BRITISH racing driver Jessica Hawkins is quite literally living life in the fast lane after becoming the first woman in five years to test a Formula One car.
The 28-year-old Aston Martin ambassador made history last week when she drove 26 laps of the Hungaroring in Budapest in the AMR21.
As Jessica breaks down barriers, we take a look at her jetset life on and off the track – from a James Bond role to the time she “nearly killed” James Blunt…
The former karting champion made her professional motorsport debut in British Formula Ford at Silverstone in 2014 in a one-off event, claiming two top 10 finishes.
She joined the Aston Martin F1 team in an ambassadorial role in 2021, and is a regular face around the paddock.
Prior to that she worked as a stunt driver, spending much of 2017 on Fast and Furious Live – a global live-action show based on the film franchise, featuring super cars and acrobatic stunts from the movies – all performed live.
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Jessica landed a plum role as a stunt driver in James Bond movie No Time to Die in 2021.
Sharing a string of behind-the-scenes snaps on Instagram, where she was seen driving a classic Aston Martin, she wrote: “The best experience with the best people in the world. An unforgettable experience!”
Her stunt driver career happened by chance, after a friend tagged her in a Facebook post advertising for a female driver with “good car control”.
“I stopped racing a good few years before W Series purely because I’d run out of budget to continue on my motorsport journey,” Jessica told the Mirror.
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“Bond was actually my first movie. There was quite a lot of pressure, but I was confident in my ability and I had an incredible team around me.
“I’m super proud of what I’ve done.”
Rubbing shoulders with famous faces
Last year Jessica took part in a test drive for the new Range Rover Sport with Anthony Joshua.
In a clip the professional boxer was seen behind the wheel as Jessica sat in the passenger seat.
As part of the launch, Jessica completed a dramatic world-first climb up a flooded dam in Iceland in the motor.
She said: “Driving into it, knowing that a 90-metre drop was waiting for me at the bottom of the slope if things went wrong, made this the most challenging drive I’ve ever undertaken.”
Jessica also featured in James Blunt’s music video for his 2021 single Love Under Pressure, starring as a driver attempting to kill the singer.
Posting a picture with the musician, she joked: “Not every day you find yourself trying to kill @jamesblunt for his new music video!”
Jessica was also part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant, behind the wheel of a Land Rover to drive down the Mall.
Glam TV star girlfriend
Jessica is in a relationship with Abbie Eaton, who is also a British racing driver.
Abbie is also a TV star, having starred as the test driver for the second and third series of Amazon’s The Grand Tour.
James May revealed that “she was the fastest and the best” driver that had been tested.
In 2015 she appeared on ITV’s Drive, coaching rapper Professor Green in a string of racing car challenges.
Jessica and Abbie, who both race in the W Series, have been together for over three-and-a-half years after meeting through the sport.
Abbie, 31, said: “I met Jess before the W Series. Motorsport is a small world, especially for the female drivers.
“I remember crossing paths with her at Goodwood and seeing what she was up to but when I came to W Series we got to know each other a bit more.”
When it comes to competition between them both, Abbie explained: “We’re always competitive – we’d be rubbish racing drivers if we weren’t.
“But if one of us is having a difficult time or our confidence is tested, we’re always there to support each other.
“Ultimately, we both want each other to do well. The dream is to be at the front together.”
Lavish trips
Jessica’s career has taken her around the world – and she often documents her work trips on Instagram.
Over the past few years she’s jetted off to the likes of Miami, Iceland, Mexico and Saudi Arabia.
She was also photographed at the Monaco GP earlier this year, posing with fellow racer and Sky Sports F1 presenter Naomi Schiff.
Jessica enjoys travelling during her time off, too. Last summer, she spent some time on the Greek island of Rhodes with Abbie.
The couple also made a trip to Wembley last summer to cheer on England’s Lionesses as they beat Norway 8-0 during the Euros.
‘Wild journey’
Jessica got into motorsport from a young age, telling Glamour that she “begged” her dad to let her have a go at karting after spotting a kart track while playing golf.
She explained: “Luckily for him, I was too small at the time. He wasn’t thrilled with the idea of me going karting.
“But then we went back a few months later, and they’d moved the height restriction down, much to my dad’s despair. I had a go and absolutely fell in love with it.”
She continued: “And I’ve never, ever intended, or it was never supposed to happen, that I’d still be here 20 years later having made or making a career from it.
“I’m not quite where I want to be just yet, but I’m very proud of where I have come.
“And a highlight of my career was obviously signing for Aston Martin Formula One team a couple of years ago. So yeah, it’s been a wild journey.”
Jessica’s performance at Silverstone in 2014 saw her picked up by Falcon Motorsport to compete in the 2015 MSA Formula Championship.
In 2016 she moved into single-make racing and competed in the Volkswagen Racing Cup series.
Jessica crossed over to the Mini Challenge in 2017 before returning to the VW Cup in 2018.
She moved to the W Series in 2019 and a year later, she made her debut in the 2020 British Touring Car Championship.
This week Jessica followed in the footsteps of Colombia’s Tatiana Calderon, who drove with with Sauber – now Alfa Romeo – in Mexico City in 2018, by taking the Aston Martin AMR21 for a spin.
Susie Wolff, the wife of Mercedes team principal Toto, was the last woman to compete in a practice session in 2015 – however a female driver has not started an F1 race since Italian Lella Lombardi in 1976.
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Jessica admitted that it’s taken “blood, sweat and tears to get here”, but that it has been a “dream come true”.
She added: “I’ll keep pushing for more and, in the process, I want to inspire other women and let them know they should follow their dream no matter what it is.”
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
