Jamie Chadwick is looking forward to what her racing future holds after the next step of her career was confirmed.
It was announced last week that the Brit will cross the pond next year to race in the IndyNXT championship, representing Andretti Autosport. That step comes after winning three titles in a row in the all-female W Series – including five race wins from seven in the truncated 2022 campaign.
Chadwick made a first public appearance since that news broke on Sunday night, attending the Autosport Awards at which she was nominated for the Young Driver of the Year Award. On the red carpet prior to the ceremony, the 24-year-old told Mirror Sport she was "really excited" about the future.
"It's a big step and a big opportunity for me, but I'm excited to be doing it," she said. "It's about stepping up and having an opportunity to move back into mixed competition. It's a good step up, so there's a lot I can learn. I think, if I can be successful and achieve in Indy Lights, hopefully that will give me opportunities going forward.
Even after moving to America, she will remain part of the Williams Driver Academy. On that arrangement, Chadwick added: "I've been a part of that team for a long time now and I'm always grateful for their support. It's something I want to continue and, hopefully, we can evolve the relationship more going forward."
Being part of that setup keeps one foot in the door for a driver who has dreams of breaking barriers. No female driver has made the F1 grid since Lella Lombardi, who qualified for a handful of races with the March and RAM Racing teams in the mid-1970s.
While F1 is the ultimate dream for Chadwick, she knows it is going to be extremely difficult to achieve. "My goals are still really open. I'd love to race in IndyCar one day but ultimately Formula 1 is a big goal of mine," she told Sky Sports.
"But that gets said a few times and there's a lot I need to achieve before F1 is even on the cards. I think Indy Lights is a really good opportunity if I have success in it to actually give me a chance of getting a good seat over in something like Formula 2 or Formula 3. I see it still being quite fluid – my career path has never been particularly traditional so this is another route that I'm looking at.
"My aim is to try to get in the car for a practice session – obviously nothing confirmed yet or anything like that but ever since the last couple of years that's been something I've been pushing hard for so hopefully... being involved in a championship like IndyNXT can step us a bit closer."
