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JAMIE CHADWICK on her Williams F1 test: ‘Men just want to race the best’

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October 31, 2026

GRRL! SUMMARY:

  • JAMIE CHADWICK became only the 12th woman to drive an F1 car officially, completing 32 laps in a Williams FW47 at Portimao — data from the test feeds into Williams’ prep for the returning Portuguese GP.
  • A triple W Series champion (2019–2022), CHADWICK has been a Williams development driver since 2019, training alongside George Russell and Alex Albon ahead of the Portimao outing.
  • CHADWICK described the F1 experience as like a video game: pure acceleration, brutal braking forces and neck loads six times body weight — she used weighted-helmet training to prepare.
  • On the prospect of a female F1 grid starter — absent since LELLA LOMBARDI in 1976 — CHADWICK is unequivocal: male drivers will embrace the right talent. ‘They just want to race the best.’
  • CHADWICK highlights karting’s £130k-per-season cost for an eight-year-old as a key access barrier, urging broader female participation at every level to build the pipeline to F1.

UPCOMING:

  • Portuguese Grand Prix returns to the Formula 1 calendar — June 2027 (exact date not stated, found Oct 31, 2026)

LINKS TO RACER'S PROFILE PAGES:

JAMIE CHADWICK LELLA LOMBARDI

fia w series, formula 1, portimão, williams racing

GRRL! summary based upon reporting by Phoebe Luckhurst originally appearing on thetimes.com