The British racing driver, who lost her chance at securing the W Series championship in Singapore after a crash, chats about her career so far and what lies ahead
W Series was in town for the first time over the Singapore Grand Prix weekend for its inaugural race in Asia.
Launched in 2018, W Series is a free-to-enter championship that provides equal opportunities for women in racing and eliminates the financial barriers that have historically prevented them from progressing to the upper echelons of motorsport—namely, Formula One (F1).
Current championship leader Jamie Chadwick was poised to clinch her third championship title here, having held a wide points margin ahead of her closest competitors. Unfortunately, the British driver, who races for Jenner Racing—a new racing team owned by Caitlyn Jenner—bowed out of the race early with a dramatic crash on lap 12.
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Chadwick was inspired to start racing at the age of 11, following her brother Oliver into the sport. In 2015, she was the first female and youngest ever champion of the British GT Championship, following which she also claimed the title of first female winner of a BRDC British Formula 3 race and the MR Challenge Championship.
We spent some time with the 24-year-old before her first race around the Marina Bay Street Circuit, chatting about highlights of her career, as well as the challenges she faces in the traditionally male-dominated sport.
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It’s your first time racing the Marina Bay Street Circuit here in Singapore. How are you feeling?
Jamie Chadwick (JC): I’m really looking forward to it. Yes, it's my first time racing here and it’s one of those that I think is a tough one on the calendar but also more rewarding. So I am definitely very excited to get on track later today and throughout the weekend.
Yes, many drivers say the Singapore Grand Prix is the most physically challenging race of the season. How have you been preparing for it?
JC: I’ve done quite a bit of heat training to get used to what is going to be a very humid session for us. And then also, it’s a really tough track. There are 23 corners, there’s a lot to learn and we only have a half an hour practice to try and sort of get up to speed so I have just been trying to do as much in the simulator learn the track as best as possible.