Despite entering the weekend on equal standing with Powell, Chadwick shouldered the pressure like only a champion could, hardly placing a foot wrong all weekend. Powell paled in comparison as she was forced to miss first practice due to technical issues. She suffered a poor qualifying as a result.
In the season finale double header at the Circuit of the Americas, Chadwick qualified in second behind Abbi Pulling, missing out on pole by only seven hundredths of a second. She didn’t let this hamper her, though, taking the lead into the first turn and storming her way to victory.
In spite of a heroic drive from Powell, which saw her finish third after starting tenth on the grid, Chadwick went into the final race of the season with a ten-point advantage in the championship standings.
The second race of the weekend saw another assured performance from Chadwick, who drove her bright green Veloce Racing car to a lights-to-flag victory. She took the checkered flag more than five seconds clear of second place while Powell languished in a lowly sixth.
This weekend of perfect results saw Chadwick clinch the championship by 27 points over Powell.
This weekend of perfect results saw Chadwick clinch the championship by 27 points over Powell. She dominated the season, winning four out of eight races and tasting champagne in all but one. The Briton has now won the championship in both seasons of W Series, taking twelve podiums and six victories in fourteen starts.
Following her success in W Series, Chadwick hopes to secure a Formula 1 drive. She is already a member of the Williams Driver Development Program. The Williams Driver Development Program scouts young talent and prepares them for a career at the highest level of motorsport.
Chadwick would become the first female F1 driver to take the grid since Lella Lombardi, who last raced in 1976
Standing between her and her F1 dream, however, is a lack of super license points. To drive in Formula 1, a driver needs at least 25 points, however, Chadwick will need to accrue at least ten more to become eligible. To achieve this, she plans to jump ship from W Series to enter either Formula 2 or Formula 3 - Formula 1's official junior series.
In entering Formula 1, Chadwick would become the first female F1 driver to take the grid since Lella Lombardi, who last raced in 1976.