Hemming to race F1 Jordan
The 19-year-old will compete in the single-seater series at the wheel of a Jordan 197 Grand Prix car. Sarah Kavanagh, who also raced an earlier Jordan, is the only other female to have raced in the series.
The deal has been put together by Hemming's Formula Jedi team owner, Ben Muttock, who bought the chassis from Gary Ward. Hemming said: "We looked at all the usual options, such as Formula Renault and Formula 3, but the opportunity came up to buy the Jordan, and we decided that EuroBOSS was best for us. It was really just a gut feeling. Ben dealt with the sale - I just drive the car!"
Hemming tested the Jordan on the Silverstone National circuit last Tuesday, following a recent shakedown of the car on the Stowe loop.
"Words can't explain how it felt," she said. "I felt like crying, to be honest! Everyone dreams of driving an F1 car, and it doesn't matter if it's an old one or a current one. It was a dream come true."
The Northamptonshire-based Hemming, who works as a plant operator on a construction site, says a move into F1 proper is not at the top of her thoughts.
"I'll be doing this job for a long time," she said. "I would certainly like to stay in motorsport. I don't think there is a chance of doing F1 unless I get talent-spotted, although obviously I would like to! We'll just see where this takes me. I race to enjoy myself and come home from race weekends smiling."
Hemming has had a perfect season this year, and is aiming to complete a clean sweep of 15 wins at the Brands Hatch Formula Jedi finale next month.
"It's gone just as we wanted," she said, "although we didn't exactly plan for this. But it's more down to the team than the driver. They are an unbelievable bunch."
Tanak scores first Puma win in preparation for WRC Rally Sweden
Ott Tanak claimed his first victory driving an M-Sport Ford Puma after winning the Otepaa Winter Rally in preparation for next week’s World Rally Championship round in Sweden.
Ranking the worst Formula 1 cars to win a grand prix
Cars that rarely looked like contenders for victory have occasionally slipped through the net to become winners of world championship Formula 1 races. But which was the worst of the bunch?
Schumacher radio criticism highlighted F1 privacy change for Russell
George Russell says that the way an off-the-cuff radio remark criticising Mick Schumacher last year became a big deal shows how he is more under the spotlight in Formula 1.
Newgarden impressed by Chevrolet on IndyCar's new renewable fuel
Two-time IndyCar champion Josef Newgarden says he’s been impressed with the drivability of his Chevrolet engine following the switch to renewable fuel and has seen no loss in performance.
The 2022 Autosport Awards winner using Esports as a launchpad
A trail blazed in Esports has inspired a revamp of the annual prize that aims to discover the best young engineering talent. Autosport met Autosport Williams Engineer of the Future winner Michael Preston
The plug in and play stand-ins who got their timing just right
Nyck de Vries’s Italian GP exploits weren’t the first post-eleventh-hour call-up in motorsport history, and won’t be the last either. Here are some offbeat tales from the past
Porsche’s hopeful Le Mans future meets its illustrious past
Rising sportscar star Adam Smalley had to pinch himself when offered the chance to drive the car that won the world’s most famous enduro in 1987
Why romanticism isn't the key factor in Lola’s racing return
The iconic Lola name is being relaunched after it was taken over by new ownership. Part of that reboot is a planned return to racing, though the exact details of this are still to be finalised - though its new owner does have a desire to bring the brand back to the Le Mans 24 Hours. But romanticism doesn't appear to be the driving force behind this renewed project...
Rating the best drivers of the century so far
Autosport's Top 50 feature has been a staple of the magazine for the past two decades since its first appearance in 2002. Here are the drivers that have featured most prevalently during that time
The best motorsport moments of 2021
Motorsport produced one of its greatest years of all-time in 2021 despite a backdrop of ongoing COVID-19 challenges and an ever-changing racing landscape. Through the non-stop action Autosport has collected the finest moments from the past 12 months to highlight the incredible drama and joy motorsport generates
The racing comeback artists who resurrected long-dormant careers
Making it in motorsport can be tough, and sometimes drivers move elsewhere before their best chance arrives. Here are some of those who made it back
The hidden racing gem attracting ex-F1 heroes
It’s rarely mentioned when it comes to assessing the best national contests, but the Brazilian Stock Car series that reaches its climax this weekend has an ever-growing appeal. Its expanding roster of ex-Formula 1 names has helped to draw in new fans, but it's the closeness of competition that keeps them watching
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.