W Series champion Jamie Chadwick shares her Indy NXT ambitions with Motorsport Week after achieving her win with Andretti Global.
The British driver earned her first win in the Indy Car feeder series at Road America, leading from pole to become the first woman to win on a road course in the series.
Chadwick also recently made history as the first female driver in a decade to land a podium spot in Indy NXT at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The three-time W Series champion is enjoying a successful sophomore season in the series, hoping to fight her way to Indy Car.
Chadwick told Motorsport Week: “I would have pulled your arm off for a podium at the beginning of the year.
“I think last year was very much a learning year so going into this year, we were hopeful for good results.
“We were really pleased with the sort of speed that we had at the beginning of the year, but we weren’t able to put that into sort of any actual results.”
IndyNXT a learning experience, says Jamie Chadwick
Her climb from sixth to third at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway earned Chadwick her best-ever result in Indy NXT.
The technical jump from W Series to Indy NXT was a learning experience for the British driver.
“The step from W Series was pretty significant,” Chadwick said. “One of the big things I’ve been vocal about is the physicality of it.
“I’m training harder in the offseason now, but also I just know more about the car this year.”
Chadwick spent the majority of her racing career in Europe until she made the move to America to race in Indy NXT.
The move was almost as tough as the transition to a new car, but it also meant that Chadwick had to learn new tracks and styles of racing.
She explained: “I really grew up, even though my first year was a challenge at times. I settled in and I know that this is definitely the place that I want my career to be.
“The pathway is very clear from a driver’s point of view, so it’s nice to have that clarity.”
Jumping from Europe to America
After clinching the W Series title three years in a row, Chadwick struggled to find a seat in the European racing scene.
When offered a chance to race for Andretti Global in America, she jumped at the opportunity to show her talents.
“Trying to find my way out of W Series in the first place was hard. The difficulty with it was where it sat in the pecking order or feeder series ladder.
“Landing a spot in Indy NXT has given me more of a pathway so that clarity was great for me.”
Of course, Formula 1 is still the end goal for the British driver, but Indy Car is her next big target.
“For every driver the pinnacle is the ultimate goal,” Chadwick said. “Indy Car is definitely something that I would love to shoot for, but I do love every form of racing.”
The Jamie Chadwick Series: Inspiring the next generation
Chadwick has a number of goals, on and off track. Lately, she has used her platform to create more opportunities for women in motorsport.
Daytona Motorsport announced an initiative partnered with Chadwick to increase female participation in grassroots motorsport.
The Jamie Chadwick Series aims to address the low levels of female participants in the sport, offering a year-long programme to young girls in the UK.
“I was very fortunate getting into motorsport, but there still wasn’t a general route for women to progress in the sport.
“There are so few people like me in the industry, and it was an intimidating environment as a young girl.
“What we’ve done with Daytona is amazing, there’s been over 40 participants in each category and hundreds of registered people interested.”
With support growing for young girls at grassroots levels of motorsport, Chadwick’s programme helps to bring more opportunities.
As F1 Academy continues to grow on the global stage, Chadwick continues to inspire many young girls in motorsport.
READ MORE: Jamie Chadwick credits impact of W Series on her career
