Chadwick prioritizing IndyCar move over Indy NXT return in 2025
Yesterday at 12:56 PM
Jamie Chadwick is aiming for an IndyCar drive in 2025 over a return to the Indy NXT series following her test at Barber three weeks ago.
The Andretti driver got behind the wheel an IndyCar for the first time at the end of September, running on one of the most physically demanding circuits to test her potential. At the time Chadwick said she would need "an honest discussion" with the team and herself to work out if it was the right time to try and step up into IndyCar, and the 26-year-old has now made that call.
"I think the decision in my head’s firmed up," Chadwick told RACER. "I think the toss-up was whether to stay in Indy NXT for a third year or look to try and move up. And really, what the test has shown me is yes, there are things to work on, yes, I wasn’t winning a championship necessarily in Indy NXT, but I feel like the learning that I had in Indy NXT is now kind of reached its limit, and really I want to make that step up now.
"The capability I felt like I had in the car, and everything that I did on the day felt like it was something that I can go into a good race program.
"So in that sense, it’s firmed up what I want to do. Whether that’s something that is possible and plausible is another factor, but definitely from a personal point of view, I feel like it helped me make that decision."
The decision has been made all the more tricky due to the fact that Andretti doesn't have a vacancy in IndyCar, and the charter system has had a limiting impact on part-time deals, meaning Chadwick will have to look for one of the few full-time options elsewhere. Having had time to reflect on the test, however, she maintains that the performance difference between Indy NXT and IndyCar is not an overly daunting challenge.
"Barber is one of the best tracks we go to. So I actually got to feel the IndyCar in kind of its full glory, but also one of the most physical tracks,” she said. “So I think a really good test for both me and the team, in many ways. The step actually didn’t feel massive at all from Indy NXT, I feel like it prepares you very well for that jump up. It didn’t really feel like a massive step up.
"You've just got a bigger team around you, it's more refined, and there’s a lot of better things about it, which was cool. It was super-physical. So definitely, if that’s looking like the future, I need to work on that. But I think it gave me a good idea of what the positives and potential weaknesses were, which is exactly what what we wanted from it."
Chadwick remains part of the Williams Formula 1 set-up, and admitted she would still like to get behind the wheel of an F1 car, but is not looking at IndyCar as a way of trying to open doors on the F1 grid.
"I definitely feel a little bit older than than I did a few years ago! So it is hard,” she said. “When you look at the young drivers coming in now and how competitive Formula 1 is, there’s an element of realism that needs to come in, and that’s partly why this pathway has taken me down the IndyCar route.
"I don’t want to give up on single-seater racing yet. I really want to get to the highest level I can get to. I strongly believe IndyCar is that, and the affiliation of with Williams is fantastic to stay aligned with the Formula 1 side.
"I’d love to have the chance to drive a Formula 1 car at some point in my career. So never say never, but at the same time I think my focus is predominantly on going to IndyCar now."
