Jamie Chadwick marked a historic milestone when she got behind the wheel of a Formula 1 car for the first time, piloting a Williams chassis at Portugal’s Algarve International Circuit in Portimão. The British driver, who also serves as a Williams ambassador and a Sky Sports F1 analyst, described the experience as "the best day of my life so far," a sentiment that captures both the personal significance and the broader impact of her achievement.
The test took place under the FIA’s Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) regulations, which permit teams to run older-spec machinery for development work and promotional events. Chadwick completed 32 laps in the team’s 2025‑spec car, pushing the vehicle around the 4.65‑kilometre layout that is renowned for its fast, flowing corners and dramatic elevation changes. The session was part of Williams’ preparation for the 2026 season, and the data she supplied will be analysed by engineers as they fine‑tune the car for next year’s return to the circuit.
At 28 years old, Chadwick becomes the second woman to drive an F1 car in 2024, following Doriane Pin, the reigning F1 Academy champion who logged a stint in a 2021 Mercedes at Silverstone earlier in the year. She also follows in the footsteps of fellow Briton Jessica Hawkins, who tested an Aston Martin in 2023, and joins a very short list that includes former Williams driver‑turned‑pioneer Susie Wolff, the last woman to appear in a Friday practice session back in 2015. In the broader context of female participation in top‑level motorsport, Chadwick’s run underscores the slow but steady progress toward greater gender diversity on the grid. Chadwick’s relationship with Williams dates back to 2019, when she first signed on as a development driver.
Since then she has amassed an impressive résumé: she dominated the all‑female W Series for three consecutive seasons, and in 2024 she broke new ground in the United States by becoming the first woman to win a road‑course race in the Indy NXT championship. Those achievements have cemented her reputation as a trailblazer, and they also explain why the team chose her for this high‑profile test. "It was a phenomenal day and an incredible experience," Chadwick said after the session. "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 ten times more.
I'm incredibly grateful to Atlassian Williams F1 Team for this opportunity. I remember being young and watching Susie Wolff step into a Williams F1 car and how much that inspired my own journey.
I'd love to be able to do the same for the next generation, and the experience I gained today will make a real difference both to my own racing and to what I can pass on to the drivers coming through. I'm so grateful and incredibly happy with how the day went.
It's an experience I'll remember for a very long time – I'd go as far as saying it's been the best day of my life so far." Williams team principal James Vowles echoed that enthusiasm, noting that Chadwick’s presence behind the wheel sends a powerful message to aspiring female racers. "Jamie Chadwick is an inspiration for millions of women and girls who has broken records at every level, and she has thoroughly earned this F1 test opportunity with Atlassian Williams F1 Team," Vowles said. "Jamie gathered important data for the team as F1 prepares to return to Portimão next year, and her feedback and performance were impressive as we knew they would be.
This clearly shows there is a path for women to compete at the top level, and I look forward to seeing how Jamie uses this experience to advance her own driving and advise our young drivers on what it takes to drive an F1 car." In the lead‑up to the test, Chadwick explained the extensive preparation required to cope with the physical demands of an F1 car. "I did half a day in the simulator, the seat fit and all the procedural stuff that you do beforehand," she told Sky Sports. "And then I have actually been upping the neck training a lot. Obviously racing LMP2, I train my neck anyway, but that is naturally stepped up for an F1 test.
George Russell's been helping me a little bit with the preparation. I woke up the next morning after the first proper day of neck training I did with him, and I could barely move my head! So it's incredible, actually, when you realise what they are going through in terms of not just the car, but also the training that they have to do for the necks at the moment.
It's crazy." Chadwick also reflected on the mental challenges of the Portimão layout, having previously tackled the circuit in the European Le Mans Series. "Ollie Bearman said mentally it's one of the toughest tracks, actually. The flow is very undulating, there's a lot going on, and in the mind it's very busy. Most have just said to enjoy it.
I feel like I learn a huge amount from Formula 1 generally in the role that I have with Sky Sports, which has helped me a lot in all the other stuff that I'm doing. But I think this is going to take a new, extreme one from that," she added. The broader significance of Chadwick’s test cannot be overstated.
While women have occasionally appeared in F1 practice sessions—most notably Susie Wolff in 2014‑15 and Lella Lombardi, who remains the last woman to start a Grand Prix back in 1976—opportunities remain scarce. Chadwick’s high‑profile appearance, broadcast to a global audience, provides a visible role model and demonstrates that the pathway from junior formulas to the pinnacle is increasingly attainable for women. As the 2026 Formula 1 calendar rolls on, fans can catch the next race weekend on Sky Sports F1, with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku slated to kick off a triple‑header of events this week.
The excitement generated by Chadwick’s test adds another compelling storyline to a sport that continues to evolve both on and off the track.