Jamie Chadwick Completes Maiden Williams F1 Test at Portimao in 'Best Day of My Life'
Jamie Chadwick has completed her first Formula 1 test with Williams at the Portimão circuit in Portugal, describing the milestone as the “best day of my life so far.”
The three-time W Series champion, who currently serves as a Williams team ambassador and Sky Sports F1 pundit, completed 32 laps in Williams' 2025 podium-finishing FW47 car under F1's Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) regulations.
The test made the 28-year-old British driver only the second woman to pilot a Williams Formula 1 car, following current F1 Academy managing director Susie Wolff, who last drove for the team in free practice sessions during 2014 and 2015.
“It was a phenomenal day and an incredible experience,” Chadwick said. “Few things can prepare you for driving a Formula 1 car at speed around a track like Portimão, but it was everything I imagined and 10 times more.
“I'm incredibly grateful to Atlassian Williams F1 Team for this opportunity. I remember being young and watching Susie Wolff step into a Williams F1 car and how much that inspired my own journey. I'd love to be able to do the same for the next generation, and the experience I gained today will make a real difference both to my own racing and to what I can pass on to the drivers coming through.
“I'm so grateful and incredibly happy with how the day went. It's an experience I'll remember for a very long time — I'd go as far as saying it's been the best day of my life so far.”
Williams team principal James Vowles praised Chadwick's work behind the wheel, highlighting both her track feedback and the wider importance of the run.
“Jamie Chadwick is an inspiration for millions of women and girls who has broken records at every level, and she has thoroughly earned this F1 test opportunity with Atlassian Williams F1 Team,” said Vowles. “Jamie gathered important data for the team as F1 prepares to return to Portimão, and her feedback and performance were impressive as we knew they would be. This clearly shows there is a path for women to compete at the top level.”
Prior to the test, Chadwick underwent rigorous physical preparation, including simulator sessions, a seat fitting, and intensified neck training with assistance from Mercedes driver George Russell.
“I did half a day in the sim, the seat fit and all the kind of procedural stuff that you do beforehand,” Chadwick explained. “And then I have actually been upping the neck training a lot. George Russell's been helping me a little bit with the preparation. I woke up the next morning after the first proper day of neck training I did with him, and I could barely move my head!”
Chadwick's extensive motorsport career includes titles across all three seasons of the W Series, becoming the first woman to win a road course race in Indy NXT in 2024, and competing in the European Le Mans Series.