In the high-octane world of professional racing, change doesn’t come easy. But 26-year-old British driver Jamie Chadwick is accelerating a transformation that could help redefine the future of motorsport. Chadwick made history at Road America last month, becoming the first woman to win in Indy NXT, IndyCar’s flagship developmental series, since 2010. Leading all 20 laps from pole position at the Firestone Grand Prix, Chadwick isn’t just breaking records; she’s also shattering long-standing perceptions about gender in one of the world’s most male-dominated sports.

Chadwick’s journey into motorsport began on the karting track in 2010 and quickly progressed to become the first woman to win the British GT Championship in 2015. Her talent didn’t go unnoticed and she earned a place in the Aston Martin Racing Driver Evolution Academy and was recognised as a ‘Rising Star’ by the British Racing Drivers’ Club. But it was in single-seaters where Chadwick really made her mark, becoming the first woman to win a British Formula 3 race in 2018.

Chadwick’s success, including three consecutive W Series championships from 2019 to 2022, is forcing a reevaluation of long-held assumptions about gender and performance in motorsport. “It’s tough and it’s physical, but there’s no reason why women can’t compete at the highest level,” Chadwick said in a recent interview. Her performances on the track are a powerful challenge to the entire industry.

Chadwick’s vision goes far beyond simply increasing participation numbers. She’s candid about the physical challenges women face in a sport designed primarily for male competitors. “It definitely is (physical). You’re in a car for long periods of time, often in very hot climates. Your heart rate, your cardiovascular system, is at a very high level,” she notes. She openly discusses these challenges, pushing for innovations that can make the sport more accessible to a variety of competitors.

Acutely aware of her position as a role model, Chadwick is using her success to create tangible pathways for more women to enter the sport. She’s advocating for a complete redesign of the motorsport pipeline from grassroots to the highest levels. That commitment is evident in her karting initiative, which aims to encourage more girls and young women into the sport; currently, only 13% of participants are female. “I really want more women,” she says. “I think we need to have more young girls starting out on the Indy feeder series and coming through Indy NXT.”

Chadwick’s approach goes beyond mere representation; she’s working to change perceptions about motorsport itself. “Suddenly, it’s not just a sport you do to be a professional, it’s an intensely brutal nature, a sport you do for fun,” she says. This shift from exclusivity to inclusivity could be key to unlocking motorsport’s future potential, creating a sustainable ecosystem where female drivers can thrive at every stage of their careers.

As Chadwick continues to challenge norms and inspire a new generation, her impact extends beyond the racetrack. Her success and advocacy are not only opening doors for women in motorsport, but also challenging the very foundations of a sport that has long resisted change. In doing so, she is helping to steer motorsport toward a more inclusive and diverse future.

You can watch the full interview here.