Jamie Chadwick experienced what she described as "the best day of my life so far" after completing her inaugural Formula 1 test with the Williams team at the Algarve International Circuit in Portimão, Portugal. 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 year, following Doriane Pin—who, as the reigning F1 Academy champion, 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 to the track in 2023. Having joined Williams as a development driver in 2019, Chadwick has already built an impressive résumé.
She dominated the all‑female W Series for three consecutive seasons and, in 2024, broke new ground by becoming the first woman to win a road‑course event in the US‑based Indy NXT series. "It was a phenomenal day and an incredible experience," she said after the test. "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." Chadwick expressed deep gratitude to the Atlassian Williams F1 Team for the opportunity, recalling how watching former Williams driver Susie Wolff step into an F1 car as a teenager had inspired her own career path. "I would love to be able to do the same for the next generation," she added, noting that the data she gathered and the insights she gained will benefit both her own racing development and the mentorship she provides to emerging 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 go as far as saying it's been the best day of my life so far." Wolff remains the most recent woman to take part in a Friday practice session in Formula 1, having completed four such outings for Williams across the 2014 and 2015 seasons. The last woman to start a Grand Prix was Italy's Lella Lombardi, who qualified for the 1976 Spanish Grand Prix. Williams team principal James Vowles praised Chadwick, calling her "an inspiration for millions of women and girls" and emphasizing that she earned the test through her record‑breaking performances at every level of motorsport.
"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," Vowles said. "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 a pre‑test interview with Sky Sports, Chadwick detailed the preparation that went into the day.
She spent half a day in the simulator to fine‑tune the seat fit and run through procedural checks, then intensified her neck‑strength training—a crucial element for handling the extreme G‑forces of an F1 car. "Obviously racing LMP2, I train my neck anyway, but that is naturally stepped up for an F1 test," she explained. "George Russell helped me with the preparation.
After the first proper day of neck training with him, I could barely move my head!" Chadwick also reflected on the physical demands of modern Formula 1, noting that drivers must combine mental sharpness with rigorous conditioning. "It's incredible, actually, when you realise what they are going through in terms of not just the car, but also the training they have to do for the necks at the moment. It's crazy," she said.
Having previously raced at Portimão in the European Le Mans Series, Chadwick shared insights from other drivers about the circuit's character. "Ollie Bearman said mentally it's one of the toughest tracks, actually. The flow is very undulating and there's a lot going on.
In the mind it's very busy," she recalled. "But most have just said to enjoy it." Beyond the test itself, Chadwick highlighted how her role with Sky Sports has broadened her understanding of Formula 1 technology and strategy, which in turn benefits her performances in other series. "I feel like I learn a huge amount from Formula 1 just 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 2026 Formula 1 season continues to unfold on Sky Sports F1, with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix kicking off a triple‑header of races.
The Baku event is scheduled for Saturday at midday, and viewers can stream the coverage via NOW, with flexible contracts and the option to cancel at any time.