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W Series leader Chadwick gets Williams F1 development driver role

W Series championship leader Jamie Chadwick has joined the Williams Formula 1 team as a development driver.

Chadwick will undertake simulator duties and attend three European races with the team including the British Grand Prix.

The 21-year-old won the opening race of the new-for-2019, all-female W Series and has taken pole position in both events.

She leads ex-Red Bull junior Beitske Visser, who won last weekend's race at Zolder, by six points.

Chadwick's CV also includes the 2018/19 MRF Challenge title, a race-winning BRDC British Formula 3 campaign in 2018 and the '15 British GT4 class title.

Williams said she will also "support the team in a number of media and marketing activities".

Chadwick joins reserve driver Nicholas Latifi in what Williams calls its Racing Driver Academy.

Deputy team principal Claire Williams, who visited the W Series opener at Hockenheim that Chadwick won, said: "I have had the pleasure of watching Jamie race first hand in Hockenheim where she claimed victory at the season-opening W Series race.

"Promoting women in motorsport is extremely important and having a female role model as part of our Driver Academy will hopefully inspire young girls to take up racing at a young age.

"We hope to show that motorsport is inclusive and exciting, be that as a driver or on the engineering side. "Jamie is a great talent and I look forward to working with her."

Chadwick described the role as a "great honour".

"The time in the simulator is a fantastic opportunity to aid with my development," she said.

"I look forward to spending time in the factory at Grove, immersing myself within the team and assisting wherever I can.

"Being a part of the Driver Academy is an amazing platform and I'm excited to get started."

Zdroj: autosport.com