Chadwick savours ‘best day of my life’ after Williams F1 test

Jamie Chadwick has become the first woman in more than a decade to drive a contemporary Williams F1 car, completing a private test at Portimão in the team's 2025 challenger. The three-time W Series champion logged 32 laps around the Portuguese circuit and called the experience "everything I imagined and 10 times more."

Why it matters:

The test marks another step for women in F1, showing a clear path to the top level. It also gave Williams valuable data ahead of F1's return to Portimão next year.

The details:

• Chadwick's run adds her name to a growing list of women to sample modern F1 machinery, following Susie Wolff, Doriane Pin, Jess Hawkins, and Tatiana Calderon.
• She cited Wolff as an inspiration, having watched her become the first woman in 22 years to participate in an F1 race weekend at the 2014 British Grand Prix.
• Williams team principal James Vowles praised her performance, saying she "gathered important data" and her feedback was impressive.
• Chadwick said she hopes to inspire the next generation and pass on what she learned.

What's next:

Chadwick will carry the experience into her own racing and use it to advise Williams' young drivers. Sky Sports F1 will feature her historic outing during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend.