Chadwick loses maiden Asian F3 victory after jump start

Jamie Chadwick has lost her maiden victory in Asian Formula 3 after jumping the start and landing a 20-second penalty.

Williams Formula 1 development driver and reigning W Series champion Chadwick has been racing in the Asian F3 series over the winter as part of her preparations for the 2020 season.

The 21-year-old scored pole position for the eighth round of the season in Abu Dhabi after setting the fastest lap in the opening race of the weekend for Absolute Racing.

Chadwick went lights-to-flag for victory at the Yas Marina Circuit, crossing the line four seconds clear of the pack after 13 laps, only to be hit with a 20-second time penalty for jumping the start.

The penalty dropped Chadwick from P1 to P8 in the final standings, giving victory to championship leader Joey Alders ahead of guest driver Ukyo Sasahara and Chadwick’s Absolute Racing teammate, Devlin Defrancesco.

“Ah gutted!” Chadwick wrote on Instagram. “Won lights to flag today but sadly a post race penalty for moving slightly on the grid takes it away from us. Still an unreal job by the Absolute Racing guys! Time to make amends in Race 3 this afternoon.”

Chadwick currently sits 10th in the standings with one race remaining in the Abu Dhabi weekend before two further rounds at Sepang and Chang.

The British racer is yet to finalise her plans for the 2020 seasons besides a return to the W Series, but is known to be targeting an F3 programme in Japan in tandem with her expanded Williams F1 duties.