Jamie Chadwick admits F1 is no longer 'realistic' for her - but 2025 IndyCar seat sure is

Exclusive: Speaking to Mirror Sport aft investigating IndyCar machinery for the archetypal time, British racer Jamie Chadwick is honorable astir her Formula 1 imagination arsenic she chases different ambition crossed the Atlantic

Jamie Chadwick inactive dreams of being the archetypal pistillate successful astir half-a-century to commencement a Formula 1 race.

But, aged 26, she concedes it is "sadly not realistic" to deliberation she volition ever get a accidental successful the sport. Instead, the Brit has headed Stateside and, successful June, became the archetypal pistillate to triumph an IndyNXT contention for 14 years, and lone the 3rd ever.

It is the feeder bid to IndyCar and Chadwick is targeting a spot connected the grid successful the elder class for 2025. She tested an IndyCar past week and earned effusive praise from Andretti main technologist Craig Hampson, who beamed: "She’s mode up of the car."

Amid the request for seats successful the American series, though, she is "hopeful but unsure" whether she tin onshore a full-time drive.
She said: "It's thing I'm shooting for. "With the close mentation and environment, I deliberation I tin person occurrence successful IndyCar and that's got to beryllium what I'm aiming for.

"But, astatine the aforesaid time, there's a batch of contention for precise fewer seats and I deliberation there's rather a fewer different factors that volition find whether I extremity up connected the IndyCar grid oregon not."

There are plentifulness of talented drivers who person missed retired connected 1 of the 20 disposable seats successful F1 for adjacent year. And galore of them are looking to IndyCar, wherever determination is already a plethora of talent, making it harder for those successful the US feeder bid to progress.

Chadwick's Andretti team-mate Louis Foster, besides British, dominated the IndyNXT title and won 8 of the 14 races held. But helium doesn't yet person a spot connected the 2025 IndyCar grid. Chadwick finished seventh successful the standings but a specified 22 points distant from fourth, and was 1 of lone 5 drivers who won a contention each year.

The triple W Series champion said she doesn't person a backup program for adjacent twelvemonth if her IndyCar accidental doesn't travel along, but would inactive emotion a changeable astatine the series' astir celebrated race. She said: "The Indy 500, I ever accidental it's my favourite contention by far, adjacent conscionable arsenic a spectator. It's conscionable an unthinkable spectacle and lawsuit to watch. If I tin get successful the model oregon get an accidental to person a bully changeable astatine it, that would beryllium awesome."

She remains successful interaction with the F1 paddock done her narration with Williams, and alongside her racing acts arsenic a mentor for their F1 Academy entrant Lia Block. And if a accidental to contention an F1 car doesn't travel along, she's inactive nagging squad brag James Vowles astir getting the accidental to thrust one.

She said: "If I look astatine the level of Formula 1 now, wherever my property is and my experience, it truly doesn't look similar I'm connected that trajectory astatine the moment. But ne'er accidental never. The absorption is connected the IndyCar, but if there's an accidental to get successful an F1 car, of people it's thing I'd emotion to do."