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Aston Martin test and development driver Jess Hawkins has driven the team’s\u00a02021 challenger in a private test at the Hungaroring. In doing so, she became the first woman to drive F1 machinery since Tatiana Calderon tested a Sauber car back in 2018.<\/p>\n
The 28-year-old is one of a handful of female drivers currently contracted to F1 teams alongside the Sauber-associated Lena B\u00fchler and Alpine prospect Abbi Pulling. However, unlike those two, Hawkins has now experienced life behind the wheel of an F1 car.<\/p>\n
Hawkins was present in Hungary alongside fellow Aston Martin development driver Felipe Drugovich, who completed an FP1 session for the team at Monza earlier this season and is the leading candidate to replace Logan Sargeant at Williams for 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Talking about the test outing, Hawkins said: \u201cI want to say a big thank you to everyone at AMF1 Team for having the trust in me, believing in me, and for giving me this opportunity. It\u2019s taken me every bit of blood, sweat and tears to get here.<\/p>\n
Click here to join our WhatsApp community to be the first to receive breaking and exclusive F1 news.<\/strong><\/p>\n Don’t miss… <\/strong> Bernie Ecclestone names Max Verstappen as F1 GOAT as Lewis Hamilton snubbed[LATEST] <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWhen I first heard it might be a possibility, I could hardly believe it. I\u2019ve had to keep it secret for months now \u2013 which was pretty hard! It\u2019s been absolutely worth it, and it\u2019s given me really valuable insight. Nothing will compare to the acceleration and braking of an F1 car and, having looked at the data, I\u2019m really proud of my performance.<\/p>\n \u201cGetting to drive the AMR21 has been a dream come true for me, and one I\u2019ve been ready to fulfil for a long time. I\u2019ll keep pushing for more and, in the process, I want to inspire other women and let them know they should follow their dream, no matter what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n More F1… <\/strong> We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n Hawkins\u2019 test outing represents the breaking of another barrier to increase female representation in F1, and with the likes of Marta Garcia, Jamie Chadwick and Juju Noda all impressing in open-wheel racing, we are likely to see more tests from female drivers in the coming years.<\/p>\n Team principal Mike Krack was impressed with Hawkins\u2019 performance, stating: “We were really impressed by Jessica\u2019s preparation for the test. She worked incredibly hard with our simulator team and that made it an easy decision to put her in the AMR21. Jessica approached the opportunity with great maturity. She was up to speed quickly, and found a nice rhythm.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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