The WSeries championship leader has joined the Williams Racing Driver Academy.
The Williams F1 team has announced that female racing star Jamie Chadwick has joined the team’s Driver Academy in the role of Development Driver.
The news is the coronation of a stellar season for Chadwick so far, including the MRF series title and a dominant victory in the inaugural all-female WSeries championship, where she is current leader.
Chadwick, a former British F3 race winner and GT4 champion, joins Nicholas Latifi in the Driver Academy and will support the team both at the Grove factory and trackside, as she is expected to start a simulator program, attend three European Grand Prix weekends and engage in the team's media activities.
“It is a great honour to be joining the Williams Racing Driver Academy. The time in the simulator is a fantastic opportunity to aid with my development. I look forward to spending time in the factory at Grove, immersing myself within the team and assisting wherever I can. Being a part of the Driver Academy is an amazing platform and I’m excited to get started.” - said Jamie.
Deputy Team Principal Claire Williams, a passionate advocate for women in motorsports, said: "Promoting women in motorsport is extremely important and having a female role model as part of our Driver Academy will hopefully inspire young girls to take up racing at a young age. We hope to show that motorsport is inclusive and exciting, be that as a driver or on the engineering side. Jamie is a great talent and I look forward to working with her.”
Chadwick is also a junior Aston Martin GT works driver and ambassador, as the 20-year-old Briton has been announced to race in the 2019 Nürburgring 24 Hours in a Vantage GT4, as well as completing a test and development program for Aston Martin Racing.
Jamie's busy schedule also includes eSports commitments, as earlier this year she was signed by FA Racing, Fernando Alonso's eSport team competing on the iRacing platform.
In the recent past, Tatiana Calderon and Simona de Silvestro were promoted to testing duties for F1 teams, but so far the only female F1 development driver to take part in a F1 race weekend was Susie Wolff, who drove for Williams in three FP1 sessions between 2014 and 2015.
In Jamie's words:
“Absolutely over the moon to announce that I have joined the @williamsracing Driver Academy as a Development Driver! Such a huge honour to be part of the Williams F1 family!”
Ph credits: WSeries media