Jamie Chadwick experienced what she calls "the best day of my life so far" when she took the wheel of a Formula 1 car for the first time, piloting a Williams machine at the Algarve International Circuit in Portugal. The 28‑year‑old British driver, who also works as a Sky Sports F1 analyst and competes in the European Le Mans Series, completed 32 laps in the team’s 2025‑spec car under the FIA’s Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) regulations on Monday. Chadwick’s outing marks a historic moment for women in motorsport.
She is the second female driver to test an F1 car this year, following Doriane Pin, the reigning F1 Academy champion, who drove a 2021 Mercedes at Silverstone in April. Moreover, Chadwick is the first British woman to get behind an F1 wheel since Jessica Hawkins ran an Aston Martin in 2023. Her journey with Williams began in 2019 when she was appointed a development driver, and she has since amassed a string of impressive achievements. Chadwick dominated the all‑female W Series, winning every championship from its inception through 2022, and in 2024 she broke new ground by becoming the first woman to claim a victory on a road‑course in the US‑based Indy NXT series.
Reflecting on the experience, Chadwick said, "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 Portimao, but it was everything I imagined and ten times more." She added that the opportunity was made possible thanks to the Atlassian Williams F1 Team, recalling how watching former Williams driver Susie Wolff step into a Formula 1 car as a teenager had inspired her own aspirations. "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," she explained.
"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." Susie Wolff remains the most recent woman to take part in a Friday practice session in F1, having completed four sessions across the 2014 and 2015 seasons for Williams. The last woman to start a Grand Prix was Italy’s Lella Lombardi, who raced in 1976. Chadwick’s test therefore continues a thin but significant lineage of female participation at the pinnacle of motor racing.
Williams team principal James Vowles praised Chadwick, stating, "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. Jamie gathered important data for the team as F1 prepares to return to Portimao 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 described her preparation routine to Sky Sports.
She spent half a day in the simulator to get the seat fit and to run through procedural checks, then intensified her physical training, especially focusing on neck strength—a critical requirement for handling the extreme G‑forces in an F1 car. "George Russell has 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!" she recalled, emphasizing how demanding the physical side of the job can be. Chadwick had already raced on the Portimao layout in the European Le Mans Series, giving her a baseline familiarity with the circuit’s undulating, high‑speed corners.
She noted that fellow drivers describe the track as mentally taxing due to its constantly changing flow. "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.
But most have just said to enjoy it," she said. Beyond the raw thrill of the drive, Chadwick highlighted how her role as a Sky Sports analyst has deepened her understanding of Formula 1 technology and strategy, knowledge that feeds back into her own racing endeavors. She believes the test will add an "extreme" new layer to her skill set, allowing her to translate insights from the pinnacle of motorsport into tangible benefits for her Le Mans and Indy NXT campaigns. The broader context of the weekend includes the start of the 2026 Formula 1 season’s triple‑header, with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku kicking off on Saturday.
Fans can follow the action live on Sky Sports F1 or stream via NOW, with flexible subscription options. Chadwick’s historic test not only adds a personal milestone but also underscores the growing momentum for greater female representation in the sport, signaling that the path from development driver to full‑time F1 competitor is becoming increasingly visible for talented women worldwide.