Here was only one woman in the starting formation at the final Indy NXT race of the year at Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif., last month: Jamie Chadwick.
The 25-year-old British racer and new Rolex Testimonee is a standout in an undeniably male-dominated sport, and the first woman to compete full time in the Indy NXT circuit in more than a decade.
She was tapped by Andretti Autosport, one of the sport’s most prestigious teams, after catching the attention of the racing world as a three-time W Series champion. (The W Series, for the uninitiated, is a relatively new global motor sport competition, created to promote women drivers. Chadwick won the inaugural championship in 2019, as well as in 2021 and 2022. She also holds records for most pole positions, points and wins in the series.)
Her last podium for the W Series was as a member of Jenner Racing, a team founded by none other than Caitlyn Jenner.
Rolex Cosmograph Daytona watch in Oystersteel and yellow gold, 40mm, $19,500 at London Jewelers
Chadwick says driving for an Indy NXT team is “the biggest challenge I’ve had in my career, and it’s providing me with a lot of seat time and competitive racing.”
It also gets her that much closer to the ultimate goal of making the elite Formula 1. Chadwick, who is also a development driver for Williams Racing for Formula 1 in the UK, began racing go-karts in England at the age of 11.
She’s written that “I used to just copy my older brother, Ollie . . . if he wanted to play with cars, then I wanted to play with cars. So, of course, when Ollie started doing a karting championship at our local racetrack in Castle Combe on Sundays, I was going to do it too.” She was the only girl on the team, and immediately fell in love with the adrenaline rush.
Chadwick fully committed to the sport as a college student, when she had to choose between competing at the Michelin Ginetta Junior Championship race or trying out for England’s under-18 hockey squad. She picked the former, winning the course as well as a fully funded season of racing — car, kit, entry fees and all. (Fun fact: She and others in junior racing were not legally old enough to drive on the roads, but could race at top speeds on their competitive circuits.) It’s been nonstop ever since.
Rolex’s affiliation with motor sports began in the 1930s, when Sir Malcolm Campbell broke the 300 mph barrier while sporting an Oyster on his wrist.
For Chadwick, being welcomed into the Rolex Testimonee family is a full-circle journey: She bought herself a rose-gold Yacht-Master after her first W Series championship win, inspired in part by her father similarly rewarding himself for a milestone moment in his career. (He was 30 at the time of his purchase; she was a decade younger.)
There hasn’t been a woman driver in a Formula 1 race in over 40 years, but those in the know hope Chadwick will soon change that.
Regardless, she says: “I hope I can leave things better than I found them for the next generation of female drivers. I want to help change perceptions and biases that women can’t do this job as well as men. So that when that next young karter is ready to break through, she can find the right pathway and support to make it to the top.”