The 25-year-old Briton is coming off a good rookie marketing campaign the place she earned 5 top-10 finishes, together with a season-best sixth (Portland).
With that, although, low season preparations are already nicely underway, and it was kickstarted with the Chris Griffis Memorial Check on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway street course on Oct. 20. Chadwick, sporting an all-black firesuit, regarded extra comfy on the day than at any level throughout final season.
“I am amazed at how completely different I really feel,” mentioned Chadwick, a three-time W Collection champion. “… simply familiarity, culturally, all the things.
“There’s simply a lot adjustment final 12 months and I simply felt prefer it took me too lengthy and quite a lot of time to simply adapt and study what was required, and clearly all new tracks as nicely. Felt like all the things was only a new factor.
“So, now simply having familiarity with all the things, feels much more stress-free and lots higher going into it.”
One of many key contributors to the rising confidence isn’t solely the expertise gained, but in addition the continuity of remaining with Andretti World for 2024.
“It is an enormous a part of it,” Chadwick mentioned. “I feel we began the journey with Andretti and simply so many issues that I used to be capable of sort of study with them, significantly shut with the crew, with my engineer and the crew round me.
“I feel quite a lot of that was with their help, so to return again with that and be capable of confer with quite a lot of the stuff that we discovered on this previous 12 months goes to be useful for positive.
“They’ve clearly bought a really quick automobile able to profitable races and championships, so there isn’t any form of doubt on that aspect of issues, both. I do know that I’ve bought the automobile and the crew behind me for it.”
Picture by: IndyCar Collection
Jamie Chadwick rolls across the IMS street course on the Chris Griffis Memorial Check.
Though it’s only testing, the benchmark grew to become clear as team-mate Louis Foster, the 2022 USF Professional 2000 champion, paced the 21-car area with a flying lap of 1m14.8432s across the 2.439-mile, 14-turn IMS circuit.
Chadwick was third quickest among the many 4 Andretti drivers, logging 44 laps with a better of 1m15.4714s, placing her eleventh general – immediately behind rookie Bryce Aron in tenth and forward of James Roe in thirteenth.
Chadwick, a growth driver for the Williams F1 crew since 2019, mirrored again on final season and famous when the adjustment to Indy automobiles began to click on.
“It began to return to us as we form of got here right here [to Indianapolis Motor Speedway] and Detroit,” Chadwick mentioned.
“From there on within the season, the primary two races have been the toughest: St. Pete simply being a baptism, then Barber being very bodily. After that, it began to get somewhat bit higher, even when it did not form of present it in outcomes.
“Because the 12 months went on, truthfully, I felt like each race weekend we simply bought nearer and nearer, even when that wasn’t mirrored on paper, on a end result, simply in what we see within the information and what I really feel inside the automobile, we have been getting nearer and nearer. It felt like perhaps Nashville was a breakthrough race, however earlier than that I had already began to be extra comfy and assured.”
With 5 extra months till the 2024 season begins on the Streets of St. Petersburg, Florida on March 5, Chadwick is targeted on maximizing the low season.
“I feel the good factor going into it this 12 months is I do know what to anticipate somewhat bit,” Chadwick mentioned.
“Final 12 months, I remembered having 1,000,001 issues enthusiastic about what do I must count on. I did not know, so I went in with simply take all the things that I can from the primary race, however now realizing what I must work on, having that have I feel goes to present me readability over this winter to be structured and work arduous on what we are able to.
“It is restricted in take a look at days, however final 12 months we did not really run the Firestone (tire) till the week earlier than the primary race, so final 12 months was positively powerful by way of restricted working. This 12 months, I feel it ought to be a bit higher.”