Jamie Chadwick in a high-profile backup role for the Le Mans Supercar

Chadwick’s teammates since the 2025 IDEC season have been Frenchman Mathis Joubert and Spaniard Daniel Juncadella, both of whom have been selected to compete in the Supercar next year alongside two more experienced drivers, Andre Lotterer and Pipo Derani.

Next year, Genesis is set to compete with several automakers attracted to sports cars because of their flexible design rules and as a cheaper alternative to Formula 1.

Ferrari won this year’s championship at the Bahrain 8 Hours this month, in the No. 51 car featuring Briton Le Mans winner from 2023 James Calado.

Former Polish Formula 1 champion Robert Kubica won this year’s Le Mans race in June in the No. 83 Ferrari 499P.

Despite having two additional seats yet to be filled for the 2026 two-car World Endurance Championship (WEC), Chadwick was apparently considered too inexperienced, despite being an FIA ‘silver rated’ driver – like Joubert.

However, Genesis is said to hold Chadwick in high esteem and is happy with her progress as part of the stable of Genesis drivers.

Chadwick, who tested a Jaguar Formula E car last month, has held several development driver roles at teams such as Williams in Formula 1 in recent years – positions often limited to driving older cars for marketing purposes and driving simulator work.

But the reserve role is one of the biggest signs yet that a major manufacturer is backing female racing talent on merit.

Quite a few female drivers have competed at the top level of motorsport’s most popular disciplines in recent years – most recently Swiss Simona De Silvestro competing in 10 Formula E races in 2016.

Several female drivers have raced in the US IndyCar Series on an ad hoc basis, with little success.

Britain’s Amanda Stretton was the last top-level competitor to compete at Le Mans, in a one-off non-competitive LMP1 entry in 2008.

French driver Odette Sekou finished fourth at Le Mans in 1932.

The last woman to race in Formula 1 was Lella Lombardi at the 1976 Austrian Grand Prix.