Jamie Chadwick experienced what she described as "the best day of my life so far" after completing her inaugural Formula 1 test behind the wheel of a Williams car at Portugal's Portimão circuit. The 28-year-old British driver, who also serves as a Williams ambassador and a Sky Sports F1 analyst, logged 32 laps in the team’s 2025 chassis under the FIA’s Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) programme on Monday. Chadwick’s outing marks her as the second woman to pilot an F1 machine this season, following Doriane Pin—2023 F1 Academy champion—who drove a 2021 Mercedes at Silverstone in April. It also makes her the first British female to test an F1 car since Jessica Hawkins took an Aston Martin onto the track in 2023.
Having joined Williams as a development driver in 2019, Chadwick has already built an impressive résumé. She swept all three seasons of the all‑female W Series, and in 2024 she became the first woman to win a road‑course event in the United States‑based Indy NXT championship.
Her achievements have positioned her as a role model for aspiring female racers worldwide. "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 watching Susie Wolff step into a Williams car when I was a kid and how that sparked my own dream.
I hope I can inspire the next generation in the same way, and the data I gathered today will help both my own development and the guidance I give to younger drivers. 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 even say it's been the best day of my life so far." Susie Wolff remains the most recent woman to take part in an official Friday practice session in F1, having completed four runs for Williams across the 2014 and 2015 seasons. The last woman to start a Grand Prix was Italy's Lella Lombardi in 1976.
Williams team principal James Vowles praised Chadwick, stating, "Jamie Chadwick is an inspiration for millions of women and girls. She has broken records at every level and fully earned this test with Atlassian Williams.
Jamie delivered valuable data as we prepare to return to Portimão next year, and her feedback was exactly what we expected—impressive and insightful. This clearly demonstrates a pathway for women to compete at the highest level, and I look forward to seeing how Jamie leverages this experience to advance her own racing and mentor our young drivers on what it takes to handle an F1 car." In a pre‑test interview with Sky Sports, Chadwick explained the preparation that went into the day.
"I spent half a day in the simulator, did the seat‑fit and all the procedural checks," she said. "Then I really ramped up my neck training. Racing in LMP2 already demands a strong neck, but F1 pushes it to another level. George Russell helped me with the conditioning; after the first intense neck session with him, I could barely move my head the next morning!
It’s incredible how much physical work goes into just being able to sit in the car, let alone drive it at the limit." Chadwick had previously tackled the Portimão layout in the European Le Mans Series, giving her a baseline familiarity with the circuit’s undulating flow. "Ollie Bearman told me the track is mentally demanding because of its constant changes in elevation and the sheer amount of information you have to process," she recalled.
"Most drivers simply say enjoy it, and that’s good advice. My work with Sky Sports has taught me a lot about F1 strategy and technology, which feeds back into my own racing.
This test takes everything to an extreme level and adds a new dimension to my learning curve." The 2026 Formula 1 season continues to unfold on Sky Sports F1, with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix kicking off a triple‑header weekend. Fans can stream the action via NOW, with no long‑term contract required.
Chadwick’s historic test not only adds a thrilling chapter to her own career but also underscores the growing momentum for greater female representation in the sport, signalling that the barriers that once seemed insurmountable are gradually being dismantled.