Jessica Hawkins tested an Aston Martin car

A few years ago, Jessica Hawkins, a British karting champion who has competed in Formula Ford, Formula 4, British Touring Car and W Series, joined the Aston Martin team in an ambassadorial role and also worked on the team’s simulator.

Last Thursday she drove a Formula 1 car for the first time during tests at the Hungarian circuit Hungaroring. Jessica became the first woman to drive a Formula 1 car for the first time since 2018. She completed 26 laps in the AMR21, a 2021 car. Aston Martin reserve driver Felipe Drugovich took part in the tests together with Hawkins.

Jessica Hawkins: “I would like to thank everyone at Aston Martin for their trust and opportunities. I had to go through blood, sweat and tears to get to these tests. When I first heard about the opportunity to get behind the wheel of Formula 1, I couldn’t believe it. I had to keep the information about the tests secret for several months, and that wasn’t easy! But the tests were worth it and I got useful information.

There is nothing like accelerating and braking a Formula 1 car. After studying my telemetry I can say that I am proud of the work I have done. Piloting the AMR21 was the fulfillment of a dream I had wanted to realize for a long time. I will continue to strive for more and inspire other women to pursue their dreams, whatever they may be.”

Mike Krak, Team Leader: “It was a special moment, both for the team and for Jessica, one of our pilots. We were very impressed with her test preparation. She had done a lot of simulator work, so the decision to give her the AMR21 was an easy one.

Jessica took this opportunity maturely and quickly picked up the pace and showed high pace. I am happy that we were able to give her the opportunity to take the next step in her development and test a modern Formula 1 car.”