Jamie Chadwick: Formula 1 is a 'step closer' says driver after W Series win

Jamie Chadwick celebrates W Series winGetty Images

Jamie Chadwick won the final two rounds of the W Series in Texas on Sunday

Jamie Chadwick believes her dream of racing in Formula 1 is a "step closer" after winning her second consecutive W Series championship.

The Bath-born racer, who won the inaugural all-female competition in 2019, won four rounds of this year's eight-race series.

She sealed the title with victories in the final two rounds in Austin, Texas.

Chadwick, 23, is now hoping to use the platform to continue progressing towards competing in Formula 1.

"[It's] still the ultimate goal. Still a lot that I need to achieve before I can get there but it definitely feels a step closer after this weekend," Chadwick told BBC Points West.

The W Series was created to help women drivers overcome some of the financial barriers that exist within motorsport. The races are held alongside Formula 1 events.

Only five drivers in Formula 1 history have been women - the last of which was Italy's Giovanna Amati in 1992. Divina Galica, who took part in three races in the 1970s, is the only woman from Britain to compete.

Chadwick said it was unlikely she will return to W Series again, as she looks to build on the opportunities elsewhere.

"I feel like I've achieved what I can achieve in the series and I want to use the platform it's given me to go on to bigger and different things," she added.

"It's not confirmed or not committed to anything just yet, but some plans will come into place and hopefully we can go on to use the series as a platform that it is."

Developing her driving

In 2019 Chadwick became a development driver for Williams, a partnership that was extended into a third season in March.

Williams is a team with a history of providing a platform for women drivers, including Susie Wolff who became the first woman to drive F1 practice sessions in 2014 with the team, while Claire Williams was the deputy team principle for two decades.

"They've been incredibly supportive of everything that I've tried to do and a lot of the work that I did in preparation for this last weekend, they supported and they really helped me with," Chadwick said.

"I'm incredibly fortunate to have that relationship with them and as a development driver I also get to do a lot of work on the simulator, supporting them on race weekends as well.

"It's great to have that, I'm so lucky, it's a team that I'm so happy to be a part of. Looking forward to hopefully pursuing that role more."

By winning the W Series, Chadwick was also awarded £363,000 in prize money, which she said she will be reinvesting into her career and pursuing more racing opportunities.

"What the W Series has asserted us to do is give us this big platform off the back of the season I definitely feel like the platform's bigger than ever and the opportunities are bigger than ever," she said.

"It's up to me to go and perform and do the job that I need to do, but I do feel like the opportunities are there now."

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