Jamie Chadwick – Syndication Server

Chadwick and de Silvestro among drivers as Formula E female test lineup finalized

Jamie Chadwick and Simona de Silvestro headlined a final flurry of announcements as the lineup for Formula E’s first all-female test was completed on Tuesday. The pair will drive for Jaguar TCS Racing and Kiro Race Co. respectively at the half-day …

Jamie Chadwick and Simona de Silvestro headlined a final flurry of announcements as the lineup for Formula E’s first all-female test was completed on Tuesday.

The pair will drive for Jaguar TCS Racing and Kiro Race Co. respectively at the half-day test at Valencia’s Ricardo Tormo Circuit on November 7.

de Silvestro’s outing will be her first in Formula E since the 2015-16 season when she competed for Andretti. For the last five years she’s been a test and development driver for Porsche, which will supply powertrains to Kiro in what will be its debut season, having taken over the former ERT team during the off-season.

“I’m thrilled to join Kiro Race Co for the Formula E Women’s Test,” said de Silvestro. “It’s a great opportunity to work with a new team and contribute to their development. I’m excited to see what we can achieve together.”

de Silvestro raced for Andretti in the first two seasons of Formula E. Zak Mauger/Motorsport Images

Kiro Race Co. has yet to confirm its race drivers for the upcoming season, but an announcement is expected later this week. In the meantime, the team’s chief operating officer Russell O’Hagan is “incredibly excited” to secure the experienced de Silvestro for the female driver test.

“Her vast experience and proven track record make Simona the perfect addition to our driver lineup,” he said. “We believe that her participation will play an important role in our ongoing preparation for the new season ahead as well as inspiring our fans and the wider motorsport community.”

For Chadwick, it will mark her first official Formula E outing since 2020, when she tested for NIO and Jaguar in Marrakesh. She also demonstrated a GEN3 car at the Portland E-Prix last season (pictured top).

“I’m very excited to be back working with Jaguar TCS Racing – a team that have had so much success recently – and to be back in the world of electric racing,” said Chadwick. “Formula E is such an exciting, future-facing championship and I’m really looking forward to testing out the Jaguar I-TYPE 7.

“It will be a great opportunity to grow my relationship with the team, meet many other talented drivers and get to experience the mind-blowing technology in these cars.”

Chadwick will be joined at the reigning Teams’ champions by sports car racer Lilou Wadoux, who has been competing in IMSA’s LMP2 category (in which she won at Watkins Glen) for AF Corse, and in Japan’s Super GT series with PONOS Racing. She was also a winner in the FIA World Endurance Championship LMGTE Am class at Spa-Francorchamps last year.

“This will be my first time in a Formula E car and I can’t wait for the experience,” said Wadoux. “This test is an amazing opportunity for me to get involved in the sport, one that is so well known for inspiring the next generation, and to get women more involved in motorsports.

Wadoux has podium finishes in sports cars in Europe, the U.S. and Japan. Yasushi Ishihara/Motorsport Images

“I’m so grateful for the opportunity and look forward to getting behind the wheel of the Jaguar I-TYPE 7.”

Mahindra also revealed that Lena Buehler will drive for it at the test. Like Kiro and Lola-Yamaha Abt – which will field Miki Koyama – Mahindra will only field one driver in the test.

“I’m very grateful to have this opportunity to take part in the Women’s Test with Mahindra Racing,” she said. “It’s one of the championship’s iconic names, and with two strong drivers, and a wealth of engineering knowledge and experience, I know I’ll have not only a fantastic opportunity to learn, but also be given the best preparation possible for my first time in the Formula E car.

“This test is such a great initiative, and the GEN3 Evo is going to be a very interesting car to drive. The goal is to learn as much as possible, both in and out of the car, and make sure I’m spending time with the team, understanding the processes and so on to grow as a driver. Above all, I just want to enjoy the experience.”

