Britain’s Jessica Hawkins has become the first woman in almost five years to test a Formula 1 car.
Aston Martin announced on Tuesday that Hawkins completed 26 laps in their 2021 car at the Hungaroring near Budapest last Thursday.
The former W Series racer, 28, alternated in the car with test and reserve driver Felipe Drugovich.
“It’s taken me every bit of blood, sweat and tears to get here,” said Hawkins.
“I’ve had to keep it secret for months now, which was pretty hard. It’s been absolutely worth it and it’s given me really valuable insight.”
The most recent woman to test an F1 car was Colombia’s Tatiana Calderon with Sauber – now Alfa Romeo – at the Hermanos Rodriguez track in Mexico City in October 2018.
Susie Wolff is the last woman to compete in a practice session, in 2015, while a female driver has not started a grand prix since Italian Lella Lombardi in 1976.
Hawkins, a former British karting champion and a stunt driver in James Bond movie ‘No Time To Die’, joined Aston Martin as a driver ambassador in 2021.
She said: “Nothing will compare to the acceleration and braking of a Formula 1 car and, having looked at the data, I’m really proud of my performance.
“I’ll 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.”
Aston Martin team principal Mike Krack said: “We were really impressed by Jessica’s 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.”