Chloe Chambers is set for a special weekend as F1 Academy makes its Canadian debut. Speaking to the media ahead of the race, Chambers shared her excitement about returning to a country where her racing career first took shape.
Returning to Canada
The Red Bull Ford-backed driver expressed how important Canada was in the early stages of her motorsport career. Chambers revealed that her formative years were spent racing on Canadian karting circuits, making this weekend a meaningful return to familiar ground.
“I grew up racing go-karts here for a couple of years. I haven’t been back to Canada at all, I don’t think, since 2016… It’s been a while, but a lot of familiar faces.”
Despite this, Canada’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve will remain a brand new challenge for Chambers and the entire F1 Academy Grid. However, this prospect doesn’t scare the young driver. Rather, she believes it will make the competition a lot closer.
“I’m really excited to have a brand new track without any testing. It’s just gonna mix things up a little bit, so it’ll be exciting to see how the weekend plays out.”
Chambers remains optimistic ahead of a busy weekend
Adding to the challenge of Canada, there is a third race on the weekend schedule, making up for the previously postponed Miami race. Chambers will start the race from pole position and welcomes this decision as it gives her a chance to make a dent in the championship lead.
“I think it’s really good that they’ve been able to reschedule the postponed Miami race. Obviously, for me it’s a good thing because I’ll be starting on pole.”
“It’s also going to be interesting because usually we have the reverse grid race first, but this time, the first race will be a normal grid race. It will shake things up, especially on a track that’s new for everyone.”
Currently sitting third in the championship, Race 1 is a prime opportunity for the American to score a good points haul. Especially with Maya Weug, the championship leader, starting in tenth after a difficult qualifying session in Miami.
The benefits of a second year in the series
The start of Chambers’ 2025 season has seen her return to the front of the grid after an up-and-down rookie campaign in 2024. She credits much of her improvement to a stronger qualifying performance and the mental reset achieved in the off-season.
“I think compared to last year, I’ve been able to improve on my qualifying performance.”
“Kind of ironically, it’s less important this year because of the reverse grid races, but it’s been a big step forward.”
Alongside this, Chambers believes that the winter break was crucial for her development in 2025.
“Having time in the off-season to reset was really positive. The last bit of last year didn’t go super great, so I needed that time to reevaluate my goals.”
This fresh new mindset has allowed Chambers to fight consistently at the front and be in the title fight in her last season in F1 Academy.
The Red Bull and Campos Racing impact
One of the biggest changes for Chambers this year has been her switch from Haas to Red Bull’s F1 Academy program. Despite the change, the support has been valuable for Chambers’ 2025 campaign.
“The support I’ve been getting from Red Bull this year has been really nice.”
However, the American believes that the most important thing for her was to stay with her team of Campos Racing. Staying in the familiar environment allowed her to feel comfortable in the car.
“But the main thing for me was staying with Campos Racing. They’re ultimately the ones running the car, and I’ve been able to keep the same engineers and mechanics.”
In a category where driver-team chemistry is key, Chambers is grateful to build on her existing relationships.
“Only having two years in F1 Academy doesn’t give you a whole lot of time to build those bonds. If I’d switched to a completely different team, it would’ve been a lot more work. Now, I can focus on maximising my on-track performance.”
