Jamie Chadwick, Williams, Monza, 2019

W Series champion Chadwick gets expanded Williams role

2020 F1 season

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Jamie Chadwick, the inaugural champion of women’s racing championship W Series, will continue in her role as junior driver at Williams during the 2020 F1 season.

The 21-year-old, who also won the MRF Challenge championship last year, will work with the team at the factory and on-site during a limited number of race weekends. She will play a larger role in the team’s simulator programme and be involved in the team’s media and marketing activities.

“It has been a fantastic opportunity working with the team in my role as development driver,” said Chadwick. “The time spent in the simulator has been invaluable and I have enjoyed every moment, immersing myself within the team.”

Chadwick joined the team as development driver in May last year having made her debut in single-seaters in 2017. She will fit her Williams commitments around her return to the W Series. The six-round championship will begin at the Igora Drive circuit in Russia on May 4th.

Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams, an ambassador of the Dare to be Different campaign which aims to promote women in motorsport, said Chadwick “has done an excellent job promoting women in motorsport and we are extremely proud of the work she has done”.

DAMS Formula 2 racer Dan Ticktum has joined Chadwick as one of Williams’ development drivers for this year.

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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12 comments on “W Series champion Chadwick gets expanded Williams role”

  1. Bottom line, Williams have signed Chadwick to seen hanging around their team and cars, like some Z list celeb.

    Meanwhile, the unpleasant Ticktum gets the *proper* job.

  2. Maybe.
    Maybe not.

  3. This is encouraging news but I feel like Jamie needs to race in a championship which is a step up from W Series if she is to seriously advance her chances of landing an F1 race drive. Something like FIA F3 (or at a stretch F2) would be ideal.

    1. @georgeod That’s the weird part of it all. Even F3 is a step up from the W series. While at that age they should already be winning in F2 to have any chance of getting into F1.

    2. GtisBetter (@)
      8th January 2020, 19:36

      yes she does, cause she needs superlicence points if she ever wants to get in f1. This year the championship gives around 18 I believe for the winner, which means she needs a great season in F2 or F3 to get those points. Ticktum is in the same boat. He doesn’t have enough i believe after he lost his super formula seat. Which i think was the main reason he got placed there in the first place. Didn’t really follow the guy after he got kicked so he might have gotten some.

  4. Claire Williams has her initials on her set of ear phones. That kind of meticulous attention to detail needs to be taken up by the chassis and engine departments.

    1. The engine department is Mercedes. They’re the best in F1.

  5. Jamie Chadwick has a lot of potential. I wish Mercedes would take her on and develop her. I really don’t think Williams is the place to be at the moment. They have too many problems of their own to give their best to the development of a young driver.

  6. “Jamie Chadwick has a lot of potential.”

    Not sure what we base that on given the quality of series she has competed in. There is a very very long list of drivers with a better claim on a chance of f1 involvement.

    1. @joe She has potential to attract sponsors due to winning a well-pubicised series in 2019, which is probably more important to Williams’ situation than the level of driving skill any of their drivers are bringing to the table.

  7. Completely apart from JC and what she may be doing or planning to do at Williams, one of Kubica’s comments on joining Alfa Romeo was that Williams only used about 10% of his technical input capability. R.K’s technical input and simulator background were indicated as a big part of the reason they took him on.
    I am sure there is loads more to both of these stories (there always is), but one gets the sense that Williams is doing a Honda from 2 years ago … “We know best how to fix our problems ….”.
    Don’t get me wrong, I will be for first to cheer if Williams pulls one out of the hat and builds a great car. Even a good car would be worth celebrating. FMB (Fermented Malt Beverage) is already in the cooler, just waiting.

  8. What comes after W Series win? Posing at Williams? That girl should be racing. What a joke this is?

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