Nerveless throughout the season, Jamie Chadwick did just enough at Brands Hatch to claim the championship title of the inaugural season of the W Series after a race that left her fraught and frayed at the edges. The 21-year-old ultimately showed a class and a maturity beyond her years, enough indeed to head home with the $500,000 (£415,000) winner’s prize.
However, it was only after the British driver’s usual calm control had seemed to almost evaporate after 30 minutes of racing during which her championship might have slipped away. “I have been under this sort of pressure before,” she said. “But it’s a lot different when there is half a million at stake.”
Coming out of the heart of this maelstrom on top demonstrated Chadwick’s strength of character. Her title brought the W Series to a close after what can be considered a very successful first year for the championship created to promote women in motor racing.
Yet what was expected to be a relatively straightforward coronation turned into a nail-baiting climax. Chadwick needed a podium finish to be assured of the title but managed only fourth. Britain’s Alice Powell won the race, from the Finn Emma Kimiläinen. Beitske Visser of the Netherlands, the only driver who could challenge Chadwick, was third and with a 13-point deficit, that was not good enough.
However, when Visser passed Chadwick during the race, the title seemed momentarily to hang in the balance before the British driver closed it out. Knowing she had done enough with fourth, Chadwick’s relief after she climbed from the car was palpable. She has won twice and finished on the podium three times in five races this season but admitted the task of claiming the title had proved hard to bear.
“I have mixed emotions, I can’t take it all in, that was the worst 30 minutes of my life, followed by the best 30 minutes,” she said. “I don’t know what I was doing, the pressure just got to me. I knew I had the championship to fight for and I made mistakes.”
For a driver who is already a multiple championship winner, this one meant the most, because it had been the hardest fought.
“This has been by far the best of my wins,” she said. “This year has been one of the toughest I have had, everything around it has been far, far greater. Normally you can go under the radar in junior motor sport, you have not had this exposure. This is the first year I have been exposed to that, you can’t make mistakes, you are in an intense environment.”
She had opened the day well, taking pole position by pipping Powell, to the top spot, while Visser managed only fifth. It appeared the scene was set for another dominant run for Chadwick and, while Visser moved up to fourth on the second lap, out front Chadwick was holding her own with Powell and Kimiläinen tucked up under her rear wing.
At the mid point, however, under pressure for the lead and unwilling to risk a clash, Chadwick gave Powell and Kimiläinen space to squeeze up the inside, late-braking through Paddock. It was close, Powell and Chadwick touched but ultimately the latter played the percentages like a seasoned pro and focused on the big picture.
She was consequently exposed to Visser but the British driver held third until a late safety car bunched up the field and when racing restarted Chadwick put her wheels wide on the grass at the entry to turn six, letting Visser through. With just over three laps to go Visser still needed to win but was a full four seconds off Powell. It was too far and Chadwick held her nerve and fourth, enough for the title.
She had the title and the championship, which boasted five different winners in six races, the conclusion it deserved. Chadwick was taken on earlier this year as development driver for the Williams F1 team and was convinced that the W Series was very much on the right track. “This year has provided a platform that I never thought I would have,” she said. “As the first year in the series goes it is incredible what I have managed to achieve.”