Will women race in the F1? Champion driver Jessica Hawkins thinks so
29-year-old British race driver Jessica Hawkins is changing the face of motor sports. She’s female, for one, while she also identifies as a member of the LGBTQ+ community – and championing the progression of women in motor racing is what drives (see what I did there?) her. She’s now the Head of the F1 Academy – a female-only, junior-level racing championship, for which Hawkins mentors budding female drivers.
If anyone is up to the task of coaching beginners, it’s her. She made her professional motorsport debut in 2014 at Silverstone’s British Formula Ford championship and has raced every year since. She’s also a pro stunt driver and has appeared on James Bond film No Time To Die and Fast and Furious Live, while in 2019, she achieved a world record after taking Honda’s ride-on lawnmower (imagine a go-kart-turned-lawnmower) from 0-100mph in 6.29 seconds. Niche.
Last year, she carved women deeper into the motor sport map after becoming the first female to drive a modern F1 car in almost five years. As an Aston Martin driver ambassador, the brand’s F1 team asked Hawkins to test drive the race car for them. ‘It was one of the most special days of my life,’ she tells me.
As our chat comes to a close, I’m in awe. She’s somehow unwaveringly determined, confident and laidback all at once; so consumed by racing that nothing else gets a look in, yet so self-assured that she’s surprisingly mellow.
So, will women finally make it to the F1? If Hawkins has anything to do with it, absolutely. Here’s what she has to say.
Talk me through how you got involved with race driving
‘I started karting when I was eight years old. I was playing golf with my dad and saw a kart circuit in the distance. I begged him to let me have a go. I was too short to take part, but we went back six months later, and they had reduced the height restriction, which meant I could drive it. That was my first experience in a kart, and I completely fell in love with it. I wasn’t thinking of a career then, it was just something I loved doing with my dad. But we were very successful early on, moved up the ladder, and it has turned into a wonderful career.’
Did you ever experience any barriers to getting involved with race driving as a female, or now, as part of the LGBTQ+ community?
‘I only came out as part of the LGBTQ+ community a few years ago. I was worried about how people would react, but I’m fortunate that everybody has always been accepting and supportive. Because of that, my sexuality has never been something that's caused any issues. It's just not been a big deal for me. I'm lucky to have had the experience that everybody in the LGBTQ+ community should have.
‘As for being female, I don’t remember being made to feel any different, especially when I was younger. When I first started, I was too young to realise I was the only girl racing against boys. It just wasn’t something I thought about. It was only during my mid-teens when I realised that it was unusual to be a female in racing. But, by this time, I felt like I had already proved myself and been successful. So, I don’t feel that my gender has ever really impacted my journey in racing.’
Can you talk me through your first ever race?
‘I don’t remember my first kart race as I was too young. But my first car race was when I was 17 or 18 years old. It was a Renault Clio cup car race at Rockingham in Northamptonshire, and I finished second. I was quite late moving into cars, because you need a much bigger budget compared to karting. I still had a lot to learn in terms of driving skills, so I was really pleased to finish second at the first attempt. That’s definitely a happy memory.’
How did you get involved with F1, and then become the first woman to drive a modern F1 car?
‘I was competing in the W Series – the all-female motor racing series – in 2020 and 2021 when I got approached by the Aston Martin F1 Team about becoming part of the Aston Martin team. I was already a driver ambassador for the brand, with quite a big commercial focus, but I also got to drive some really cool Aston Martin sports cars.
‘By 2023, the team gave me the biggest opportunity of my life to drive an F1 car at a testing session in Budapest. For any driver, the chance to drive such an amazing car is one of the reasons we start racing. It was a true dream come true and I was proud to become the first female to test a modern F1 car in almost five years. The team showed so much belief and trust in me, and they have invested so much in my career. This was definitely one of the most special days of my life.’
How did you get involved in stunt driving?
‘I got into stunt driving because I saw a social media post looking for a female with good car control. It sounded up my street so I applied, and the company explained that they needed somebody who could drift a car and perform donuts (where the rear or front of a car spins around the opposite set of wheels in a circular motion).
‘I was honest and said I did have those skills, but I hadn’t used them in the way they need to be used. Nonetheless, I got an audition – which lasted two days - and I ended up getting the job. I think what impressed them was my rate of progression. I learned quickly. From there, I entered into a new world that I didn’t know existed and I went on to appear on Fast and Furious Live. Now, I’m often doing work on big movie sets. It’s totally different to racing, but something I really enjoy.’
What's going through your mind now, with all the experience you have, when you're racing?
‘I guess not much has changed. Racing is still racing. I love it as much now as when I started. I guess my knowledge and skillset is so much greater now than it was back then. My drive and passion to keep going, keep progressing and keep improving remains just as strong. And my determination to win races is just a strong now as when I first jumped in a kart.’
What does a week in race training look like for you now?
‘With such a busy travel schedule, it isn’t easy to stick to a regimented regime. But, if I get a week at home, I will be in the gym every day, mostly doing strength training. Since I started doing GT racing [Grand Tourer racing – a type of racing using a GT car, designed for high performance and long distances] this year, I have done a bit more cardio work as GT races are much longer, so I need to work on my endurance to make sure I don’t get tired too soon.
‘I play a lot of squash and it’s always my goal to include games like that in my training as they keep my brain alert, as it needs to be when racing. I have to be careful, though, because I can’t do things like trampolining or gymnastics as I don’t want to risk an injury that will stop me driving. To drive any racing car quickly, you have to be really fit. It is intense behind the wheel. But I have always found that as long as I train hard between events, I have the base fitness and stamina when I need it.’
You’ve obviously had huge success, was there a point that you started thinking of yourself as a champion?
‘I don’t think there was a defining moment. I was successful from a young age. I don’t think I grasped what a championship meant when I was very young. All I wanted to do was win races. That was what drove me. In the end, getting a title and being a champion is just the culmination of a series of great results. I think every racing driver sees themselves as a champion because just to get on the grid takes huge effort and hard work.’
What does success mean to you now?
‘Success to me is getting on the grid – with a good budget and a competitive car - which can be a struggle in itself as it’s hard to find sponsors. Winning races is the goal and the ultimate measure of success. But success, for me, is being a role model and inspiring the next generation – especially young females – to get involved in motor sport. They need to see it to believe it. I still wonder what would have happened to me had I not seen that go-kart track when I was eight years old. I might not have realised what opportunity there was to go racing. I want youngsters to see what I have done and to be inspired by my journey.’
You're the Aston Martin Aramco F1 Academy Head of Racing. What are your hopes for female racing in the future?
‘Ultimately, I hope we see the first women racing in F1 in the future. That is the long-term vision and goal for the F1 Academy series. It would be nice to get to a point when a woman competing in F1 is not seen as a huge milestone, but a frequent occurrence.’
How do you plan on making this happen?
‘I think F1 and the sport is doing all the right things to get more females competing in all areas of motor sport. We just need to keep pushing and keep up the good work that is happening, especially in F1 Academy. You only have to look at what my team – the Aston Martin Aramco F1 Team – has done for females in motor sport in recent years, and especially the support they have shown to me as a female racer.
‘Not only have I been able to test an F1 car, but they give me an amazing platform to talk about it. I’m now racing in the Aston Martin family with a busy programme of British GT racing. Aston Martin have given me the platform to show that women deserve a place in this sport – even at the pinnacle of the sport. I hope that others can follow in my footsteps. The more women we have competing in the sport, the more chance we have of women getting to compete in F1 in the years ahead.
‘The key is to get more young girls racing at a grassroots level – as with all sports, it’s harder to come in at a higher level, so more young girls need to be encouraged to take part.’
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