Jamie Chadwick impressed with impact F1 Academy has had on female participation
Abbi Pulling, who has made no secret of her desire to race in F1, earned a fully-funded seat in GB3 by winning the second season of the F1 Academy.
Jamie Chadwick believes motorsport can afford to be patient in its bid to end the long wait for a female Formula One driver.
The former three-time W-Series champion thinks the raft of talented young drivers coming through shows that the wider aim of increasing female participation is working.
Abbi Pulling, 21, has made no secret of her desire to be the first female F1 driver since 1976 after winning the second season of the all-female F1 Academy last year and earning herself a fully-funded seat in GB3.
Chadwick thinks the F1 Academy, which will start its third season in China in March, is helping drivers to enter various categories and highlights the progression.
“The sport is tougher than ever but there are so many drivers filtering through,” Chadwick told the PA news agency.
“F1 Academy was fully a part of the F1 package last year, having the F1 teams involved made such a big difference. Their investment into the young drivers is going to rapidly impact their development, which is critical.
“For someone like Abbi going into GB3 supported by a big team, the right testing etc is really important to give her the right platform. Time will tell if that pathway works. There should not be that pressure for it to work immediately.
“F1 Academy is still new in a lot of respects. We are going to see a lot of female talent come through and I think we can afford to be patient.
“I would love it to be Abbi but if it is not Abbi then I’m sure it is another female driver coming through and it is great that we have this number of female drivers entering the ranks.
“We are now not just looking at getting a female driver to F1, obviously that’s an ambition, but we are just looking at increasing participation and the impact of F1 Academy particularly on the F4 market has been huge in that sense.”
Chadwick, 26, is aiming to increase grassroots participation by expanding her Jamie Chadwick Series into a junior karting category for girls aged eight to 15.
“When I started I was 12 years old which was already starting to feel quite late in the karting world,” Chadwick added.
“So I think this is going to have a really positive impact. If you create an environment where young girls can feel comfortable, they tell their friends, they bring people along and it kind of acts as a domino effect.
“Once you are involved in a sport and have got that bug it is easier to find your way through it. The hardest bit is that first step in trying the sport, getting involved for the first time and that is what we want to try and bridge the gap of.”
Chadwick has spent the last two years racing in America, picking up a win in Indy NXT and also testing an IndyCar in September.
The British driver has put IndyCar aspirations on hold as she joins the LMP2 Program in 2025, including a debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
“Le Mans has been top of my bucket list for a long time,” she said.
“Racing in LMP2, I get an opportunity to pit myself against some of the best drivers in endurance racing so I’m super excited and with a great team.
“To get close-ish to IndyCar, I think that is something that will never really go away.
“I enjoyed the test that I did. I will always keep options open if possible. IndyCar, I would love to keep that as an option for as long as can be.”
