Jamie Chadwick is eyeing a full-time seat in IndyCar in 2025 as she prepares to test with Andretti later this year; the Brit currently sits fifth in the IndyNxt standings and tells Sky Sports News she is targeting more podium finishes
Wednesday 31 July 2024 19:27, UK
Jamie Chadwick will test an IndyCar for the first time with Andretti in September.
The British driver moved to America to join Andretti in IndyNXT in 2023 and will now take to the track in an IndyCar on September 30 at Barber Motorsports Park.
She becomes the first female IndyNXT race winner to receive an IndyCar test since Pippa Mann in 2011, with the hope being that she will secure a full-time seat in IndyCar in 2025.
Speaking to Sky Sports News ahead of the announcement, Chadwick said: "Being an IndyNXT driver, the goal is IndyCar.
"So to get the opportunity to drive the IndyCar for the first time and it be with Andretti, one of the biggest teams on the grid with such a huge amount of history, is going to be a super special experience.
"Looking towards 2025, giving us that kind of ability to explore options and hopefully aim for the big series of IndyCar.
"Personally, it's a big, big thing. I think for me, it's by far the highest level I would have driven at or tested at.
"So having that opportunity in itself is really exciting. But also I ultimately want to get to IndyCar at some point in my career. So it's kind of the first step to kind of feeling that out, having that opportunity to test, seeing how that goes."
Chadwick is currently fifth in the IndyNXT standings, with one win and two top-five finishes, improving on her first year with Andretti.
"Coming off the back of a difficult 2023, we knew what needed to be worked on, what the kind of steps were to progress forward. And I think we did a reasonable job with that. I feel like everywhere we've gone, we've been competitive," she said.
"We've had highlights of the win and things. But ultimately, I still want to achieve more in this year. And I want to be able to get more podiums and more results to put me in a better place in the championship.
"There's part of me that feels happy with the progress we've made. But then on the flip side, I think there's still a lot we can do and achieve this season."
Reflecting on the recent Belgium Grand Prix in Formula 1, Chadwick was full of praise for fellow Brits Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, despite the latter losing top spot after being disqualified following the race's conclusion.
Russell was denied the victory due to his car coming in 1.5kg underweight after a stewards inquiry, ultimately handing Hamilton the win.
"It was an incredible performance by Mercedes in general to lead the race or be in prime position to win it with one of the two cars. So either way, aside from the disqualification, I think super impressive for Mercedes," she said.
"And seeing them win the weekend before, obviously Ferrari being the mix earlier in the season, it's cool for the championship and great for F1.
"Firstly, underweight is point blank. So I think as soon as we saw that was something that was on the cards, it's going to be an instant disqualification. And 1.5 kilos doesn't sound like a lot, but in a Formula One car, it's a huge amount.
"I think if you equate it to actual lap time performance, I think it's 0.005 or something like that. And actually, when you equate that to a whole 70 lap race distance or whatever the race distance is, it's actually quite a significant amount. So that's one factor.
"But then I think on the flip side of that, there's a few things you can do to try and gain weight on an in-lap, for example. George didn't have that in-lap. So I don't know.
"I think it's one of those things that it has to hurt for someone like George. He led that race, won that race, but rules are rules and it's the way it goes sometimes."
Looking ahead to the 2025 F1 season, Chadwick said things are falling in place now with Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez's seats confirmed for next year.
She said she is "excited" to see Hamilton drive for Ferrari and Williams have a "fantastic driver of Carlos's calibre, which is "super exciting".
Formula 1 returns after the summer break with the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort on August 23-25, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership - No contract, cancel anytime
