A CHAT WITH JESSICA EDGAR

We reached out to Jess about the upcoming F1 Academy and her goals for the future!

Jessica Edgar is one of only 15 female drivers in the world who has been selected to compete in the brand new F1 Academy, which kicks off at the end of the month in Austria. Jess will be competing with the team Rodin Carlin along side teammates Abbi Pulling and Megan Gilkes.

Jessica has enjoyed a successful racing career in junior and karting categories, which she started in 2010, before joining the F1 Academy. In the 2022 GB4 Championship she finished 7th overall and in 2021 Jess was one of Girls On Track's rising stars.

Now Jess' skill on the racetrack means she will be part of the first ever grid in the brand new racing series, the F1 Academy. The F1 Academy has been launched to help support girls on the male-dominated road to Formula 1. The category describes itself as designed to 'give drivers more access to track time, racing and testing, as well as support with technical, physical and mental preparations'. Each race weekend has a unique format, consisting of two qualifying sessions and three races.

Despite a busy week at testing at Paul Riccard, Jess answered some of our questions about the upcoming season. Read her answers below!

We would love to know your thoughts after testing in Barcelona and how you’re feeling ahead of the season starting in a couple of weeks?

'I'm very happy after the official test at Barcelona, it was really exciting to get out in the new cars. I also made some big improvements which is really good.'

What is it that excites you most about joining the F1 Academy?

'I think it's so exciting that it's an all new championship to help women progress in their career and its great to see help from the top level: F1'

Do you have any female racing role models / who inspired you to get into racing?

'I think Jamie Chadwick is a very good role model for women like me, as she has done so well in the W Series and is now progressing up the ranks.'

Do you feel you faced any obstacles getting into racing because of your gender? How did you overcome them?

'To be honest, I don't think I faced any obstacles getting into racing. However, I feel like on the track the boys obviously don't want me beating them so can aggressive and sometimes teams can think you don't know as much as you do. Overall I think I've had a fairly equal experience in racing so far.'

The F1 Academy is clearly a huge step for getting girls into racing - what do you think will be it’s biggest benefit?

'I think the biggest benefit of the F1 Academy is the seat time as well as getting yourself known on the global stage as this can really help with getting sponsors.'

And finally, what are your ultimate career goals / aspirations and where are you hoping the F1 Academy will take you?

'My main goal, as other drivers, is to be an F1 driver, but I'd be happy to get as far as I can and take whatever opportunities arise to me.'

Make sure you watch Jess in the first race of the season in Spielberg over the 28-29th April. Thank you to Jess for taking the time to answer our questions! You can find Jess on Instagram @_jesseedgar and on her website https://www.jessicaedgar.com.