Formula E female driver test lineup

Jaguar TCS Racing – Jamie Chadwick, Lilou Wadoux
TAG Heuer Porsche – Marta Garcia, Gabriella Jilkova
DS Penske – Jess Edgar, Beitske Visser
Nissan Formula E Team – Abbi Pulling, Sophia Floersch
Andretti Formula E – Chloe Chambers, Nerea Marti
Envision Racing – Alisha Palmowski, Alice Powell
NEOM McLaren – Ella Lloyd, Bianca Bustamante
Maserati MSG Racing – Tatiana Calderon, Carrie Schreiner
Lola-Yamaha Abt – Miki Koyama
Mahindra Racing – Lena Buehler
Kiro Race Co. – Simona de Silvestro

Chadwick prioritizing IndyCar move over Indy NXT return in 2025

Jamie Chadwick is aiming for an IndyCar drive in 2025 over a return to the Indy NXT series following her test at Barber three weeks ago. The Andretti driver got behind the wheel an IndyCar for the first time at the end of September, running on one …

Jamie Chadwick is aiming for an IndyCar drive in 2025 over a return to the Indy NXT series following her test at Barber three weeks ago.

The Andretti driver got behind the wheel an IndyCar for the first time at the end of September, running on one of the most physically demanding circuits to test her potential. At the time Chadwick said she would need “an honest discussion” with the team and herself to work out if it was the right time to try and step up into IndyCar, and the 26-year-old has now made that call.

“I think the decision in my head’s firmed up,” Chadwick told RACER. “I think the toss-up was whether to stay in Indy NXT for a third year or look to try and move up. And really, what the test has shown me is yes, there are things to work on, yes, I wasn’t winning a championship necessarily in Indy NXT, but I feel like the learning that I had in Indy NXT is now kind of reached its limit, and really I want to make that step up now.

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“The capability I felt like I had in the car, and everything that I did on the day felt like it was something that I can go into a good race program.

“So in that sense, it’s firmed up what I want to do. Whether that’s something that is possible and plausible is another factor, but definitely from a personal point of view, I feel like it helped me make that decision.”

The decision has been made all the more tricky due to the fact that Andretti doesn’t have a vacancy in IndyCar, and the charter system has had a limiting impact on part-time deals, meaning Chadwick will have to look for one of the few full-time options elsewhere. Having had time to reflect on the test, however, she maintains that the performance difference between Indy NXT and IndyCar is not an overly daunting challenge.

“Barber is one of the best tracks we go to. So I actually got to feel the IndyCar in kind of its full glory, but also one of the most physical tracks,” she said. “So I think a really good test for both me and the team, in many ways. The step actually didn’t feel massive at all from Indy NXT, I feel like it prepares you very well for that jump up. It didn’t really feel like a massive step up.

“You’ve just got a bigger team around you, it’s more refined, and there’s a lot of better things about it, which was cool. It was super-physical. So definitely, if that’s looking like the future, I need to work on that. But I think it gave me a good idea of what the positives and potential weaknesses were, which is exactly what what we wanted from it.”

Chadwick remains part of the Williams Formula 1 set-up, and admitted she would still like to get behind the wheel of an F1 car, but is not looking at IndyCar as a way of trying to open doors on the F1 grid.

“I definitely feel a little bit older than than I did a few years ago! So it is hard,” she said. “When you look at the young drivers coming in now and how competitive Formula 1 is, there’s an element of realism that needs to come in, and that’s partly why this pathway has taken me down the IndyCar route.

“I don’t want to give up on single-seater racing yet. I really want to get to the highest level I can get to. I strongly believe IndyCar is that, and the affiliation of with Williams is fantastic to stay aligned with the Formula 1 side.

“I’d love to have the chance to drive a Formula 1 car at some point in my career. So never say never, but at the same time I think my focus is predominantly on going to IndyCar now.”

Drugovich, Chadwick complete first IndyCar tests at Barber

Felipe Drugovich was quick on his NTT IndyCar Series testing debut at Barber Motorsports Park on Monday; the 2022 FIA Formula 2 champion turning an unofficial best lap of 1m07.631s in the No. 11 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. The Aston Martin F1 test …

The Aston Martin F1 test and reserve driver completed 129 laps once the fog lifted, and he was joined on the day by Andretti Global’s Jamie Chadwick who made her IndyCar testing debut in the No. 25 Honda. The three-time W Series champion and first-time Indy NXT race winner in 2024 with Andretti posted a best lap of 1m08.687s, which came on her 81st of 87 laps.

