Jessica Hawkins became the first female to drive a modern Formula 1 car since 2018 after testing Aston Martin’s AMR21 at the Hungaroring last Thursday.

Hawkins joined Aston Martin in 2021 as its Driver Ambassador and recently participated in simulator work at the Silverstone side’s base ahead of embarking upon her F1 testing debut.

The Briton, previously a podium finisher in the W Series and a British Karting Champion, completed 26 laps at the Hungaroring after sharing driving duties with Aston Martin Test and Reserve Driver Felipe Drugovich.

“I want to say a big thank you to everyone at AMF1 Team for having the trust in me, believing in me, and for giving me this opportunity,” Hawkins reflected.

“It’s taken me every bit of blood, sweat and tears to get here. When I first heard it might be a possibility, I could hardly believe it.

“I’ve had to keep it secret for months now – which was pretty hard! It’s been absolutely worth it and it’s given me really valuable insight. Nothing will compare to the acceleration and braking of a Formula One car and, having looked at the data, I’m really proud of my performance.

“Getting to drive the AMR21 has been a dream come true for me and one I’ve been ready to fulfil for a long time. 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.”

Aston Martin Team Principal admits the side was “really impressed” by Hawkin’s preparation ahead of her maiden test outing.

“This is a special moment – for both AMF1 Team and for Jessica, who is an important member of our driver squad,” Krack stated.

“We were really impressed by Jessica’s preparation for the test – she worked incredibly hard with our simulator team and that made it an easy decision to put her in the AMR21.

“Jessica approached the opportunity with great maturity; she was up to speed quickly and found a nice rhythm.

“This has been a hugely significant moment in Jessica’s journey with AMF1 Team and I am pleased we could give her this next step in her development journey by testing a modern Formula One car.”

Robert Sattler, F1 Evolution Programme Director for Aston Martin, added: “Jessica excelled in her first F1 test. After the installation lap we had a small delay as the circuit was hit by heavy rain. That resulted in a green track and on her first proper run there were still some damp patches in a few corners. 

“Jessica progressively built up speed on a tricky track while managing flawlessly the complexity of the AMR21 car. Her feedback was precise and correlated with our data. After three runs, the track had dried and she was already matching the reference lap speeds.

“Overall, Jessica executed an excellent test programme with a very professional attitude and we hope to see her in the car again soon.”

Hawkins is set to support Aston Martin’s entry into the all-female F1 Academy series in 2024.

W Series driver Jessica Hawkins was given a bizarre penalty during free practice at the Hungaroring on Friday.

Hawkins, who drives for Click2Drive Bristol Street Motors Racing, exceeded track limits on four occasions during the session.

Race Control then opted to hand her a five-minute penalty as a result, forcing her to wait in the pit lane while the clock ticked down and other drivers rounded the circuit.

W Series is supporting the Formula 1 weekend in Hungary this weekend, with the sixth round of the campaign taking place.

Track limits have been heavily enforced in F1 and its support categories this year, with a large number of lap times deleted throughout the season, particularly in Austria.

It led to a debate over how track limits should be policed, and if the white line should define the edge of the track due to the sheer number of lap times that were deleted.

Beitske Visser ended the W Series practice session from Hungary in first place, followed by Sarah Moore and Jamie Chadwick.

Chadwick has taken every race victory on offer this year, and currently holds a mammoth 70-point lead in the Drivers’ Championship.