Formula 3 star Jamie Chadwick says she has no doubt a woman will be F1 champion
While British driver Lewis Hamilton has graced the World Championship podium five times, Chadwick believes in the future women will be able to battle for the top spot
JAMIE CHADWICK is confident that a woman can stand on top of the podium in F1.
The Formula 3 star is making waves in the male-dominated sport and hopes her success can inspire the next generation.
Last year, Chadwick made history when she became the first woman to win a British Formula 3 race.
She believes that women can make it to the very top of the sport and encourages the next generation of girls to take up the sport.
When asked about the future for women in F1, Chadwick was certain that a woman would be behind a winning F1 car soon.
She said: "Definitely [will see a woman win]. In the next five or ten years women will make the step up.
"It's one of the only sports men and women can compete equally in and when we start seeing more women at that top level, it will encourage more girls to get into the sport."
Chadwick finished 8th overall in the British Formula 3 championship last season, but admits the sport is more demanding that people realise.
The British driver said: "A lot of people don''t realise it's a massive steam sport so being able to communicate is one of the most important skills.
"It's also really physical, so I spend a lot of time in the gym getting my fitness up.
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"The steering isn't power steering so the weight of that is really tiring, and racing in hot countries is seriously demanding.
"You can lose up to 4lb in sweat during a race."
There are, of course, risks associated with the sport- as seen earlier this year when Sophia Floersch fractured her spine during a race in Macau.
Florsch's crash rocked the racing world, but Chadwick admitted that she had to put fears of crashing like that to one side.
She said: "You can't let it get to you. But Sophia is a friend of mine so obviously I was just really, really hoping she was okay.
"The motorsport community come together when something like that happens.
"It's not nice to watch and it's something I'm glad my parents haven't seen."