If things had gone to plan, Jamie Chadwick would not have been celebrating a double race win at the W Series opener in Miami last weekend.
After clinching the first two seasons of the championship, the aim had been to take the next step to Formula 1.
Not since Lella Lombardi in the 1970s has a woman driven in an F1 race although Giovannia Amati made three unsuccessful attempts to qualify in 1992. The 23-year-old Chadwick is seen as the driver most likely to emulate Lombardi.
“The aim this season was to look to something like Formula 3 or Formula 1 but the opportunities weren’t quite there to be able to do it,” she said. “There were conversations but there are so many factors that need to fall into place for a competitive seat.”
One issue was the requirement to defend her W Series title. With that not done until late October, it left it too late to thrash out a deal.
In her eyes, finance rather than gender is now the biggest hurdle to overcome. “Definitely, 100%,” she said. “I don’t think at this level it’s to do with gender. There are things that can be changed and improved in the feeder series to suit women better but money is the biggest stumbling block.”
The finances for such feeder series she estimates would equate to something in “the high one millions”. Her W Series prize money, while reinvested in her career, only stretches so far. But her stock could not currently be higher.
Since last season, the W Series has run alongside the F1 program. In Miami it was the same, as it will be for the rest of the season including this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix.
Everything she does – in and out of the car – is geared towards the eventual step to F1.
“Of course, I’d like to be in Formula 1,” she said. “That’s the ultimate goal and there’s a long way to go. I’m realistic in what I need to achieve and I know there’s still a lot to achieve. It puts the pressure on me but I’m confident it’s possible.
“F1 is growing so rapidly and it feels like we’re part of that growth. Plus, I and my team learned a lot from last year, needing to win and securing the support for the next level. With the knowledge, we’re hoping to be in a better position at the end of the year.”
At the most simple level, that means winning a hat-trick of W Series. She had the ideal start in Miami but argues this year’s championship is the toughest yet with the calibre of drivers on the grid.
Her eyes were first turned, subconsciously she believes, to motorsport during the four years where she lived in the Isle of Man and witnessed the TT Race. Two-wheel racing was banned by her parents but she was allowed to try her hand at karting aged 12 and hasn’t looked back.
Last year, as well as the W Series, she raced in Extreme E and was a reserve driver for Williams in F1. She was brought into the fold by Claire Williams and has remained there even under the new leadership of Jost Capito.
A practice session behind the wheel of an F1 car would be a next step. She said: “There’s still a little way I need to go to warrant that but I’ll be pushing hard for that.
Williams and Chadwick were both initially slightly sceptical how W Series would unfold. It has exceeded both of their expectations and most other people’s.
That success has brought in a new high-profile owner of Chadwick’s team in Caitlyn Jenner, who was previously a racer after winning Olympic gold as an athlete.
“She knows what she’s talking about when it comes to motorsport,” said Chadwick. “It helps when someone understands all that stuff. She knows how hard it is and how much work and dedication it takes. She knows performance is everything.”
On paper, the pair’s partnership looks the strongest on the grid and, from there, the British racer is hopeful of the next step on the journey to F1.