As a point of comparison, Ganassi’s reigning champion Alex Palou set a marker of 1m07.9s using the hybrid car at a previous test.

Drugovich set an early best of 1m08.017s while Chadwick laid down an initial benchmark of 1m09.400s before lowering it to a 1m09.356s and eventually the 1m08.687s that stood as her quickest lap. Drugovich put in the 1m07.631s run on his 110th lap.

“He did a great job for us timing,” Ganassi performance director Chris Simmons told RACER. “He was quite competitive. It’s one of the most physical tracks to go to, and Felipe looked like he could do another 100 laps on top of 100-plus he already did. Says a lot about his fitness.

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“You never know what you’re going to get on an evaluation day, but luckily, his feedback was good and he was up to speed pretty quickly, so we’re able to run through some test items, some things that were probably good for him to feel, and some things for us to try out. We learned a little bit for ourselves and hopefully a little bit for Honda, and certainly got some good info on Mr. Drugovich for the future.”

Andretti’s chief IndyCar engineer Craig Hampson oversaw Chadwick’s test and was clearly impressed with the Briton.

“You can tell she’s way ahead of the car,” Hampson said. “She knows exactly what it’s doing. Feedback is excellent. Knows what she wants out of the car, so she can guide the engineers to make changes, to try and make it more to her liking. We were able to get through some test items for the team. We were definitely able to get through a bunch of test items for Honda. So that was all very productive.”

As the smallest driver in Indy NXT and IndyCar, the test helped identify the areas where Chadwick can focus her efforts to build more upper body mass and endurance needed to wrangle an IndyCar that’s far heavier than her NXT machine.

“The one thing that she will freely admit that she needs to work on is just the physical assurance required to drive the car, to steer it,” Hampson said. “She was never winded or tired like that. You know, she’s clearly very fit, but she’s smaller in stature, and this is probably our highest physical steering effort track that we go to.

“She had no problem making lap time in the slower speed corners. But there are three high-speed corners here that you can make big chunks of lap time on, and that’s where, she wasn’t able to get the lap time out of the car in those corners. And she knows it, and she was pretty honest about, ‘Hey guys, I’m out of gas here.’ We did do what we could do the car to reduce the steering effort in the high-speed corners, but I’m sure there’s more we could do to help her.

“But I think that was what today was about. ‘What do I have to get my arms and shoulders to be able to drive one of these on a regular basis?’ I don’t think it was a shock to her, because clearly everybody had been warning her. But it’s different hearing about it versus actually experiencing it. She’s certainly not the first driver who has complained about steering effort at Barber. And she knows if she wants to do this as a career within the NTT IndyCar Series, more upper body strength is still required. That’s not a knock on her.”

Chadwick’s extensive open-wheel training in Europe and in NXT over the last two seasons stood out as well to the four-time Champ Car champion race engineer.

“In terms of all the stuff we’re looking for and feedback, not making any mistakes, not stalling the car, not falling off the track, she was perfect with all that stuff,” Hampson said. “You can tell she’s been driving for a number of years in really good environments, because she’s super calm on the radio and with the debriefs, she answers every time you call her on the radio; really professional.

“It was a good day for her as an initial foray to experience the car. Didn’t seem overwhelmed by it in the slightest. Just ran up against a limitation in the high speed corners as to just how much torque you can put into the steering wheel. Without that, you can’t make the commitment that you need to in those corners to get the last bit of lap time, and she’ll work on addressing all of that. She was a pleasure to work with.”

Andretti’s Kyle Kirkwood attended the test to support his teammate, echoed many of Hampson’s sentiments, and sympathized with the punishing nature of the car and track.

“I thought she did really well; I did my first test at Barber and after a couple of runs I was shot,” he said. “Her feedback was phenomenal. Very professional and the way she talks with the team is on the level or better than some top drivers. She did a great a job. She should be proud of herself.”

