‘I’m closer than ever’: Chadwick takes Le Mans hypercar role

After taking a reserve role in Genesis Le Mans’ top-level hypercar program next year, Britain’s Jamie Chadwick claims she is “closer than ever to the ultimate goal.”

Chadwick, 27, is set to become the first female racer to compete in professional sports car racing for a while.

Chadwick told BBC Sport, “It’s incredibly special to be involved.” The “most important goal” is to win a hypercar race. I’m closer than ever, which is exciting, and it feels realistic.

Le Mans is a success, and the career goal is now the World Endurance Championship.

Hyundai, the luxury brand of Hyundai, is the tenth car manufacturer to compete in the hypercar era of the World Endurance Championship, in which the renowned 24 Hours of Le Mans is the marquee event.

As a member of a three-person team in the lower level LMP2 category for IDEC Sport, a squad affiliated with the Genesis program, Chadwick won three races in the European Le Mans Series this year.

Chadwick, a three-time All-Female W Series champion, also won a race in the same year’s Indy NXT in America, which is an almost identical to Formula 2, in 2024.

Last month, Chadwick from Bath tested the new GMR-001 hypercar at Circuit Magny-Cours in France.

“My first laps were incredible. It’s a really impressive car that travels in a straight line, Chadwick added.

As a driver, you have a variety of options that you can use to influence the world.

Chadwick’s current goal is to win the Le Mans overall race in a top-level hypercar, but she acknowledges that it almost certainly means the end of her long-awaited career in Formula 1.

“The path I’ve taken over the past few years doesn’t correspond with the customary climb to F1,” I said. Not just F1, but F2 and F3 are so overly competitive. In terms of people entering the sport, there are many people in the grids, and there is not enough room in F3 and F2, let alone F1.

Things must be planned out if you choose to go that way, whether you’re a man or a woman.

France’s Mathys Jaubert and Spain’s Daniel Juncadella were Chadwick’s team-mates from her 2025 season for IDEC, and they were chosen to compete in the next year’s Hypercar alongside two more experienced drivers, Pipo Derani and Andre Lotterer.

Genesis will compete with a number of car manufacturers that are drawn back to sports cars because of their flexible design principles and as a less expensive alternative to Formula 1.

Ferrari’s number 51 car, which includes Britain’s James Calado, the 2023 Le Mans winner, was the winner of this year’s championship at this month’s Bahrain 8 Hours.

Robert Kubica, a former world champion in Poland, drove the number 83 Ferrari 499P to victory at Le Mans this year.

Despite being an FIA “silver-rated” driver like Jaubert, there are only two more seats left to be filled for the two-car WEC entry for 2026.

Chadwick is reportedly highly regarded and content with her progress as a member of the Genesis driver stable.

Chadwick, who last month tested a Jaguar Formula E car, has recently taken on various development driver positions at teams like Williams, which are frequently limited to driving older vehicles for marketing and performing simulations.

One of the biggest indications that a major manufacturer is supporting female racing talent on merit is a reserve position, though.

Few female drivers have recently competed in the most well-known disciplines in motorsport, most recently Switzerland’s Simona de Silvestro, who won 10 Formula E races in 2016 alone.

With little success, a number of female drivers have ad-hoc racing in the American IndyCar series.

Amanda Stretton, a top-level British competitor, entered Le Mans for one-time, uncompetitive LMP1 entry in 2008. She was the last female competitor at the top level to compete there.

France’s Odette Siko placed fourth in the Le Mans race in 1932, which was the highest-placed female driver ever.