Jessica Hawkins spent the 2019 season in the W-Series. That helped her revive a racing career that had taken an unexpected diversion on Fast & Furious live shows and set the lawnmower world record for Top Gear.
After finding her way back to single-seaters, Hawkins was inducted into the Aston Martin F1 team as a brand ambassador in May of this year.
Hawkins is now standing alongside her partner Abbie Eaton and is getting used to driving in the real world and being part of an F1 team again. Race fans caught up with them during the Italian Grand Prix weekend.
RF: How have you settled in since joining Aston Martin in Baku?
Hawkins: “It’s much, much the same. Of course, I’ve been gone for the last few weeks because I’ve driven races myself. It’s really nice to be back on the team this weekend and I was really excited to see everyone and it was a warm welcome again, that was great.
“I’ve done a lot of sponsorship events and media work and would have started using the Sim by now, but since there’s quite a bit of time and I have my races, I didn’t mean to confuse the Sim with the Sim that [W Series] Work that I’ve done, hopefully it builds up over the winter. “
RF: The W-Series has its race weekends next to F1, how is the change between this and being part of Aston Martin, over a weekend and working with a driver like Sebastian Vettel?
Hawkins: “Well, obviously they do very similar things to my race as they do to me, just there are a lot more of them. So it’s not something I wouldn’t expect.
“It’s just the extent to which they go with everything; The technology and everything is far superior in Formula 1, obviously there are a lot more updates and also a lot more regular.
“It’s just nice to be part of the team and all of these things make me feel welcome. And Seb was amazing, he took me to my house after the track walk on Thursday to see the bank, which was great. “
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RF: Speaking of the W-Series, how has your season been so far – has it been difficult to come back after not battling for the championship in the real world in 2020?
Hawkins: “I really fought [in] the first season to be honest.
Hawkins Expected a Difficult Return to Racing in the W-Series “I imagined it would be a difficult start to the year just because I’m racing against people who have been racing regularly for the past two years and I have not. So I imagined a difficult start and then progressed as the season progressed, and that’s exactly what happened.
“But it was maybe a little more difficult than I expected. I was hoping to start a little higher than I did. But the results are definitely getting stronger and stronger towards the end of the year. And I just hope to carry that confidence to Texas. “
RF: The second calendar in the W series is more compact than the first. Did that make it easier for you to build your confidence?
Hawkins: “Of course it was a late start to the season, then when we had a lot of races in quick succession, which was really nice, there really isn’t much time to think about it or anything like that.
“It was great for me because I am obviously still gaining momentum. That was great for me and I think that really shows in the results.
“We have a little break now, it’s nice to just relax a bit. I think everyone needs it, including the team, not just the drivers, but the team as well. I like to be busy. “
RF: The W-Series has been criticized in the course of its existence, most recently by the head of the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission, Michele Mouton. Of course, we all respect them, but what do you think of their comments that professional drivers do not want to take part in a supposed young talent series?
Hawkins: “Everyone has a right to their own opinion, I believe, and she has the right to think what she thinks. What does she want to achieve by criticizing the series? I think she doesn’t quite understand [it].
The all-women championship is not without its critics “I respect her for what she’s done, but I don’t think she gets the point. How can a series that gives female racers the opportunity to drive races that would not have that opportunity without the W series, how can that ever be bad? How could that ever be a bad thing?
“I suppose she might have been in a better position and got more access to other shows if she hadn’t faced the same problems some of us have. So she has a right to her opinion. “
RF: Does the W-Series offer a numerical opportunity by not being the sole representative of women in motorsport in the paddock and having this pressure and the usual racing stress?
Hawkins: “I would say that people tend to pick a woman and then say ‘it will be her, it will be’ when there are actually a lot of talented women, but with the right opportunity and support behind them could do a very good job.
“It’s just that some have had more options and more support than others. So your profile is a little bigger or your results a little better. But it’s the same in all of motorsport, I think it’s really like that with the guys. “
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Vettel has taken a stand in HungaryRF: Aston Martin – and Sebastian Vettel in particular – have taken a strong stance on LGBTQ + rights over the course of the season. How important or useful is it to see that in motorsport?
“Of course it’s great when someone with Sebastian’s influence stands up and extends a hand, and that goes for the team too. The team shares Seb’s view that everyone deserves to be happy, regardless of their sexuality or gender.
“So, yeah, I think using their power to influence people and try to take a stand is really great, especially for Seb.
“He’s a single. He’s a lot of influence, I don’t think Seb understands how much influence he has on people. You were the driving force in motorsport, which is incredible. “
RF: What are you going to do at Aston Martin for the rest of 2021? You mentioned earlier that you’d be in the simulator that wasn’t quite pegged when you joined?
Hawkins: “I’m going to be using the simulation and of course I’m a racing driver so my goal would be to drive the car, but I have no illusions about what will or could happen. But I would also say never say never, because the opportunity can arise and of course I will take it if it does. “
RF: As a stunt driver, when you need someone to make donuts at a live event …
Hawkins: “I said that, I said, if you have donuts, I’ll be your wife!”
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