Jamie Chadwick got her first taste of a F1 car at a recent test in Portugal. Image: Williams
The three-time W Series champion completed 32 laps of the Portimao circuit in Williams’ 2025 FW47 as part of the team’s Testing of Previous Cars program.
It made Chadwick only the second woman to test a Williams F1 car, following Susie Wolff in 2015, and the first British woman since Jessica Hawkins in 2023 to drive modern Formula 1 machinery.
Chadwick’s opportunity continued a relationship with Williams that stretches back to 2019, having initially joined the team as a development driver before taking on ambassadorial and F1 Academy advisory roles.
She prepared extensively for the test with simulator running, physical training and a seat fitting at Williams’ Grove headquarters before getting behind the wheel in Portugal.
The test also carried additional value for the team ahead of Portimao’s return to the Formula 1 calendar in 2027, with Chadwick gathering data and providing technical feedback throughout her running.
“It was a phenomenal day and an incredible experience,” Chadwick said.
“Few things can prepare you for driving a Formula 1 car at speed around a track like Portimao, but it was everything I imagined and 10 times more.
“I’m incredibly grateful to Atlassian Williams F1 Team for this opportunity. I remember being young and watching Susie Wolff step into a Williams F1 car and how much that inspired my own journey.
The F1 outing represents another landmark in a career in which Chadwick has repeatedly broken ground across several categories.
She became the first female British GT champion in 2015 before winning three consecutive W Series titles between 2019 and 2022.
Chadwick then moved to Indy NXT with Andretti Autosport, becoming the first woman in 13 years to contest the championship full-time before scoring a breakthrough victory at Road America in 2024.
Her career has since moved into sportscars, where she has competed in the European Le Mans Series with IDEC Sport and became the first female driver to win an LMP2 class race in the championship.
Earlier this year she also became the first woman to drive a Hypercar in the top class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans Test Day and currently serves as a reserve driver for Genesis Magma Racing’s FIA World Endurance Championship program.
Williams team principal James Vowles praised Chadwick’s performance during the test and highlighted the significance of her opportunity.
“Jamie Chadwick is an inspiration for millions of women and girls who has broken records at every level, and she has thoroughly earned this F1 test opportunity with Atlassian Williams F1 Team,” Vowles said.
“Jamie gathered important data for the team as F1 prepares to return to Portimao next year, and her feedback and performance were impressive as we knew they would be.
“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.”
Chadwick joins a small group of women to have driven an F1 car, which includes Wolff, Maria Theresa de Filippis and Lella Lombardi, the latter remaining the only woman to have scored points in the world championship.