LONDON (Reuters) -Jamie Chadwick, Britain’s foremost female racing driver, said on Tuesday competing at the top level of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) was now her ‘ultimate goal’ and recognised her Formula One dream was likely over.
The 27-year-old will be official reserve driver for Hyundai’s new Genesis Magma Racing Hypercar programme next season, with a development role.
“The ultimate goal is to compete in Hypercar,” she told the BBC. “It feels realistic. I’m closer than ever and that’s what’s exciting to me.
“The career goal now is World Endurance Championship, and an achievement is winning Le Mans.”
Chadwick competed in Le Mans this year in the second tier LMP2 category with the French IDEC team but did not finish. She has also raced in the European Le Mans Series.
The Briton won the now-defunct all-female W Series three times and has more recently had a development driver role with the Williams F1 team.
Formula One has not had a female racer start a grand prix since Italian Lella Lombardi in 1976.
“Understandably there’s a big push for a woman to get to F1,” Chadwick told Sky Sports television. “But I think that shouldn’t just be the ultimate goal.
“In F1 it’s 20 drivers on that grid, and it’s so incredibly competitive that it is going to be a task in the next few years to find a woman there.”
(Reporting by Alan BaldwinEditing by Christian Radnedge)
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