It’s full throttle ahead for F1 Academy driver Chloe Chambers
The 21-year-old Chinese American racing driver on being an adoptee, her favorite circuits, and how she challenges herself
21-year-old Chloe Chambers is part of the all-female racing series F1 Academy with Campos Racing, representing Red Bull Ford Academy Programme.
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Words by Sara Conway
Seven years ago, Chinese American racing driver Chloe Chambers taught herself how to solve a Rubik’s cube. Although she can do it in about a minute, it took time, dedication, and focus to get there.
“I think I just made up these really silly little acronyms for everything and just figured it out,” she tells JoySauce over Zoom with a laugh.
This challenge Chambers gave herself speaks to her tenacity and curious mindset. These qualities are seen in her racing, as well. In 2024, Chambers joined the all-female racing series F1 Academy with Campos Racing, and represented the American constructor Haas. Now in her last year with F1 Academy (there is a two-season limit), the 21 year old is still with Campos Racing, but representing Red Bull Ford Academy Programme. The “assertive” driver—as she describes her on-track personality—currently sits third out of 22 in the championship standings.
Since the F1 Academy has a two-season limit, this is Chambers's last year with the championship.
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Chambers grew up watching the high-speed and high-stakes of Formula 1 on TV with her father, “a pretty classic story on how people get into racing,” as she notes. A simple question of “Can I drive?” kicked off her karting roots, and the rest is history.
Ahead of the Singapore race weekend, which starts Friday and is the second-to-last race of the season, JoySauce spoke with Chambers about her final year in F1 Academy, her favorite circuits, and how she always challenges herself to learn new skills.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Sara Conway: If you had to describe your 2025 F1 Academy journey with one song, what would you choose and why?
Chloe Chambers: I've had this idea for a long time, but for my final F1 Academy post I want to use the song “Long Live” by Taylor Swift. It's bittersweet in the way that it is my final (F1 Academy) year, but I feel very privileged to be here for the full two years and to have relative success, and experience the highs and lows. I think “Long Live” is definitely a good closing song for the year.
SC: What have been some of your favorite moments this season? How about the more challenging moments?
CC: One of my favorite moments was getting my first pole position in Jeddah (in Saudi Arabia). It was a track that I had struggled at last year, so going into the weekend I wasn't 100 percent sure what the possibility of getting a pole was. But I surprised myself and that set me up on a really nice path to continue on getting pole positions.
The win in Montreal was another one. I was a little bit disappointed to not be able to race in the main race in Miami; I think I could have had a good shot at winning there as well. That would have been really cool to get my first win of the year at home in Miami.
Some of the more challenging moments were definitely the main race in Zandvoort (in the Netherlands). I didn't even get to start the race. It was a little setback, but we still have two races left this year—Singapore and Vegas—so some cool venues to finish out the year.
Chambers grew up watching the high-speed and high-stakes of Formula 1 on TV with her father.
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SC: What’s driven you forward career wise and life wise?
CC: I enjoy the part of racing that is the competition aspect of it. I grew up swimming so I was used to the head-to-head style of competition. I very much prefer the racing style of competition, and then motorsport is even more of that. The strive to be better than the last time I did something is what motivates me.
I also enjoy learning new things. Outside of racing that’s something I like to do on my own time. Every year I usually give myself one little skill to learn. The curiosity and wanting to learn skills I can show people, I think that's fun.
SC: Oh, that’s really cool. What was your 2025 skill?
CC: My 2025 skill was learning to play that little intro bit of “Piano Man” on the harmonica. It took me five whole minutes, so that was one of the really quick ones.
SC: We’re both Chinese American adoptees. How do you think being a Chinese American adoptee has shaped who you are as a person and your journey in motorsports?
CC: I don't know how to say how it changes who I am because it is just who I am. I've always lived with it and I've always lived this way. To be honest, I don't think, “I am adopted,” very often because the family I have is just the way that my family is. I don't think our dynamic is any different from a blood-related family, even to the point where I almost forget sometimes that I am adopted. Like when you go to a new doctor or something and they ask (medical and family history) questions and you’re like, “Ahh wait, I don’t actually know.”
Every so often when it does come back to me and I remember, I think it makes you a little bit more grateful for the things that you have because your life could have been any other way.
SC: You mention your dad (and family) a lot on the show, F1: The Academy. What are some of the best pieces of advice they’ve shared with you?
CC: They've always told me to be myself. A lot of drivers in motorsports aren't as close with their parents and the rest of their family as I’ve been able to be. I haven't had to really leave home, so to say; I still come back home. All the way through karting, my dad was always very involved. He was my mechanic, basically, until he couldn't be anymore. He still comes to races whenever he can. Just knowing (my family is) supporting me and they're proud of me is probably the best thing that’s come out of having my family so close to me in racing.
SC: Why is Montreal your favorite circuit?
CC: I've never been to this circuit before actually, so it was my first time there. I’ve driven it on the simulators, but driving it in real life was really cool. There were a lot of fans that stayed for us. I think that's a big part of liking a circuit—when the fans are interested as well.
The circuit itself is really nice to drive. You have a good combination of medium speed corners and then low speed corners. I think racing on it was more exciting than what I had predicted. [Laughs] I thought it would be a little bit boring. Overall, the weekend as a whole was very nice.
SC: What’s something people don’t realize about race car driving and racing in F1 Academy?
CC: In general, people don't think racing is as physical of a sport as it is. A lot of people don't even consider racing a car sport because they can drive a car on the road. But it's very different. [Laughs]
Something with F1 Academy as well is that people assume either 1. We're driving F1 cars or 2. That F1 Academy is something where you go from F1 Academy, which is F4 cars, straight into a Formula 1. I (also) think the whole purpose of F1 Academy is misunderstood. A lot of people assume that it's just to push girls into racing and try to just get them to the top—(that) that's all they are looking for. But F1 Academy is really committed to finding the right people to push up. The way that they do it, where the champion gets put into the next level, I think is a good way to go about it. That means you're getting the best drivers through to the next levels.
It’s not something that's going to happen overnight. It's not going to happen in the next couple of seasons, getting a woman into F1. I think F1 Academy is a good way to show girls that they (can) go into karting if they really want to and that there's a place for them to progress up into and see other girls racing on the F1 weekends. Just showing them that it's a possibility.
There are only two more races left of the season.
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SC: What is something you learned about yourself during your time in F1 Academy?
CC: I've learned that my mindset is in a good spot. I was very proud of myself for keeping everything together in Zandvoort after everything that kept happening over the weekend. I think a lot of drivers would let that sit and they would stew (over) it for a while. Obviously I was disappointed in the weekend, but what can you do? There's no point in crying over spilled milk. I just have to move on and do what you can for the time that you have left. Whatever's in your control, just do the best that you can with it.
Published on October 2, 2025
Words by Sara Conway
Sara Conway is a Chinese American writer based in New York and Taiwan. A lover of a good story and a good song, Sara is the creator behind the bookstagram Lyrical Reads and the digital editor at EnVi Media. She also has published her writing in places like Timid Magazine, GRAMMY.com, and Clash Music. Although books are her number one love, you can always find her learning Mandarin, listening to K-pop, heading to another concert, or petting all the cats she sees.