Fuel for Thought: Jamie Chadwick Is Pushing Toward F1 With INDY NXT Performances

After a season-best performance in INDY NXT, Jamie Chadwick continues to strive for an opportunity to drive a Formula One car.

Courtesy of Penske Entertainment

Jamie Chadwick is one of the most recognizable women in motor racing. She’s raced in several championships across different disciplines but is perhaps most known for dominating the W Series. There she won three drivers titles in the racing series that was exclusively for women, before it entered administration earlier this year.

In 2023, fuelled by her love of racing and impressive career to date, the 25-year-old made a big career move stateside to compete in a new adventure: INDY NXT.

Racing for the iconic American Andretti Autosport team, Chadwick has been faced with a steep learning curve but has regularly found herself in the points in the second half of the season. Following her season-best performance, Chadwick discusses the new escapade, racing against her idols, when we can expect her to get an F1 opportunity and more.

Courtesy of Penske Entertainment

Sports Illustrated: How have you found your time in the INDY NXT championship this season? It’s the best place to find the next generation of INDYCAR stars.

Jamie Chadwick: I’m really enjoying it, actually. It’s crazy how quick it’s gone. In one way, I felt like that’s good as I’ve really enjoyed how fast paced it’s been. I’ve had a lot of racing this year, a lot of track time, which has been great. However, on the flip side, it feels like it’s gone from underneath me a little bit. It’s definitely been a challenge. With that, we’ve learned so much and progressed a lot. I feel very happy in the environment over here, the team, everything. Obviously, we’re aiming and striving for more, but I think there’s so many unknowns coming into it this year, not just the racing, but being over here in America. I’m happy with how it’s kind of all unfolded, to be honest.

SI: What’s American life like for you? Any big changes you weren’t expecting as a Brit, in or away from racing?

JC: It’s very different. It’s quite fun with INDY NXT as we see a lot of different parts of America. There’s a lot in the Midwest, but now we’re over on the West Coast. It’s cool, from a life point of view, to see different parts of the world. I think the thing that I’ve noticed is how open everyone is here. I definitely feel very welcomed and made a lot of friends in the paddock. I think because there are a lot of Europeans that come over, and they don’t know anyone—you’re kind of in the middle of Indianapolis not really sure how it’s all going to unfold. So we all end up sticking together. That’s helped the transition, for sure.

SI: You’ve just managed your best result of the year, a sixth place in Portland. You started 16th and climbed up the field. Talk us through the race.

JC: Honestly, it’s funny, because someone said, “Oh, it’s definitely your best drive,” and actually it’s not at all. I feel like I’ve fought like my life for some races where I finished maybe 11th or further back. But this one, I did get a little bit fortunate. We’ve had a bit of bad luck throughout the year, so it’s come our way now. It’s nice that on paper we can start having actual results, because I feel like we’ve deserved them for the last few weekends.

SI: You previously competed in W Series and have now moved over to INDY NXT. Although both cars are single seaters, their design varies a lot. How much have you had to adapt your driving style to these new types of machines?

JC: It’s been so different, and I’ve only really been able to get my teeth into understanding it midway through this year. The nature of racing is very aggressive. I’ve never driven in anything, not in my career, where the level of intensity is that high, lap on lap. With the way the tires are, everything, you are pushing at 100% every lap, whereas there’s always been a bit of management or conservation in some of the race running that I’ve done.

It’s also the physicality of that, having elevated energy for the whole race. It’s funny how I feel much more comfortable with it. Every race at the beginning of the year, the first five or six races, I’d get halfway through and I would panic that I wasn’t gonna make the end. Now it doesn’t feel like that at all. So I’m really happy with how much more comfortable I am, but [it] definitely was a step that I wasn’t expecting to be so big.

SI: Are there any legends whom you have met and were starstruck by?

JC: I don’t know if “starstruck” is the word, but more of just in awe. I just find it crazy that I can rub shoulders with the likes of those guys. For sure, [four-time F1 World Champion] Sebastian Vettel was a big one for me. He’s someone I’ve grown up watching, looking up to, and, yeah—to be effectively competing against him in the Race of Champions was incredible. There’s just so many characters like that in the sport, and for young Jamie, there’s a lot of pinch-myself moments I’ve had in the last few years.

SI: How has your training changed for this new season of racing?

JC: I’ve put on, I think, two kilos this year just in muscle! Strength has become a big priority. These cars, like I said, are so physical, and you’re pushing a lot. The nature of the tracks are pretty brutal that we have over here in America too, and the races are long as well. So a lot more upper-body strength training has come into it alongside the cardio as well. Now we’re in season, I felt a little bit more race fit, but in the offseason, I was doing eight- or nine-hour weeks. Now I’m doing about 14-hour weeks of training.

SI: Do you have a favorite cheat meal?

JC: It’s funny, because there’s a lot of fake healthy [food] flying around. So not even just a cheat meal, but just trying to eat well day to day isn’t the easiest. I’m a Chipotle person, so if I could try and get a Chipotle bowl, that’s like a good one. Then cheat meals, it kind of varies. I do quite like Chick-fil-A, which I am a bit guilty of admitting!

Courtesy of Williams Racing

SI: You’re also a well-loved member of the Williams Academy. Have you been a big fan of James Vowles’s addition as Team Principal for this season?

JC: He’s awesome. It’s quite cool now seeing him evolve into his character that everyone else is admiring as well. I developed a little bit of a relationship with James when he was at Mercedes before as he had such a vast role there, and a lot of it was actually interest in women in the sport and understanding it better. At Mercedes they have a young female driver in their karting divisions, Luna Fluxa, and James engaged with me in some conversations about it. For me, it’s amazing to see someone in that kind of role, just expressing their interest. So naturally, when he came over to Williams, I was really, really happy knowing the way he thinks. He’s very honest; he’ll be very honest with me in terms of where he thinks my career is going and how he feels I fit within the academy, which I really appreciate. But also, I just find him so hyper intelligent that it’s great to have that kind of rapport and conversation with someone like that.

SI: Do you think James can help get you an F1 opportunity, especially as teams must now give rookies at least two outings in a practice session over the year?

JC: The way I view it is: If I’m ready, the super license I will worry about afterwards. I think at the moment, I’m not quite ready for that yet. I need some more time to develop, and INDY NXT is a really good place for me. The performance of the cars, the tracks, everything. I’ve learned so much more than I was able to learn in the last couple of years, so I feel like I’m still on this development curve. At some point, of course, when I feel ready and when the team feels like I’m in a position, I want to be pushing to have the opportunity to drive a F1 car. When that time comes, we’ll work out whether I have a super license or not, but at the moment, I feel a little bit away from that. That’s got to be on the list of things that I want to try and achieve.

SI: This weekend the team is running a special Gulf livery, which was picked out by fans. It’ll be used in Singapore, Japan and Qatar, but was that the design you liked best?

JC: It was, actually. I did really like that one. When Gulf announced their partnership with Williams, I think everyone was hoping for an iconic livery. So the fact that we now have something that’s very Gulf, historical and iconic is great. Gulf is an amazing partner for the team, and they support the academy and us young drivers as well. They’re very involved with that. I’m going to enjoy watching those few races with that livery!