Rodin Cars, a New Zealand-based team that applied to enter the Formula 1 World Championship but did not receive approval from the FIA, intended to reserve one of the two available seats for a female driver, specifically Jamie Chadwick.
Rodin is a team that has been making its mark in the world of motorsport in recent years. The New Zealand squad has supported the career of the talented Liam Lawson, who made an impressive Formula 1 debut this year with AlphaTauri.
Additionally, Rodin is currently the main shareholder of the Carlin team, which operates in lower-tier racing categories. Thus, the attempted entry into Formula 1 was a legitimate endeavor for this emerging entity. However, the FIA rejected Rodin’s request, along with those of two other teams.
In a statement, the New Zealand constructor provided details regarding the lack of approval: “We would like to emphasize that our aim here is not to criticize the FIA or hope they will change their mind. We respect and accept the decision. Our sole purpose is to release information that we believe is useful for the entire F1 community.”
Rodin shared information about the team’s location in New Zealand, where they also own a track where their ‘FZero’ car made its debut. Regarding the Power Unit, they were reportedly seeking an agreement with Ferrari – “opportunities to discuss with Ferrari,” it reads.
An interesting aspect is that of the female driver within the lineup: “We were committed to reserving a seat for a female driver. We tested Liam Lawson, Jamie Chadwick, and Louis Sharp at our factory in New Zealand with both an F3 car and our FZero, a car faster than a GP2/F2. Jamie performed extremely well; if she had been available, we would not have hesitated to offer her a seat.”
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Jamie Chadwick is the overall champion of the W Series, having won all three seasons in the history of the category. In 2023, she competed in the IndyNXT championship in America with the Andretti team. The British driver struggled in the early part of the season but improved her results and scored points in the middle phase. Additionally, she was part of the Williams Driver Academy from 2020 to 2022.
Source: f1ingenerale
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