Jamie Chadwick calls F1 test at Portimao the 'highlight' of her career after 32 laps
Chadwick joins exclusive list of women to drive an F1 car
One of the world's most decorated female racing drivers, Jamie Chadwick has described testing a Formula 1 car as the highlight of her motorsport career.
The 28-year-old Briton joined an exclusive list of women to have driven an F1 car after completing 32 laps at the Portimao circuit in Portugal — a track that will join the F1 calendar in 2027. Chadwick first joined Williams as a development driver in 2019 and has since won all three seasons of the all-female W Series, as well as becoming the first female driver to win a road race in IndyCar's feeder series.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Chadwick said the experience surpassed even her loftiest expectations. "In terms of a dream or a bucket list item, it's definitely the top," she said. "It was pretty surreal. It's kind of everything I imagined, but more. The feeling you get from a car like that is pretty incredible. And then at a track like Portimao, it's a proper rollercoaster."
'You wake up like you've been in a fight with Mike Tyson'
Chadwick prepared for the test with simulator work and a detailed gym programme, including neck-strengthening sessions shared with some current F1 drivers. The physical demands of the car, she said, were unlike anything she had experienced.
"I train my neck anyway for what I do, but it's that times 10. Just the sheer level of strength that's required in the neck is huge," she said. "I can't really put it into words the G-force and the feeling on your neck. As soon as you accelerate out of the pit-lane, your head hits the back of the headrest because it's so aggressive.
"You wake up the next morning like you've been in a fight with Mike Tyson. It feels like you've been beaten about a bit, but it's an incredible feeling."
Fifty years since a woman started an F1 race
Chadwick is now one of just 13 women who have driven an F1 car. Of those, five have officially entered a Grand Prix weekend, and only two have gone on to actually take part in a race.
Maria Teresa de Filippis made history as the first female in F1 when she took part in the 1958 Belgian Grand Prix, finishing 10th. It took 15 years for the next woman to reach the grid — the legendary Lella Lombardi, who started a record 17 Grands Prix. Her sixth-place finish at the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix made her the first, and so far only, woman to score points in F1.
In 2014, Susie Wolff made the first female appearance in an official F1 session for more than two decades, driving a Williams at the British Grand Prix. Wolff, now managing director of the all-female F1 Academy, has been instrumental in opening doors for women in the sport and was one of the inspirations behind Chadwick's desire to drive an F1 car.
Chadwick is not alone in testing an F1 car this year. Doriane Pin, who won the F1 Academy title in 2025, became the first female to drive a Mercedes when she got behind the wheel in April. Yet despite such progress, no woman has started an F1 race since Lombardi, 50 years ago.
'The talent is out there'
Chadwick believes women are "capable of competing in Formula 1" but insists there "shouldn't be a timeline on it".
"I definitely believe the talent is out there," she said. "And I'm excited. Me doing this test and Williams giving opportunities to female drivers for example, will hopefully lead to a race seat one day."
With only 22 seats on the F1 grid, breaking in remains brutally difficult for any driver. "You're looking at F2, F3 champions not getting seats and you realise that there's more talent than there are seats often available. Then you narrow it down to a female driver and it's even tougher and an even smaller talent pool," Chadwick said.
"But I genuinely believe with everything that we're doing now to support female talent it's only going to lead in a positive direction."