month. She finally had the opportunity to jump into the cockpit of an F1 car as a Williams Ambassador, doing a TCP (Test of Previous Cars) ahead of the Portuguese circuit’s return to the calendar next season.
Chadwick: “It was a phenomenal day and an incredible experience. Few things can prepare you for driving a Formula 1 car at speed around a track like Portimão, but it was everything I imagined and 10 times more”.
And “finally” is the right word, because after 14 years on the track, her talent is indisputable. Opportunities for women in single-seater racing remain exceptionally rare, making an F1 car feel almost out of reach. But shouldn’t a track record like hers be enough?
The Start Of Jamie Chadwick’s Journey
She had been dreaming of the day she would drive an F1 car since the very beginning, when she first started competing in karting at the age of 12. It was a relatively late start compared to other drivers, but that didn’t deter her as she followed her older brother into go-karting. But the fascinating part, the one that came full circle last month is a story that involves her family and her idol: Susie Wolf.
Chadwick’s father got to attend Susie Wolff’s first F1 test with Williams and got an autograph for his daughter, who was 14 at the time and competing in karting. 11 years later, Jamie is the one behind the wheel, hoping to inspire the same feeling Susie inspired in her as a young girl.
“I’m incredibly grateful to Atlassian Williams F1 Team for this opportunity. I remember being young and watching Wolff step into a Williams F1 car and how much that inspired my own journey”, Chadwick said.
In 2010, she began collecting wins and podiums in the junior series, showing her talent, and went on to win the Ginetta Junior Scholarship in 2013. She then made the jump to endurance racing, which would later bring her closer to single-seaters. Fast-forward to 2015, when she won the British GT4 Championship with Beechdean Aston Martin Racing, making history as both the youngest driver and the first woman to claim the title at just 16.
The Jump To Single-Seaters
2017 is the year she set her path straight to F1, and moved to single-seaters as the only woman on the grid. It only took Chadwick one rookie year to adapt before she won a race in 2018, making history at the Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit.
Williams came knocking after that outstanding season, and she went on to test in Formula E and compete in the W Series Championships, among other things. After reaching the top, she decided to cross the ocean, going all on Indy NXT with Andretti. True to her method, a pole and win came in her second year, once she had adapted to the new category. In her rookie year, she had finished 12th in the championship.
Today, she competes in the European Le Mans Series with Genesis Magma Racing, racing at the highest level and currently sitting third in the championship standings. After helping the team secure three race victories last season, Chadwick returned this year to build on that momentum.
The Next Step For Jamie Chadwick
Seeing Chadwick behind the wheel offers a spark of hope, particularly coming in the same year F1 Academy champion Doriane Pin drove the Mercedes. Yet it raises an inevitable question: why did it take so long for a driver of Chadwick’s calibre to get this opportunity? While a test drive is a welcome milestone, the truly decisive step forward would be seeing her secure a full-time seat in Formula 2.
While long overdue, it remains a meaningful step forward, as it gives her experience and puts her in a stronger, more prominent position to do this again in the future. It’s a step closer to F1, for her and for every woman coming up behind her, because at the end of the day, Chadwick continues to open doors for future generations of women in motorsport.
Examples like this prove that progress is possible and, hopefully sooner rather than later, we will see a true ladder for women in motorsport take shape. They may seem like small steps, but they are laying the groundwork for a future where the path is finally wide open.