Aston Martin's Jess Hawkins chats TCR, W Series 2022, meeting alligators in Miami & her work with the F1 team

You’d be hard-pressed to find someone as busy as Jess Hawkins at the moment, with the Aston Martin Racing driver ambassador juggling her role within the team with her motorsport career, that’s recently taken in a maiden win in TCR.

At GiveMeSport, though, we were lucky enough to catch up with her last week, as we looked back on her first win in TCR and her chances in the championship here in the UK this season, as well as ahead to the new W Series which kicks off this weekend in Miami alongside the Formula 1 race there, whilst also discussing her latest activities representing the Aston Martin team globally.

There was certainly a lot to cover in our chat, but there was simply only one place to start and that was her P1 at Oulton Park over the Easter weekend in TCR…

First of all Jess, has your win at Oulton Park last month in TCR sunk in?

“I still can’t believe I’m doing a full season, to be honest.

“I’ve spent so many years trying to get a full season of some kind of touring cars in. It’s finally happened and I won on my debut it’s crazy really.

“But yes, it has sunk in. And I’ve full focus now on Miami for the first W series race and then Barcelona and then I think it’s round two of TCR.”

You became the first British woman to win a Touring Car race in taking victory, do you pay much attention to those records?

“I don’t really no. But obviously, it’s a nice thing to have. And, to be honest it’s crazy. I’m just happy to be on the grid.”

And what are your thoughts on the battle with championship leader Max Hart for the race win, does that give you confidence for your own title aspirations?

“It is early in the season, to be honest.

“In qualifying, we had a snapped rear anti-roll bar. So that obviously didn’t show full,