Jamie Chadwick admits F1 is no longer ‘realistic’ for her – but 2025 IndyCar seat sure is

Exclusive:

Exclusive: Speaking to Mirror Sport after testing IndyCar machinery for the first time, British racer Jamie Chadwick is honest about her Formula 1 dream as she chases another ambition across the Atlantic

Jamie Chadwick still dreams of being the first woman in almost half-a-century to start a Formula 1 race.

But, aged 26, she concedes it is “sadly not realistic” to think she will ever get a chance in the sport. Instead, the Brit has headed Stateside and, in June, became the first woman to win an IndyNXT race for 14 years, and only the third ever.

It is the feeder series to IndyCar and Chadwick is targeting a place on the grid in the senior category for 2025. She tested an IndyCar last week and earned effusive praise from Andretti chief engineer Craig Hampson, who beamed: “She’s way ahead of the car.”

Amid the demand for seats in the American series, though, she is “hopeful but unsure” whether she can land a full-time drive.
She said: “It’s something I’m shooting for. “With the right preparation and environment, I think I can have success in IndyCar and that’s got to be what I’m aiming for.

“But, at the same time, there’s a lot of competition for very few seats and I think there’s quite a few other factors that will determine whether I end up on the IndyCar grid or not.”

There are plenty of talented drivers who have missed out on one of the 20 available seats in F1 for next year. And many of them are looking to IndyCar, where there is already a plethora of talent, making it harder for those in the US feeder series to progress.

Chadwick’s Andretti team-mate Louis Foster, also British, dominated the IndyNXT championship and won eight of the 14 races held. But he doesn’t yet have a place on the 2025 IndyCar grid. Chadwick finished seventh in the standings but a mere 22 points away from fourth, and was one of only five drivers who won a race all year.

The triple W Series champion said she doesn’t have a backup plan for next year if her IndyCar chance doesn’t come along, but would still love a shot at the series’ most famous race. She said: “The Indy 500, I always say it’s my favourite race by far, even just as a spectator. It’s just an incredible spectacle and event to watch. If I can get in the window or get an opportunity to have a good shot at it, that would be awesome.”

She remains in touch with the F1 paddock through her relationship with Williams, and alongside her racing acts as a mentor for their F1 Academy entrant Lia Block. And if a chance to race an F1 car doesn’t come along, she’s still nagging team boss James Vowles about getting the chance to drive one.

She said: “If I look at the level of Formula 1 now, where my age is and my experience, it really doesn’t look like I’m on that trajectory at the moment. But never say never. The focus is on the IndyCar, but if there’s an opportunity to get in an F1 car, of course it’s something I’d love to do.”