Jamie Chadwick is inching closer to a breakthrough opportunity in IndyCar with every day that passes, as she works on various aspects of her career.
The Brit has developed as a driver immensely over the past few seasons, earning herself a test with Andretti in an IndyCar.
The day’s running at Barber Motorsports Park proved that she can compete if she continues to put in the hard miles away from the track.
However, the lack of interest in signing her up for 2025 says a lot about where she is right now, and what she must do to reach a standard capable of getting her through a 16-race season.
Jamie Chadwick says Barber test was ‘worst-case scenario’
There are few seats left on the IndyCar grid for 2025 and none with the Andretti team that Chadwick tested for at Barber.
There may be an Indy 500 opportunity somewhere, but that’s the only realistic door that could be open for some competitive running.
Assessing how her first gig went in an IndyCar, the 26-year-old took solace from the fact that the circuit she went to is one of the hardest on the calendar.
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“It was so important to do the test because I was either going to come out of that and go ‘ooh that’s maybe going to be too difficult’ or that’s going to take a while,” she told Autoweek.
“Or I can get to that, and I think I can get to that. But it’ll take a huge step—which is one I’m confident I can get to, I’ll need the team to come halfway to that.
“Barber is probably a worst-case scenario, lots of compression and areas that take the most out of the body, so it’s good to know that might be a worst-case scenario.”
Who is ahead of her in the fight for an IndyCar seat?
Some of Chadwick’s 2024 Indy NXT rivals are in the frame for a promotion, and one has already been granted that opportunity.
Louis Foster will compete with Rahal Letterman Lanigan, and Jacob Abel, who won three races in the feeder series is in the frame for a drive too.
Juncos Hollinger, Dale Coyne and PREMA Racing all have openings, but the experienced options usually get a better look at any opportunities.
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Rinus VeeKay – a race winner at the highest level is available, while ex-Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean is on the market too.
Beating out this sort of competition for a seat is an impossible task for Chadwick, but she may be in the frame for 2026 if she can go back to Indy NXT and improve even further.