Britain’s Jamie Chadwick says she wants to be “fighting at the front” when she makes her debut in the Indy NXT series this year in the United States.
The 24-year-old is racing with the Andretti Autosport team in the second tier of the United States’ open-wheel racing format IndyCar.
Chadwick has also begun her fifth year as an academy driver with Williams.
She says the move to America does not mean she is giving up on racing in Europe and her dream of Formula 1.
“I’ve got to take the opportunities I can and the doors that open, and this to me seems like an amazing opportunity,” Chadwick told BBC Points West.
“I don’t want to close the door on Europe at all, if I have success and the opportunity does come around then I’d love to race in F3 [Formula 3] or F2 but at the moment I need to develop, I need to progress, I need to have seat time and my best chance of that is in the States.”
The switch to the USA will mark a significant change for the three-time W Series champion when racing begins on 5 March.
Indy NXT features 14 races, including two on traditional American oval circuits, which means a faster and technically different style of racing to that in Europe.
“It’s going to be a tough year, it’s my first year, there’s a lot of new things for me but at the same time I want to have that chance to be competitive and to be fighting at the front,” Chadwick said.
Chadwick will also be the first woman to compete full-time in the series in 13 years, but pointed to the likes of Danica Patrick – the only woman to win an IndyCar Series race – Pippa Mann and Simona de Silvestro, who have all progressed their careers racing in the USA.
“I think if I look at what women have achieved in the sport in America it’s significant,” Chadwick added.
“There are a lot of women that have progressed in the sport over there so I see a very clear opportunity and I’m looking forward to that.”