Jamie Chadwick is already working towards a move to the IndyAutomobile Series, the one query is whether or not that can occur in 2025 or not.
The Briton's first race in IndyAutomobile colors – which was announced on Wednesday – will happen on September 30 at Barber Motorsports Park with Andretti Global, the identical squad with which she spent the last two seasons in Indy NXT.
“I’m preparing like I’m going to IndyCar next year, physically, as much as I can,” Chadwick told Motorsport.com. “I’m preparing by way of sponsorship, every thing to find a way to go to IndyAutomobile.
“I feel like the higher I aim, the higher I hope to fall; that's what we're aiming for.”
Jamie Chadwick, Andretti Global, on his approach to victory at Road America
Photo: James Black
Chadwick became the primary woman to win an Indy NXT race on a road or street course earlier this 12 months in a flag-to-flag race from the pole position at Road America. Additionally, no woman has previously won a pole position on a road or street course within the series.
She became the third winner in Indy NXT history, joining Pippa Mann and Ana Beatriz, who each won on the oval tracks.
“There are so many things that need to fall into place,” Chadwick said. “We have a couple of people around us who’re also attempting to help me with every thing.
“Putting these programs together – Indy NXT, IndyAutomobile – it's challenging for anyone. It's an enormous amount of cash to boost. It's an enormous amount of labor to place in. I'm preparing as much as I can to attempt to go to IndyAutomobile next 12 months.
“There are so many factors and I don't know what the realism is at this point. A lot will depend on September 30, but the work really needs to start well before that.”
Jamie Chadwick
Photo: Simon Galloway / Motorsports images
While it’s not unusual for IndyAutomobile rookies to check drive at tracks like Sebring, Road America and even Portland, Chadwick desired to tackle the challenge of a 2.3-mile, 17-turn natural terrain course positioned just outside of Birmingham, Alabama.
One big reason was her Indy NXT debut at Sebring, which was a helpful experience but didn’t provide a whole picture of what she was entering after a profession in Europe that saw her win three W Series titles.
“I did the Indy NXT test at Sebring and it went well,” she said. “It gave me a feel for the automobile, but it surely’s a very different track.
“It's a little more like the street circuits that we go to, a lot slower speeds, very fast lap times. I felt like it gave me one picture of the Indy NXT car and that experience, but not the whole picture. And for me, I think IndyCar, it would be the same feeling.”
“I actually desired to get a way of what the demands could be and what the Indy automobile would seem like, so we narrowed it right down to a couple of tracks and Barber was probably at the highest of the list. It’s a track that each driver says is one of the physical on the calendar, one of the demanding. It’s a troublesome track, it’s fast, it’s flowing, there are quite a lot of corners with limited visibility.
“I want to know if I'm ready for IndyCar. I think this track will give me the best idea of ​​whether I'm ready or not.”
Jamie Chadwick
Photo: Penske Entertainment
Chadwick has no illusions in regards to the task ahead of her, but is looking forward to testing herself within the “top-of-the-range” automobile she has ever driven.
“I want to come out of this test knowing, 'OK, in the next few months I'm really going to be able to get my head around this and I think I might be in a good position or I might not be, and I need to reassess this and think about what other options I might have for next year,'” she said.
With no guarantees beyond the Test, the 26-year-old simply wants to provide herself the most effective likelihood possible to exercise her option next 12 months, although she has not ruled out returning for a 3rd campaign in Indy NXT next 12 months.
“It’s potentially an option, for sure,” Chadwick added. “At the start of the 12 months, I began to essentially think it was something that is perhaps within the cards.
“I feel quite a lot of people would turn away from the third 12 months of Indy NXT, but once I look back at my first 12 months, I feel like my second 12 months is what I wish for my first 12 months.
“If you should come back in your second 12 months and have a very clear likelihood to win a championship, despite the fact that we made quite a lot of progress in our game, we didn’t have a likelihood to compete for a championship.
“So yeah, I feel there's potential, but I actually have to confess I really need to go to IndyAutomobile.
“I think we'll learn a lot in IndyCar. If I get the opportunity, I'd love to take advantage of it.”