Chadwick keen to take on IndyCar in 2025

Jamie Chadwick has expressed her ambition to compete in 6-8 NTT IndyCar Series races next year. The Briton, who completed her second season of Indy NXT with Andretti Global, shared her goals on the home page of her new website, but the line was …

A winner from pole position at Road American in June, Chadwick was a two-time podium finisher on her way to placing seventh in the championship, a marked improvement from 12th as an NXT rookie in 2023. The three-time W Series champion is facing a packed driver market among those who hope to land one of the remaining seats on the IndyCar grid.

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Whether it’s her Andretti teammate Louis Foster who won eight races and ran away with the NXT championship, or runner-up Jacob Abel, or a range of Formula 1 and Formula 2 drivers searching for opportunities, or the sizable number of IndyCar drivers – including Rookie of the Year Linus Lundqvist – hunting for homes, Chadwick is facing a challenge to graduate in 2025.

She has her first IndyCar test scheduled with the Andretti team on September 30 at Barber Motorsports Park which, if it goes well, could help to move the 26-year-old higher up on a few short lists.

Andretti COO Rob Edwards doesn’t know what the future holds for Chadwick, but would welcome her back to Andretti’s NXT program if she wants to try and view for a championship.

“Ultimately, that decision rests with Jamie and her manager,” Edwards told RACER. “We would love to have her back for Indy NXT, if that was something that she wanted to do. Her aspirations are to do something in IndyCar in 2025, but it is a very crowded market at the moment. If she does come back to do NXT again, I think she’d certainly be a title favorite.

“An Indy NXT championship would go a long way to helping her achieve her ultimate aspirations. We’re supportive of whatever she does.”

Chadwick’s diminutive size made it hard to attack the Dallara IL15 Indy NXT car as a rookie, and with an intensive training program leading into 2024, she added the muscle mass required to get the most from the machine. The test at Barber, in a much heavier Dallara DW12 with greater downforce will provide Chadwick and interested teams with critical information about her ability to attack the Honda-powered hybrid Andretti Indy car.

And with the Andretti NXT team receiving plenty of interest from drivers after they won the title with Foster, the clock is ticking on being able to save a seat for Chadwick.

“The Barber test is a big marker in terms of decision making for them,” Edwards added. “You know, the Chris Griffis test in the middle of October is traditionally a date by which we try to have all of our seats in place. So that’s probably the window and the timeline for things to fall one way or the other.”

Andretti confirms IndyCar test for Chadwick

Indy NXT race winner Jamie Chadwick will make her NTT IndyCar Series debut in September with a test for her Andretti Global team. The Briton is set to turn her first laps in an Indy car at Barber Motorsports Park as part of her ongoing preparation …

“I’m incredibly excited to be testing in IndyCar for the first time with Andretti Global at Barber Motorsports Park later this year,” the three-time W Series champion said. “I want to say a huge thank you to the team for this opportunity. It is for sure one I am going to relish. The NTT IndyCar Series remains my goal, so I cannot wait to learn as much as possible on that day at one of the most demanding tracks on the calendar.”

The 26-year-old is among a few strong NXT prospects within Andretti Global, including championship leader Louis Foster.

“It’s been a pleasure watching Jamie grow as a driver in our Indy NXT program,” said team owner Michael Andretti. “The work she put in during the winter after her rookie season is obvious, and we’ve been impressed with the progress she’s made. The Indy NXT field is really competitive this year and what Jamie has been able to do is a testament to the level of skill and potential she has. We believe in rewarding hard work and results and are excited to give her this opportunity. We’re all looking forward to seeing what she can do in September.”

‘She’s been amazing’ – Andretti on Chadwick’s Indy NXT success

Jamie Chadwick’s breakthrough Indy NXT pole and victory had her team owner Michael Andretti smiling wide. Charging down to pit lane after the Briton drove into victory lane for the first time in the No. 28 Andretti Global Dallara IL15-AER, Andretti …

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Chadwick, the three-time W Series champion, withstood multiple passing attempts and had to lead multiple restarts—all opportunities for other drivers to pounce—but she halted their advances and aced each return to green-flag racing. Chadwick also led every lap in a clear demonstration of her capabilities in IndyCar’s top feeder series.

