Aston Martin F1 Team Ambassador driver Jessica Hawkins is set to make her British GT debut as she joins Beechdean AMR in a brand-new Aston Martin Vantage GT3.
Aston Martin F1 Team Ambassador driver Jessica Hawkins is set to make her British GT debut as she joins the Beechdean AMR outfit in a brand-new Aston Martin Vantage GT3, which she will share with team principal Andrew Howard in a GT3 Silver-Am entry.
“I’m so excited to have the opportunity to race in British GT this year with Beechdean AMR and Aston Martin" - Hawkins said. "British GT is a series I’ve seen close-up while racing in other series in this paddock and it’s made me want to get involved with GT racing on a regular basis."
The 29-year-old British driver will combine her GT3 racing program with her commitments with the F1 team, where she has taken on the role of Head of Racing for F1 Academy and will support the team's entry Tina Hausmann.
"To be able to do it with a championship-winning team like Beechdean AMR and to be able to combine it with my Aston Martin F1 role means it’s going to be a very busy season", Hawkins continued. "British GT has grown in stature over the past couple of years with increased visibility and so many factory drivers in GT3 so it’s very exciting to be a part of that and we’ll certainly be targeting good results from the get-go at Oulton Park.”
Jessica made global headlines last year when she became the first woman since 2018 to test a contemporary F1 car, having completed a test at Hungaroring for Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team. This week, she drove the AMR22 in a demo run on the streets of Riyadh, as part of a project by title sponsor Aramco to inspire women and girls to take up motorsport.
Joining the highly-competitive British GT field will be yet another step up in her career, which includes stints in Mini Challenge UK, W Series, BTCC appearances, TCR UK and Britcar Prototype Cup among the others.
Hawkins - who is also a stunt driver - was British Open Champion in karting, before making the step up to race cars in 2014, when she claimed a podium at debut.
In the all-female W Series championship she scored one podium at the Miami GP and was ninth in the standings in 2022. Jessica also made history by becoming the first woman to win a race in TCR UK.
Hawkins will team up with Beechdean AMR Team Principal Andrew Howard - the only Am driver to have won more than one overall title in the series.
"It’s great to bring Jessica – somebody that’s such an important part of the Aston Martin family – into the team this season", Howard stated. "This is a programme that has the potential to grow and grow over the next couple of years as we aim first to help her learn GT racing – which she’s totally new to – and then challenge for bigger and bigger results not just in Silver-Am, but overall too."
The duo will get behind the wheel of the new Vantage GT3, launched in 2024 for high level GT competitions including FIA WEC and which features a new aero package, revised suspension and is powered by a twin-turbo 4L V8 engine.
The 2024 British GT season is scheduled to start at Oulton Park on Easter Monday, before trips to Silverstone, Donington Park, Spa Francorchamps, Snetterton, a second Donington round and Brands Hatch, which will close out the season on 28-29 September.