INTERVIEW: Chloe Chambers on moving to Red Bull and her last shot at the F1 Academy title

A year ago, we highlighted Chinese-born Chambers' path to the series, and the quite extraordinary story it has been after she was adopted at 11-months-old by American parents and moved to New York in 2005.

Under the guidance of Campos Racing, Chambers acquitted herself well in her first year of F1 Academy, finishing sixth in the standings with one victory and three other podiums along the way.

Chambers was retained by Campos Racing for year two, albeit she switched from Haas to Red Bull Racing in terms of representation. Naturally, heading into this campaign, she was acutely aware of its importance and the doors that could open at the end of it if she became Champion.

Explaining initially the switch to representing Red Bull, she said: "Pretty much for me, it was just about maximising my second year. It also gave me the opportunity to stay with Campos Racing. In motorsport, continuity is very important, and especially if you're only in a two-year program.

"You really want to make sure you're able to maximise your on-track performance and not have to worry about trying to build those relationships with engineers, team managers, and mechanics.

"It was just the wisest decision for me heading into my final year in F1 Academy, which is run a little differently to a lot of other series where the livery on the car doesn't really show a whole lot about who the teams, mechanics and engineers are who run the cars.”

"That's something a lot of people who watch F1 Academy miss because it's not super obvious. The livery on the car is the Formula 1 team or the sponsor supporting the car, rather than who's actually behind it.

"For us as drivers, in terms of our performance, the team that's running the car is obviously who we work the most with, so that's the relationship you really want to try to perfect going into your second year.”

It is a case of so far so good for Chambers, who started the season with four podiums in the first five races — twice runner-up and two thirds — before landing a crucial victory in the third race of the latest round in Montréal.

That allowed her to move into second place in the standings, 20 points behind Championship leader and Mercedes-supported Doriane Pin, who, like Chambers, is in her second year of F1 Academy.

Chambers concedes the switch from Haas to Red Bull is paying huge dividends this year. "I was given really good support by them," she said. "Of course, they were able to bring me to some of the F1 races. I was able to really see what happened over an F1 weekend because it's hard to really see what goes on in the F1 paddock during the F1 weekends when you're racing yourself.”

"So, the support from Haas was really nice in my first year. It was a really low-stress environment. It let me go through the year focusing on my performance. With the Red Bull Academy programme, they have already worked with a lot of junior drivers going through the feeder series in motorsports. They have more experience than Haas, so they have the support behind it.

"I think it also helps that my other two team-mates in Campos Racing [Alisha Palmowski and Rafaela Ferreira] are also under the same programme as me, so we all do the same things together.

"The team is able to work a little easier together. It's nice because the three of us all do the same events, and we have similar schedules to each other during the weekend and also outside of the weekend.

"It's just more organised, lower stress on me as well. All I have to do is show up and just do what I'm told, then get in the car and perform."

With three rounds remaining, in Zandvoort, Singapore and Las Vegas, Chambers is firmly in the hunt for title honours, and with it, that vital prize of a fully-funded step up the motorsport ladder. Last year's champion, Abbi Pulling, is competing in GB3 this year.

Chambers appreciates that after the "low-stress" year one with Haas, there is added pressure this season given what is at stake, although she concedes that it is mostly from within, in wanting to win the Championship.

"In the end, something that I've grown up thinking about through motorsport, karting, and everything, is that as long as I have maximised everything that I've had, and I leave the year thinking that there's nothing else that I could have done, then I think I can be happy with that in the end," said Chambers.

"I am feeling very confident in my chances of winning the Championship. I know it won't be super easy or anything, but I feel very good about it. Right now, I'm sitting in a very good spot."

Key to Chambers' improvement in her performances this season has been in qualifying, securing three of the four pole positions.

A major difference this year for all the drivers, and in particular for those in their second year, has been the introduction of reverse grid races for this season. They have provided added intrigue and jeopardy.

Chambers feels that, for the most part, she has acquitted herself well in those races this season. "I was very excited to hear they were coming back," she said. "I felt very confident in my race craft. I think I demonstrated that last year from some of my poor qualifyings. For me, that wasn't really a big concern.

"My biggest thing that I really was focusing on heading into the year was just my qualifying performance, and then I treat the reverse grid races just as a fun race in a way. It's like any other race, you just want to do as well as you can.”

"Obviously, trying to keep it a little bit safe because I am still in the Championship hunt, so leaving one or two points on the table could mean the difference between first or second in the Championship at the end of the year.

"I just try to put myself in a good position for the feature race and then work my way up in the reverse grid race as much as I can."

Of course, "the ideal scenario", as Chambers states, is to win this year's F1 Academy. That makes planning for next year so much easier. Beyond that there is no contingency in place at present, but she is confident as to what the future may hold.

Not least, she is supported by Fernando Alonso's A14 Management which she concedes has "a lot of connections."

"Then, of course, through this year in F1 Academy, having the affiliation with Ford I think is something that I'm trying to nurture into, hopefully, an opportunity in the future, whether it's next year or a few years' time or whatever it is," Chambers said.

"I think there are definitely avenues for me to go down. I've done some racing here and there already in sportscars so I feel pretty comfortable in that area. It's just about finding the best place for me to be at that moment in time, just trying to see where my career goes and what opportunities come out of it."

Images courtesy of Getty Images.