Chadwick Completes First F1 Test With Williams at Portimao — SkimNews
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- Jamie Chadwick completed 32 laps in Williams' 2025 car at Portimao, Portugal on Monday under F1's Testing of Previous Cars (TPC) rules, calling the experience 'the best day of my life so far.'
- Williams team principal James Vowles said Chadwick 'gathered important data for the team as F1 prepares to return to Portimao next year,' and added that 'there is a path for women to compete at the top level.'
- Chadwick becomes the first British woman to test an F1 car since Jessica Hawkins ran an Aston Martin in 2023, and the second woman to do so this year after reigning F1 Academy champion Doriane Pin drove a 2021 Mercedes at Silverstone in April.
- Chadwick cited Susie Wolff stepping into a Williams F1 car as inspiration for her own career — Wolff was the last woman in Friday F1 practice (2014–2015), while Lella Lombardi in 1976 was the last woman to start a Grand Prix.
- Chadwick prepared for the test with half a day in the simulator, seat fitting, and intensified neck training, saying George Russell helped her with preparation and that she 'could barely move my head' the next morning.
- The 28-year-old triple W Series champion, Williams ambassador and Sky Sports F1 pundit races in the European Le Mans Series and in 2024 became the first woman to win a road course race in Indy NXT.
Why it matters: Chadwick's test doubles as Williams' reconnaissance for F1's planned return to Portimao in 2027, giving the team real driver feedback on the circuit while amplifying the women-in-motorsport pipeline — she is just the second woman to test an F1 car in 2026, and the first British woman to do so since 2023.
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