Sky Sports F1 presenter makes history with 2026 reserve role

Jamie Chadwick will become the first female to serve as a Hypercar reserve driver in the World Endurance Championship next season.

The three-time W-Series champion has teamed up with Genesis Magma Racing and will also take on more development responsibilities.

This follows Chadwick becoming only the second woman to drive a Hypercar class machine, having got her first laps in the car in a recent test at Magny-Cours in France.

The Briton, who is also an F1 pundit for Sky Sports, will also continue a racing programme in 2026, which will be revealed at a future date.

This year, Chadwick was part of the IDEC Sport team that won three races en route to third overall in ELMS.

"It’s hugely special to be involved in the development of the GMR-001 Hypercar," Chadwick said. "It’s another progression in my career and one I’m really proud of.

"Becoming a Reserve Driver in Hypercar is one step closer to my ultimate goal. The opportunity to test and drive more is something that I’m really looking forward to, and a role that I’m going to try to relish and make the most of.

"The development role can also be a huge help to my racing. Obviously, Hypercar is a step up in terms of everything that you’re learning, but you can still take that back to other categories and series just from the constant testing and working with the engineers."

On her first test, Chadwick added: "My first laps in the GMR-001 Hypercar were amazing. It’s a really impressive car and so fast in a straight line.

"There’s a lot of different systems available to you as a driver, tools that you can use to make a difference.

"Obviously, so much is changing and evolving with every test that the team does, but it’s just a super car to drive, but also just a great team to be part of."