Arabic version: جيمي تشادويك تعتبر اختبار فورمولا 1 أبرز محطات مسيرتها

According to BBC News, Jamie Chadwick has described testing a Formula 1 car as the highlight of her motorsport career after completing 32 laps at Portugal’s Portimao circuit. The 28-year-old Briton joined Williams as a development driver in 2019 and has now become one of 13 women to have driven an F1 car.

Chadwick, who won all three seasons of the all-female W Series and became the first female driver to win a road race in IndyCar’s feeder series, said the experience was at the top of her “dream or a bucket list item”. She called the test surreal and said the feeling from the car, particularly at Portimao, was more than she had imagined.

Before driving the car, Chadwick prepared in a simulator and followed a detailed gym programme that included neck-strengthening sessions with some current F1 drivers. She said the physical demands were intense, describing the acceleration and G-force as difficult to put into words. Chadwick said her head hit the back of the headrest when accelerating out of the pit lane because of how aggressive the car felt.

Only five women have officially entered an F1 Grand Prix weekend, while two have raced. Maria Teresa de Filippis became the first woman to compete in 1958, and Lella Lombardi remains the only woman to score F1 points after finishing sixth in the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix. Chadwick said women are capable of competing in Formula 1, while acknowledging the challenge of securing one of the championship’s 22 seats. She said opportunities for female drivers could help lead to a race seat one day.