The head of Aston Martin’s F1 Academy, race and stunt driver Jessica Hawkins thrives in a sport that requires a complex formula—pun not intended—to succeed
Jessica Hawkins naturally commands attention, whether behind the wheel of a Formula One car or executing high-speed stunts for Hollywood blockbusters. As a member of the Aston Martin Formula One team, where she is a driver ambassador and head of its F1 Academy, the female-only, Formula 4 racing series that seeks to champion young motorsport talent for higher levels of competition, Hawkins has carved an unconventional path in a sport traditionally dominated by men.
Hawkins made her professional motorsport debut in British Formula Ford at Silverstone in 2014, when she was 19, achieving two top-ten finishes that demonstrated her potential. She has blazed a trail through the sport in the decade since. In 2019 Hawkins joined the inaugural W Series, an all-female racing championship aimed at promoting women in motorsport. She also tested the Aston Martin AMR21 over 26 laps at the Hungaroring in 2023, becoming the first woman to test an Formula 1 car since 2018.
Hawkins has also put her nerves of steel to good use in her work as a Hollywood stunt driver. She toured Europe with the Fast and Furious Live show and featured in the James Bond film No Time to Die.
In November 2023, Aston Martin announced that her role within the team would be extended as head of racing for their F1 Academy, where she works with Aston Martin's F1 Academy driver, Tina Hausmann.
“If I look back on my career, I forget some of the really cool things that I've done and things that I've achieved. So sometimes it's nice to stand back and realise how far you've come,” she jokes.
Yet, Hawkins’ goals go beyond these professional milestones. As a mentor, she nurtures the next generation of drivers and serves as an advocate and role model for other female motorsport professionals. “We’ve come so far,” she reflects, “but there’s still work to be done.”
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On visibility and being a role model
“I still struggle to see myself as [a role model]. Susie Wolff [Scottish former professional racing driver and current managing director of F1 Academy), who was Susie Stoddart at the time, and Danica Patrick [American former racing driver and model], were really the only two females that I had to look up to. And that was only once I was a little bit further on in my journey into motorsport.
“I didn't start [in motorsports] because I saw it advertised, or anything like that. I started because I saw a kart circuit in the distance one day and begged my dad to let me have a go. It was never supposed to be what it's turned into. I would never have my life any other way now. I love it very much—as much as the day that I first started. But it's important for these young girls to have role models, because maybe a young female watching Formula 1 may not even know that women could do that. So, the more female ambassadors, the more figureheads we have within the sport is so important, so younger Jessicas and younger Tinas can see that motorsport is a place for them, as well as the men.”
“The more female ambassadors, the more figureheads we have within the sport is so important, so younger Jessicas and younger Tinas can see that motorsport is a place for them, as well as the men.”
