Jamie Chadwick’s second season in North America has been far more successful than her first was and has even included some silverware.
The 26-year-old Brit scored three top-five finishes in Indy NXT across the 2024 season – a feat she failed to achieve once in the year prior.
A win at Road America and a podium at Indianapolis were highlights, spearheading her charge to seventh in the drivers’ championship.
She impressed enough to earn an IndyCar test with Andretti and is now aware of what it will take to raise her game to the next level.
Jamie Chadwick ‘wasn’t quite prepared enough’ for North American racing
Between the years of 2021 and 2023, Chadwick claimed three W-Series championships with three different teams.
The single-seater category was an excellent proving ground for her talents and enabled her to receive the opportunity to progress her career.
Speaking to Autoweek, she discussed how she got caught out by the step between the categories last year.
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“The step from W Series to Indy NXT was big, and it did take me [time] to adapt for that, physically I wasn’t quite prepared enough, we made some changes with the car to help with that, and going to the same tracks a second year helped.
“The support from Andretti after the first year was so significant, they didn’t give up on me. We identified the areas to work on, focused on those, and that gave us such a big opportunity.”
Would Chadwick benefit from another season in Indy NXT?
Building on her first Indy NXT victory with another year in the series, attempting to craft more podiums could be a clever move.
Winning eight of 14 races during the 2024 season helped Louis Foster receive a promotion to Rahal Letterman Lanigan.
So perhaps winning a few more races would put her in the frame for a full-time drive a bit more and get her on the radar of teams with an opening for 2026.
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She is aware that she has to keep working on the physical demands of IndyCar, and having time to do so will also help put her in a better position.
However, there’s no guarantee that alone would be enough to help her get a seat, so her performance will be important over the next year.