Jamie Chadwick: Racing driver reveals expansion of own series after 1900 per cent increase in women’s karting | F1 news
Racing driver Jamie Chadwick has expanded his own grassroots motorsport initiative after revealing a 1,900 per cent increase in female participation in karting last year.
In 2024, Chadwick founded The Jamie Chadwick Series in an attempt to increase the representation of women in motorsport.
Initially, participants had to be at least 12 years old to compete in the women’s go-kart championship, but this has now been expanded to include girls as young as eight.
“We started the series last year to bridge the gap for grassroots karting. Combined with Daytona, we’ve had tremendous success,” Chadwick said. Sky Sports News.
“I’m kind of overwhelmed by the amount of acceptance and interest. What last year was about laying the groundwork. But the categories were from 12 years.
“The next step was trying to address that real young age, which is now eight years old, which we introduced for this year, which I’m really excited about. That’s exactly what I feel like we want to be achieving with the series.”
Chadwick: Bright future for women in motorsport
“When I got into the sport, I could count the number of women drivers on my hand,” Chadwick explained.
“We had over 450 young girls who went through our series, through racing schools and through various championships.
“Then there was a 1,900 percent increase in female karting participation, which is incredible. Numbers I wouldn’t have expected in our first year, which is why I’m so excited that we can continue to grow.”
Further up the motorsport ladder, meanwhile, the all-female F1 academy will enter its third season in 2025 and its second as part of a plan to support F1 weekend races.
The series, won by Britain’s Abbi Pulling in 2024, aims to provide a platform for female drivers to establish careers in motorsport, while also serving as inspiration for future generations of aspiring young female racers.
“I think it’s a sport that’s changing dramatically,” said Chadwick, who will compete in the European Le Mans Series this year, plus the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans.
“Even the time I’ve been in the sport, it’s changed a lot, but at the same time, I think there are still barriers that we face. One of them is how male-dominated it still is, and it shouldn’t be.
“So if you’re a young girl playing sports, you don’t necessarily see role models, you don’t necessarily see people like you competing in it or being involved at all.
“I think it’s changing a lot, and at a rapid pace, but at the same time, just showing them the options that are available to them is the first starting point.
“The sport is progressing so quickly. We are now seeing so many initiatives, especially around the F4 level, with the F1 Academy and all the F1 teams that are part of it, in developing and investing in female talent. We are really seeing the start of what will be a bright future for women in sports.”
Chadwick: My dream to reach F1 is an escape
Chadwick has been one of motorsport’s leading female drivers for the past five years, winning the W Series three times, before making the jump to Indy NXT, the F2 equivalent of IndyCar.
The 26-year-old became the first woman to win an Indy NXT road race with victory at Road America last year and tested IndyCar in September for Andretti.
Her priority will be the European Le Mans series this year and Chadwick admits her chances of racing in F1 are diminishing.
“My dream has always been to get to F1. I think that dream is getting a bit further away now, the further I go through my career,” said Chadwick.
“But I still have a fantastic relationship with Williams (as a development driver), so at some point I’d love to have the opportunity to get into the car.
“But I also think we forget that there are only 20 places in F1, so it’s difficult for everyone. I mean, if you compare it to any other sport, in such a small percentage, then you look at the number of women, and even where I belong that, I feel should focus less on getting one woman into F1 and more on just increasing participation.”
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