For the first time in almost five years a woman, Jessica Hawkins, has become a Formula One test driver, having completed 26 laps of the Hungaroring in Budapest for Aston Martin driving their AMR21 race car. Jessica is now practicing for Aston Martin’s entry into the all-female F1 Academy, a group of 10 teams which will compete against each other at this highest level of motorsport next season.
Jessica acquired her love of racing when she was only eight years old when she saw a go-kart race and begged her dad to let her have a go. She did not foresee then that initial encounter with the sport would eventually lead to her to become one of the world’s best racing drivers. She became a go karting champion and gradually with grit and determination fought her way up the motor racing ranks by competing in many tournaments, not always winning races, but perfecting her skills in the process.
In 2018 she worked as a stunt driver on the set of the film Fast and Furious Live and followed that up in 2021 when she performed the car stunts on the James Bond film, No Time to Die. Jessica was part of the first women only race car series called the W Series, which unfortunately folded in 2022 after three seasons because of lack of financial support. It is hoped that the latest initiative of creating the F1 Academy, backed this time by the sport’s owners, will help to propel women into the topflight of F1 motor racing.
In the meantime, Jessica Hawkins continues to strive to fulfil her dreams of eventually being on the starting grid of an F1 race alongside her male competitors. As she put it in a recent interview: “Interest in F1 is huge, especially among women, and it’s great to be one of the women leading that change”.
By Ian Smith
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