Jamie Chadwick completed 32 laps of Williams’ 2025-spec F1 car at Portimao on September 21, 2026, becoming the first woman in over a decade to drive a modern Williams.

It was her first mileage in a contemporary F1 machine. Her Williams running to date had focused on historic outings at events such as Goodwood.

She previously demonstrated Nigel Mansell’s 1992 FW14B and Keke Rosberg’s 1982 FW08. This test marked her first official programme mileage since joining Williams in 2019.

The run sits under F1’s Testing of Previous Cars framework. Teams may use pre-2026 cars on up to 20 days annually, with drivers capped at 1,000 kilometres across those outings.

Portimao returns to the calendar in June 2027, making circuit-specific data valuable. Williams can bank setup references, tyre behaviour notes, and operational practice ahead of that event.

This dovetails with the team’s development path, following a season of iterative updates and occasional correlation questions, notably in Baku upgrade concerns.

Team principal James Vowles called Chadwick “an inspiration for millions of women and girls,” stressing the opportunity was earned on merit.

Chadwick’s CV spans three W Series titles, Indy NXT race wins, and European Le Mans Series mileage in LMP2. That breadth supports adaptation to F1 braking, energy systems, and tyre management.

Susie Wolff was the last woman to drive a Williams F1 car, appearing in 2014 and 2015 practice sessions. Recent F1 runs by Doriane Pin and Jessica Hawkins underline growing female participation.

Chadwick calls the day “the best of my life so far” and references watching Wolff as a fan. She aims to use the platform to encourage the next wave of female drivers.

Beyond ambassadorial duties, she supports junior talents such as Jade Jacquet in F1 Academy and French F4, the latter yielding Jacquet’s first victory.

The test’s telemetry and feedback feed Williams’ 2027 preparation and broader planning, aligning with the team’s 2026 project under the cost cap and restricted on-track testing.

For Chadwick, the outing validates steady progress since 2019 and builds confidence for further F1 duties with Williams’ 2025 car programme as development continues.

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Daniel Miller

Daniel Miller reports on Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends with race-day analysis, team-radio highlights, and point-standings updates. He explains power-unit upgrades, aerodynamic developments, and driver rivalries in straightforward, SEO-friendly language for a global F1 audience.