BEHIND THE WHEEL: JESS HAWKINS

At the 2024 Formula One Grand Prix in Las Vegas, British racing driver Jessica Hawkins talks to Beyond Noise about the future of women in motorsport.

By Libby Hsieh

At the Las Vegas Grand Prix, speed transforms into sound. From sonic booms to resonant screeches, the noise saturates the paddock as the needle-like single-seaters accelerate around the track. In Aston Martin’s pit stall, everything is cyan—from the jackets on the mechanics’ backs to the walls adorned with the team’s logo. Drones circle overhead and spectators rotate their heads from left to right at a steady pace.

In Formula 1, a driver’s life is defined by a single superlative: who’s fastest. Despite the brake pedal, which requires 300 pounds of pressure to hit, you have to floor it at all costs—your heart jumping into your throat. In these moments of soaring freedom, drivers embody a highly specific kind of serenity. There is a psychic rigor that is required of them—complete and utter devotion to the present moment. But the drivers are not the only factors in determining a successful race. Each team is dependent upon a network of engineers, coaches, mechanics, analysts, brand partners, and more.

Jessica Hawkins embodies the myth structure you might expect from an athlete at this level. The language she speaks is one of kinetics, her genius wholly backed up by lap times. Recently, her journey in motorsports hit a high point when she became the first woman in this decade to test a Formula 1 car. Driving Aston Martin’s AMR21 at the Hungaroring, she handled the challenging track conditions with confidence, showcasing years of preparation. After a lifetime of karting and precision stunt driving for huge Hollywood enterprises, it was the perfect payoff.

While she’s been on the track for the better part of two decades, Jessica is just getting started—and her role at Aston Martin goes beyond racing. She’s a significant part of the push to make motorsports more inclusive with her role at the head of Aston Martin’s F1 Academy, the female-only championship class that opened in 2023. Jessica is determined to show young women that racing isn’t just a man’s world. With her achievements and enthusiasm, she’s proving it.

LIBBY HSIEH: Can you tell us about your first race?

JESSICA HAWKINS: My first race was in a Clio, but British Formula 4 was my first proper single-seater race. I think it was at Oulton Park. I remember thinking I was so out of my depth. Looking back, I must have been crazy.

LH: The world of F1 is technical and hyper-mechanical. Where do you locate its sense of humanity?

JH: It’s technical, but you have to remember that there is a team of people who have worked on each area and who are all really passionate about that one particular part of success. It’s humanity at its very best: the highs and lows, the teamwork, the competitive nature of the sport, the feeling when you score points and podiums. It’s unmatched.

LH: As one of the first women to drive an F1 car, what was that experience like?

JH: I honestly can’t put it into words. Driving an F1 car was surreal. All of my senses were at their peak. The whole experience completely blew my mind; these cars are just incredible. Physically, it gave me a whole new respect for the drivers that race every weekend. I put in so much work ahead of the drive, but my neck was still sore for a few days afterwards! Like any young racing driver, F1 is a dream. It’s only when you get older that you realize how hard and unlikely that is. To have that happen and have faith from my team, I feel so proud.

LH: What do you get out of driving that you don’t get anywhere else?

JH: I love everything about it. The skill, the competition, the emotional side. I was a sporty kid, but when I first went karting, I was immediately hooked. I got out of the kart and said something like, “Can we come again, Dad? It’s only £10 for 10 laps!” It turned into a lot more than that. As soon as I tried karting, it was all I wanted to do.

LH: What was the moment you realized that your hobby had become a career?

JH: It was just something I had a bit of success with and I just kept taking the next step and the next step.

LH: You’ve transitioned from the W Series to working with Aston Martin’s F1 team. How did that progression feel, and how do you see the F1 Academy evolving going forward?

JH: The W Series brought me back into the sport after a brief hiatus in stunt driving. I saw that the series was taking applications, and I thought, I’m not applying. I’ve left racing and I don’t want to go back. It was so tough to leave in the first place. But I went to visit my mum who convinced me to apply. The rest is history.

The W Series was truly career-changing for me. When the championship ended, everyone was hit hard. When I got the call from Aston Martin F1 to join the team, it started more as a media role, but then developed into doing hot laps. And then last year, I became the Head of F1 Academy for the team. F1 Academy has made a huge impact in its first year. I think it’s a great way to get women into the sport while providing access to race drives and experiences they likely wouldn’t get otherwise. It really sets drivers up for the future and helps them to learn at their pace.

LH: Your role with the Aston Martin team has evolved significantly—what’s been the most exciting aspect of contributing for you?

JH: This is my fourth year with them. Anything driving-related is probably my favorite part, unsurprisingly! Hot laps, simulator work, and so on. It’s the team of the future, too. All the pieces of the puzzle are coming together to help fight for more points, podiums, and wins—with the signing of exciting names like Andy Cowell, Enrico Cardile, and of course, Adrian Newey. We also have a wind tunnel and simulator at the incredible new campus, the [Aston Martin Technology Campus].

LH: How has your mentorship role with Tina Hausmann changed your relationship with the team?

JH: It’s really important that everyone works closely together. If you’re traveling a lot, the people beside you are not just your colleagues, but also your support system. [Mentoring] has made me even prouder to be a part of it. Supporting the next generation of talent is something I’m very passionate about. Tina has a wise head on young shoulders and a bright future ahead of her. F1 really is a team sport—it’s sometimes easy to forget. We have a team of nearly 800 people back at base who work relentlessly.

LH: What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced as a woman in the sport, and how have you overcome them?

JH: Women and men fall out of the sport for the same reason: They aren’t good enough or can’t find the funding. The difference is that there are less women taking part in the first place. Only 13 percent of karting participants are female. Proportionally, there are less to start with which means, when they drop out for whatever reason, there is less chance of a woman making it to the top.

LH: How do you hope your achievements inspire the next generation of female racers?

JH: I often think that I was 20 years too early to the sport, in terms of opportunity. If I can pave the way for the future generation, so they don’t need to break down as many barriers, I’ll be very happy. I’ll be very proud of the woman who one day makes it to F1.

LH: How do you think female involvement and representation can improve in top-tier motorsports?

JH: It’s about being visible and showing girls that there is a space for them. If they are passionate about it, there is no reason why their dream can’t come true.

LH: If you could send one message to young girls dreaming of racing careers, what would it be?

JH: There is no substitute for hard work. You’ll get knock-backs, but you just have to keep pushing. Find your passion, find what you’re good at, and importantly, find what you enjoy.