Hawkins hopes Aston Martin F1 test can lead to longer term role

Hawkins tested the Silverstone team’s two-year-old AMR21 in Hungary a fortnight ago, becoming the first woman to drive a near-current car since 2018.

Team principal Mike Krack has praised Hawkins for the job she did on the day, while noting that “Jess is 28, so she’s realistic about her career direction.”

Hawkins accepts that the chances of going through the F3 and F2 ranks and eventually earning a super licence are slim.

However, she believes that she can continue to have a role with the team in a sim or testing job, while also switching her focus to sportscar racing.

When asked by Motorsport.com about Krack’s comment, she said: "I am well aware. And let's be real, I'm not too old. But I am very aware that there would be a very long process for me to go through to get to F1.

“But that doesn't rule out other opportunities in F1, that doesn't completely rule me out of F1. I can still do other things.

“They've not just given me an F1 drive to drive an F1 car. There are still other opportunities driving F1 cars that aren't necessarily racing them.

“I haven't written myself off, but equally I know that there's probably more of a chance of a career down the LMP/GT route, than what there is in F1. But that doesn't stop me from having a big influence with an F1 team."

Stoffel Vandoorne, Reserve Driver, Aston Martin F1 Team, Pedro de la Rosa, Team Ambassador, Aston Martin F1 Team , Jessica Hawkins, Development Driver, Aston Martin F1 Team, arrive at the track

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Hawkins stressed that she wouldn’t have been given the Hungaroring test if the team didn’t have faith in her.

“My role started very much in a media role,” she said. “And three years later, I've driven the simulator a lot, and I've now driven the car. So it's growing and growing.

“I hope it continues to grow. I'm going to have a heavy involvement in our F1 Academy team, which is a role that I really wanted.

“I was pestering them to let me have an involvement! And they've given me a role to have a heavy involvement. So that's something that I'm going to be working closely with, and very proud to do.”

Asked if Aston’s recently-announced Hypercar programme in WEC and IMSA interested her, she said: “Of course it does. I don't see why it couldn't be an option moving forward.”

She added: "Don't get me wrong, I am racing, I'm racing with the University of Wolverhampton in the Praga [in the Britcar Prototype Cup], but I want to be racing GT3, or GTE, or LMP.

“It's great to help the students where I can because they're the next generation that we're going to be seeing working in F1 one day, that's really nice to do. But it doesn't stop there. I still want I still want to be racing other things.”