Living and breathing motorsport: W Series’ Jessica Hawkins on pressure, F2 hopes, and Aston Martin
Jessica Hawkins continues to break boundaries. The 27-year-old Brit has just been confirmed as a driver for Click2Drive Bristol Street Motors in the 2022 W Series competition, testing new waters in TCR UK, and is also a Driver Ambassador for the Aston Martin F1 Team.
“It’s going to be a busy year for me,” Hawkins tells Females in Motorsport. “I like it that way and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Anybody that works in Formula 1 or motorsport will live and breathe for it. They wouldn’t be in the sport if they didn’t love it. I love what I do.”
W Series is getting ready for its third season, and it will continue its partnership with F1 for a second year. This season is set to be particularly exciting with 10 countries on the calendar, ending with a double-header in Austin then Mexico City - the biggest calendar yet for the all-female championship.
More sponsored teams join the ranks, including Bristol Street Motors, which will have an all-British team, as Hawkins has been paired with last season’s runner-up Alice Powell.
Barcelona pre-season testing for Hawkins showed real promise. “I haven’t been outside of the top three all week”.
2021 W Series was a challenging season for Hawkins, who finished 11th overall with no podiums.
So what’s changed this year?
“I’ve just tried to come at it with a different attitude,” she says. “I put so much pressure on myself last year and really lost my confidence after the first round.
“I know I can be my own worst enemy. That’s something I’m working on.”
As the championship continues to grow in its reputation, so does the visibility and sponsorship for the drivers as more female racers establish partnership deals with F1 teams.
Hawkin’s role as Driver Ambassador for Aston Martin is a significant step for the British driver.
“I can name on one hand the amount of drivers that get signed to an F1 team a year and I’m one of them,” she says. “That’s crazy.
“Everybody has welcomed me with open arms. Everybody within the team, including the drivers have been so welcoming. Honestly, the first couple of hours of being at my first race with them, I genuinely felt like part of the team.”
But Hawkins isn’t stopping there.
Her driving skills saw her return for another BTCC race last June, and featured in the newest James Bond as a stunt driver.
“I’m quite adaptable,” Hawkins says. “Any seat time is beneficial to me whether that be in a TCR, a GT car or a single-seater.”
“If I had it my way, I’d be in F2 by now,” she says. “I may not be where I want to be yet, but I’m certainly on my way.”
She is thankful for the W Series for getting her here.
“I wouldn’t have done it without them and I’m very grateful for that.”
W Series will be kicking off in Miami on 6th May, but in the meantime, Hawkins just won the TCR UK this weekend at Oulton Park. The only female driver on the grid - she continues to take strides for women in motorsport.
Photographs courtesy of W Series.