Jamie Chadwick Is Ready To Be the Face of Women in Motorsport
From left to right: Marta Garcia, Jamie Chadwick, and Jess HawkinsPhoto: Mark Thompson (Getty Images)
Many masters of their craft will tell you that they grew up compelled to follow their passion for as long as they remember — but ask Jamie Chadwick how she started competing in motorsport, and she’ll tell you it all happened by accident.
“My older brother started go-karting, so everything he did, I wanted to do,” Chadwick said in an interview with Jalopnik during the Miami Grand Prix weekend. “He would process, and I would follow him through. Then it grew into something a little bigger as I got older.”
After two championships in the W Series and competitive showings in countless other motorsport disciplines around the world, Chadwick’s career has certainly gotten “bigger” — to say the very least.
Welcome to Women in Motorsport Monday, where we share the stories of the badass women who have conquered the racing scene throughout the years.
Born in Bath in the United Kingdom, Jamie Chadwick is set to celebrate her 24th birthday later this week, though her age hasn’t stopped her from becoming a racing star. By age 11, she had started karting alongside her brother Oliver, and soon after, she’d moved into car racing, where her talent was undeniable.
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When I asked what makes Chadwick such a competitive racer, she responded, laughing, “I don’t know. I don’t like losing.
“But I think because I have a different sporting background, that does help,” Chadwick added, referring to her time spent playing field hockey — a sport she left in order to take advantage of a Ginetta Junior Championship scholarship. “I’ve got an interest in sport generally. I guess all sportspeople have similarities, even in different sports. I think being able to transfer those skills into motorsport has been something that’s helped me.”
It’s worked out well; since her start in 2013, Chadwick has won the 2015 British GT Championship in the GT4 category, the 2o18-19 MRF Challenge Formula 2000, two W Series championships, and a place as a Formula One development driver. In between, she’s competed in regional formula categories around the world and even made a foray into the electric off-roading Extreme E series.
That success has made her something of a figurehead for all women in motorsport. When you mention the state of female racers, there’s a high chance the conversation will quickly turn to Chadwick. That, I assumed, would come with a high amount of pressure — but the current W Series championship leader told me that it was almost a positive pressure.
“Obviously, I put pressure on myself to perform and do the best that I can,” she said. “But I do think that I’m now in a position where I can improve the sport, hopefully, for those coming through. I definitely take that responsibility seriously, making sure that I do the best I can to allow for the best opportunities for those coming through.”
“Do you enjoy being an ambassador, or is it just one of those things that you’re making the most of because it happened?” I asked.
“It’s more the latter,” Chadwick said with a smile. “But I’m proud to be able to try and do the best I can in the sport for women, I strongly believe what women are capable in sport. And I’m proud to have the platform of W Series to be able to become this voice, I guess, of women in sport.”
When I asked Jamie if she thought about her place within the history of women in motorsport, Chadwick shook her head. “Not so much. I’m very much in the here and now. Going forward, there’s stuff that I still want to tick off and do just for myself, and that’s the focus.”
The ultimate goal is, of course, Formula One, though Chadwick admitted she’d love to be able to compete in more events in America and take up more off-road racing.
“It’s nice to just have that versatility of just experience in everything that I do,” Chadwick said, smiling. “And I kind of want to be able to do that for as long as I can in my career.”
