W-Series Champ Jamie Chadwick Serves as a Role Model for Aspiring Women While Preparing to Take America by Storm

It was sad to see the way the W Series championship ended prematurely in 2022. However, it did not influence the result that was always meant for Jamie Chadwick to win the championship for the 3rd time. Despite the series ending earlier because of financial constraints, Jamie showed enough of her racing prowess to earn a seat with Andretti Autosport in Indy NXT (formerly known as Indy Lights). The inspirational British racer cannot wait to take American racing by storm and already has the ambitions to be at the top.

Earlier this year, Vogue did a cover story with Kelly Piquet, Brazilian model and Max Verstappen‘s girlfriend for an edition on women in motorsport. The move received a lot of flak from the fans, as many believed Kelly did not represent women in motorsport just by the virtue of being Verstappen’s girlfriend or Nelson Piquet’s daughter. Later, Chadwick released some pictures from the photoshoot with Vogue and told how surreal the experience was.

As the W Series champion is waiting to make her debut in Indy NXT, she told BBC, “It’s going to be a tough year, it’s my first year, there’s a lot of new things for me but at the same time I want to have that chance to be competitive and to be fighting at the front.”

“I think if I look at what women have achieved in the sport in America it’s significant,” she added. “There are a lot of women that have progressed in the sport over there so I see a very clear opportunity and I’m looking forward to that.”

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Being from Williams’ racing academy, Jamie was a part of the team’s 2023 livery unveiling. In the interview, she talked about her experience driving her Indy NXT car for the first time.

Jamie Chadwick shares her experience driving an Indy NXT car for the first time

Getting used to new cars while making a switch from one championship to another always takes a bit of time. Jamie went through that experience as well when Andretti Autosport invited her to test their car. In the interview with Will Buxton, she revealed what a nerve-wracking and exciting experience it was.

She told, “It’s pretty nerve-wracking from my side, to be honest. Tough start to the year from my side, I think a little bit of baptism by fire, I’m sure. I knew there was a lot riding on it and it was amazing because it’s very very rare that you get an invitation to go and test with a team like Andretti’s. So, I went over, I just wanted to do my best and try and perform as much as I can.”

“But whilst learning the car and feeling that step up from the first lap that I did, I can see why the drivers love it and enjoy driving those cars because straightaway I had a smile on my face, and from there on in, it was, ‘how can we make this happen’.”

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It is the first time a woman will compete in the series in 13 years. Jamie is certainly setting a fine example for not just women in motorsport, but for youngsters aspiring to be racers in general.