“She’s been amazing,” Andretti told RACER. “She did a mega job over the winter getting stronger to drive these cars. She’s been really competitive all year. The laps she did in qualifying impressed me, but what really was impressive was how she placed the car the whole race and she was schooling some of the boys. Her restarts were great. It was a complete drive.”

Chadwick was chased home by teammate Louis Foster who won last weekend’s NXT race in Detroit and holds second in the championship.

Her win also helped move her forward—after an early season that’s had some adversity—to ninth in the standings as the Andretti drivers battle against the other powerhouse teams in NXT.

“It’s a great program,” Andretti added. “That’s why we support it. That’s why we brought Jamie in, and Louis Foster is doing an awesome job. It was a great day for the points for Louis. We love being in this series.”

Chadwick takes first Indy NXT win

Jamie Chadwick became the first woman to win an Indy NXT by Firestone race since 2010 – and only the third female driver to win in the IndyCar development series – with her victory Sunday in the Grand Prix of Road America. British driver Chadwick …

Jamie Chadwick became the first woman to win an Indy NXT by Firestone race since 2010 — and only the third female driver to win in the IndyCar development series — with her victory Sunday in the Grand Prix of Road America.

British driver Chadwick led all 20 laps from the pole in the No. 28 VEXT car of Andretti Global to become the first female winner in Indy NXT since Pippa Mann in September 2010 at Kentucky Speedway. Ana Beatriz is the other female winner in the series, with single victories in 2008 and 2009. Chadwick is the first female to win an Indy NXT race on a road or street course, as Beatriz and Mann won on ovals.

“I have no words,” Chadwick said. “Honestly, I’m a bit emotional. We’ve had an unbelievable car this year and just haven’t been able to do anything about it. I’m just so happy we held on there.”

Chadwick drove to victory by 0.8203s over Andretti Global teammate Louis Foster in the No. 26 Copart/Novara Technologies car. Foster edged series leader Jacob Abel in the No. 51 Abel Construction car fielded by Abel Motorsports by 0.0236s at the finish to hang on to second and cut into Abel’s championship lead. Abel leads Foster by 19 points.

“Massive congratulations to Jamie,” Foster said. “She’s done an amazing job. She was the woman to beat this weekend. Really, really fast. More than happy for the team. One-two, you can’t ask for anything more.”

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Reece Gold finished a season-best fourth in the No. 10 HMD Motorsports car, while HMD teammate Caio Collet placed fifth in the No. 18 car as the leading rookie in the race.

Chadwick became the first woman to win a pole on a road or street course in Indy NXT by Firestone history Saturday, and she never relinquished that spot in the race. But the drive was far from easy for Chadwick, in her second Indy NXT season after winning three championships in the European-based, all-female W Series.

Abel jumped from the fourth starting position to second and immediately applied pressure to Chadwick on the first lap of the race after Foster’s move for the lead went wide in Turn 1. But she managed, maintaining a gap of about 0.7s through two caution periods in the first half of the race.

Then Foster passed Abel with an inside move in Turn 1 on lap 13, giving Chadwick 1.3 seconds of breathing room as the two title rivals dueled side by side. But Foster drove right up to Chadwick’s gearbox two laps later, but she parried his move for the lead in Turn 13.

Foster and Abel then continued to dice side by side for second on lap 15, giving Chadwick a margin of seven-tenths of a second. Then series rookie Myles Rowe spun off track in Turn 1 in the No. 99 HMD with Force Indy car on lap 16, collecting the No. 21 ABEL Motorsports machine of Jordan Missig. Neither driver was hurt.

That incident triggered a red flag from race officials to provide time for a green-flag finish. Chadwick led the field to green on lap 19 in a two-lap dash for the checkered. She built a lead of seven-tenths of a second over Foster as the white flag flew and never was challenged on the final lap under bright Wisconsin sunshine.

“With the red flag at the end, I was like, ‘Come on!” Chadwick said. “We started to lose the tires a little bit. So, I just knew I had to be aggressive. I knew they (Foster and Abel) have a championship to worry about, and I just had to get my head down. I really wanted to win today.”

