Karun Chandhok has discussed who he wants to see be given a chance in a Formula 1 car before the end of the 2024 season, and the driver he named come off a successful campaign.
Jamie Chadwick completed her sophomore season in Indy NXT in 2024, where she finished seventh in the standings with 310 points.
Chadwick grabbed her podium in the category at Indianapolis with third and at Road America, she secured her first Indy NXT win at Road America.
The 26-year-old’s performances landed her an IndyCar test with Andretti at Barber Motorsports Park, and she has her sights set on making it onto the grid for the 2025 season. However, her future is currently up in the air.
Karun Chandhok wants to see Jamie Chadwick in an F1 car in Abu Dhabi
Chadwick is faced with the difficulty of there not being many seats available for next year. Andretti have already confirmed their driver line-up for 2025 in Colton Herta, Kyle Kirkwood and Marcus Ericsson.
While her Indy NXT teammate Louis Foster was able to find a seat in IndyCar next year with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Chadwick is facing the significant issue of needing to find funding to attract teams.
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In the meantime, Chadwick is expected to take part in the all-female Formula E test next month in Valencia, where if she is to participate, she will get the chance to drive more modern machinery than what she previously tested in 2020.
The Brit has been part of the Williams family since 2019 and has previously served as their test and reserve driver. Speaking during the Sky Sports F1 coverage of FP1 at the Mexico City Grand Prix, Chandhok wants to see Chadwick get a chance in the FW46 before the end of the season.
“One thing that’s just popped in my head Rach, looking at Colapinto in the car. Williams have got to run another rookie driver, haven’t they? In Abu Dhabi, I guess?” he said.
“So who do we think? I guess they’ve got Zak O’Sullivan and Luke Browning as their two other juniors. They should get Jamie Chadwick in the car. I’d like to see that.
“Give her a shot, see what she can do. I think it would be cool to see.”
What are Jamie Chadwick’s options for 2025?
Chadwick seems to have her heart fully set on reaching the IndyCar grid for 2025, but she will be faced with the reality that there are not many seats available and those that are will already have a number of options on the table.
RLL have another seat available alongside Foster and Graham Rahal, while Dale Coyne Racing and Juncos Hollinger Racing are yet to confirm either of their drivers. PREMA are searching for Callum Illot’s teammate for their debut season in IndyCar, but it is expected that Robert Shwartzman could land the seat.
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While Chadwick would be a good option for these teams, there are experienced drivers on the market that will no doubt be ahead of her in the pecking order. Rinus VeeKay and former F1 driver Romain Grosjean are both available and will be more attractive options at this moment.
A third season in Indy NXT may be a good move for Chadwick to further develop and collect more race wins and podiums and she could make an appearance in the Indy 500. But as things stand, her chances of reaching IndyCar look fairly slim.