Jamie Chadwick: I want to reach Formula 1 on talent and merit after W Series success, not as a token female

Jamie Chadwick says she wants to rise up through motor racing on “merit” and doesn’t want to land a Formula One role as a “token female gesture”. Chadwick, 23, has been crowned champion in the first two seasons of the women-only W Series and won both of the opening races of the 2022 campaign in Miami at the weekend.

Ad/> The W Series was first held in 2019 to give women more of an opportunity to compete in the sport. MotorsportsFIA launches investigation as Russian karting champion Severiukhin apologises for podium salute12/04/2022 AT 09:23 Chadwick's success has seen her linked with a move to the third-tier Formula 3 Championship, with the hope of eventually becoming the first female Formula One driver to compete at a Grand Prix since 1976.

She told Orla Chennaoui and Greg Rutherford on The Breakdown podcast that it was “frustrating” not to get a chance in F3 this year, but she remains determined to get there the «right way». “I am a big believer that it doesn’t have to be done the same way as everyone else has done it, for me my position is very different," Chadwick said.

Subscribe to The Breakdown podcast Hamilton: We haven't taken step forward yet “I know if I am going to make Formula 1 I have to be there on talent and merit, I’m not going to be a token gesture female. I think that would do a lot more damage than good.

“I want to be there on merit. I want to be able to do it for the right reasons and progress in the right way, likewise for those coming through and the girls who next have the opportunity I’ve had, to have the same opportunity.” Explaining why the move to F3 didn’t materialise, Chadwick added: “Every young driver sets their ultimate goal and you know the roadmap to get there, and there’s no cheating