RESULTS

Indy NXT season update with Andretti Global and Abel Motorsports

Coming up to the halfway point of the Indy NXT season, Marshall Pruett checks in with drivers Louis Foster and Jamie Chadwick of Andretti Global as well as Jacob Abel and Yuven Sundaramoorthy of Abel Motorsports. RACER’s Trackside Report at Road …

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Chadwick claims first Indy NXT pole

Jamie Chadwick made history by winning her first career Indy NXT by Firestone pole position Saturday for the Grand Prix at Road America. Chadwick, from England, turned a top lap of 1m51.0333s in the No. 28 VEXT car of Andretti Global to become the …

Jamie Chadwick made history by winning her first career Indy NXT by Firestone pole position Saturday for the Grand Prix at Road America.

Chadwick, from England, turned a top lap of 1m51.0333s in the No. 28 VEXT car of Andretti Global to become the first female driver to earn a pole on a road or street course in the history of IndyCar’s development series. She is the third female driver to win an Indy NXT pole and the first since Pippa Mann in October 2010 on the Homestead-Miami Speedway oval.

“I’m so happy,” Chadwick said. “We struggled a little bit this weekend chasing balance. When (teammate) Louis (Foster) did the lap he did, I knew we would have a good car. Track conditions improving, this is our shot in our group, as well. I really thought we could make the most of this opportunity.

“It’s going to be a tough day tomorrow, but I’m confident in what we can do.”

Chadwick’s previous best starting spot was fourth last Sunday on the streets of Detroit, as her speed continues to accelerate in her second Indy NXT season. She was a member of the second qualifying group today at Road America in the split-session format used by the series on road and street courses, and drivers in that group benefited from the rapidly drying 14-turn, 4.014-mile circuit as all-afternoon rain gave way to clearing skies about 30 minutes before qualifying began.

Foster locked out the front row for Andretti Global, as he will start second after his best lap of 1m51.0541s in the No. 26 Copart/Novara Technologies car. Foster will try to become the first driver since Linus Lundqvist — who won his first career pole earlier in the day for the NTT IndyCar Series race — in 2022 to win three consecutive Indy NXT races.

Josh Pierson recorded a career-best starting spot of third at 1m51.1621s in the No. 14 HMD Motorsports machine. His previous best was sixth in May 2023 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

Championship leader Jacob Abel will start fourth at 1m51.2702s in the No. 51 Abel Construction entry of Abel Motorsports.

HMD Motorsports teammates Reece Gold and Caio Collet will occupy the third row. Gold qualified fifth at 1m51.5069s in the No. 10 machine, with Collet as the top-qualifying rookie in sixth at 1m51.4054s in the No. 18 car.

Sunday’s 20-lap race starts at 1:05pm ET Sunday and airs live on Peacock.

RESULTS

Chadwick set for second Indy NXT season with Andretti Global

Jamie Chadwick’s American open-wheel racing adventure will continue with Andretti Global. The Briton, who made her Indy NXT debut in 2023 after clinching three consecutive W Series titles, rejoins Andretti for 2024 with the returning Louis Foster …

“I’m really looking forward to being back with Andretti to compete in my second Indy NXT season,” she said. “My first year with the team taught me so much and we were able to make a lot of progress with every race. I know that taking this experience and confidence into 2024 is going to be massively valuable for us, and I truly feel like part of the family here. I can’t wait to hit the ground running this winter and see what we can do for next season.”

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Chadwick’s results improved during her rookie season as she came to grips with the Dallara IL15-AER, which is bigger, heavier and faster than any of the cars previously wielded by the diminutive 25-year-old.

“It’s a pleasure to have Jamie return to our Indy NXT team for 2024,” said team owner Michael Andretti. “Developing talent has always been a priority for Andretti, and Jamie’s motorsports journey is a perfect example of what we hope to achieve with our development drivers. Jamie represents what it means to break down barriers and continues to impress everyone in our organization. The growth that we saw in Jamie’s rookie season was strong and we’re confident that coming back to Indy NXT is the right choice as she continues to advance her open-wheel career.”