F1 News

Chadwick holds out hope for F1 debut with new contract at Williams

1 March 2021 at 09:57
Last update 1 March 2021 at 15:22
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  • GPblog.com

Lella Lombardi was the last woman to start a Formula One race in 1976. Jamie Chadwick is the closest female driver to the top tier as a development driver for Williams.

A woman in Formula 1

Since the Formula One championship was created, many women have tried to get into Formula One, but only a few have succeeded. Between 1958 and 1959, Maria Teresa de Fillipis started three races but did not score a single point. Almost twenty years later, there was her compatriot Lombardi, who scored half a point in the 1975 Spanish GP.

After Lombardi's last race in Austria in 1976, no woman has ever started a GP again. Divina Galica, Desiré Wilson and Giovanna Amati all tried but never qualified for the start of a race. W Series champion Chadwick hopes to do so.

Chadwick stays with Williams

''I have absolutely loved my time with Williams so far and could not be more delighted to continue working with the team in my role as Development Driver. I feel I am improving as a driver all the time, and my time spent in the simulator this coming season will prove to be invaluable. I look forward to fully immersing myself at Williams once again this year," Chadwick said in the press release.

''We are delighted that Jamie will continue as a Development Driver for the team. Not only is she a great female ambassador for the sport and plays an integral part in promoting women in motorsport, her work in the simulator and behind the scenes at Grove is hugely valuable. Jamie’s determination and drive to do more, as well as push the boundaries, is something we admire at Williams and we are all looking forward to the year ahead with Jamie as part of the team," concluded team principal Simon Roberts.