From filming James Bond to a first taste of Formula One

W Series star Jessica Hawkins doubles as a stunt driver and fresh from filming for No Time to Die, she’s now been handed her first chance in F1 by Aston Martin

W Series driver Jessica Hawkins (Getty Images)

Jessica Hawkins lives for motorsport, but this year she found herself in a race that was decidedly more tortoise than hare.  

The W Series veteran doubles as a stunt driver, and as Covid-19 shut down both sport and the film industry she was left to wonder which of her jobs would return first. 

If any film has epitomised the ups and downs of the pandemic it’s the latest Bond instalment, No Time to Die. Its original release was slated for April 2020 but was delayed three times in 10 months.  

Now Hawkins will have to wait until late September to see herself careening three metres above ground in a Land Rover Defender for the 007 flick — by which point the 2021 W Series season will be nearly finished.  

Performing the high-octane 30 metre-long jump over a muddy country field caused even the dedicated speedster to think, “This is crazy. I didn’t even know how to describe it. When I first did the jump, at one point all I could see was a very grey sky. 

“And I was heavily anticipating an incredibly painful landing, but testament to the Defenders. We did it seven or eight times and none of them were painful.” 

Hawkins, whose regular ride is a Range Rover Velar, first got into stunt driving when she found herself short on cash for racing, her first love—but now her heart is pulled in two directions.  

The 26-year-old, who is in Anglesey for pre-season W Series testing, explained: “I was leading the championship that I was racing in. But I didn’t have the budget for the remainder of the season.  

“Then the opportunity arose, and I was kind of like 50-50, what do I do? Do I leave racing, do I go onto that move? But because I didn’t have any budget I went down that route, and it’s been crazy, really. But I really enjoy the stunt driving. Although it’s not racing, it’s very similar.  

“You get the same kind of buzz out of it when you know that you’ve smashed a scene, or if you’re performing in front of people you can see the enjoyment that they’ve had. So it’s not racing, but, my god, I enjoy it so, so much.” 

There are some consequences to seeing how the spy thriller sausage is made. For one, it’s made it a bit harder for the Headley native to Netflix and chill. 

She said: “My view of movies now has changed, and when I watch action movies I question, like, ‘Oh, I wonder how they did that?’ I struggle to watch it now without wondering how they did it.” 

Hawkins has plenty to distract her as she awaits her Hollywood moment. The W Series is finally back for its second season and it, too, is under a huge spotlight. 

All eight competitions in 2021 are part of a landmark support series deal with Formula One. The 20 drivers in the all-female single-seater series will race on some of the world’s marquee circuits, from Silverstone to Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps. 

And on Wednesday, F1 team Aston Martin announced it was signing Hawkins as a Driver Ambassador, where she’ll be working alongside counterparts Lance Stroll, Sebastian Vettel and Nico Hulkenberg.  

If racing and stunt driving wasn’t enough to keep Hawkins busy, she also found the time in 2019 to set a Guinness World Record for fastest lawnmower—or, more specifically, “fastest acceleration from 0-100 mph for a lawnmower prototype” in a Honda Mean Mower V2.  

Hawkins, who placed 11^th in the inaugural W Series, said: “I don’t even know what to say about the F1 partnership. 

“What an incredible thing to be doing, and W Series has driven itself to the forefront of motorsport, and we’re now able to showcase what we’re able to do on the highest level. 

“I’m sure it will bring more interest to the series and just growing the profile of it itself. And you know, to know that we’re going to be racing the same track within a few hours of Formula One is amazing. 

“I’m really hoping we’re able to get some crowds back at some point. It’s going to be so nice to be competing again, and just back in the car, and kind of getting used to it again and doing what I love doing. It can’t come soon enough.”  

Cue the Bond music.