Chambers reflects on Singapore ‘bounce back’ as she drops a place in Drivers’ Standings

Piece written by F1 ACADEMY Career Discovery Programme student Ella Welch in Singapore.

Chloe Chambers was left satisfied with her Race 2 “bounce back” in Singapore as she finished P8, even if it wasn’t the result she was initially hoping for.

The Haas driver had a less-than-ideal start in the second race of the weekend, losing two positions on the first lap to see her running in 11th, but she managed to fight her way back up the order.

An impressive overtake on Carrie Schreiner for eighth place – on Lap 10 of the race – was her standout moment on track and the American was delighted with how she managed to recover after initially losing ground on the opening tour of the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

“Honestly, it's a good result,” Chambers reflected afterwards. “I fell back a couple of positions at the start, so had to work towards that P8. I started P9, but at the end of the first lap, I was in P11. So, I made-up three positions, theoretically. It's a good bounce back.

“It's pretty hard to pass at this track, so I'm glad to have been able to make three of those passes and it makes the P8 feel a little bit better, even though it may not be the result that I would have wanted at the beginning of the weekend.”

There were doubts as to whether Chambers could pull off a decisive move on her Campos Racing teammate Schreiner for P8, with the Haas-backed racer stuck behind for a number of laps.

With her tyres steadily falling away, Chambers eventually pounced on Lap 10 with a brilliant launch down the inside of the Kick Sauber driver at Turn 8. That move brought plenty of plaudits with it, as well as eighth position, and the American later explained just how tough it was to make an overtake stick.

“It was a pretty tough move to make,” said Chambers. “It's pretty hard to pass at this circuit because of the way the corners and the straights are, so it means the slipstream isn’t super strong here.

“I was just really trying to put the pressure on Carrie, hopefully to try to force her into a bit of a mistake, and then ive myself the opportunity to capitalise on it.

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“Luckily, I was able to do that and then managed to make the move, even though it was really dirty off line. A little bit sketchy here and there, but I was able to get it done and get a P8 finish.”

The Marina Bay Street Circuit is a relatively new track for many of the F1 ACADEMY drivers, with its characteristics providing a uniquely difficult challenge, but for Chambers – who last raced in Singapore in 2022 – it was still an enjoyable weekend even if she didn’t score as highly as she might have liked.

“This is our first proper street circuit of the year,” she noted. “Jeddah, people like to call it a street circuit, but this is proper, proper driving streets, so it made it a little bit tough.

“Especially with the characteristics of a road compared to a circuit. There is some elevation with the middle of the road being a little bit raised, so it makes it interesting when you go through certain corners. It makes it a little more bumpy than usual. You have more references with all the lines on the road and of course, the walls.

“Overall, it's a really fun circuit. There are a lot of things in the scenery to look at. It's amazing to drive at night as well, so I enjoyed my weekend here.”

Chambers’ P5 and P8 finishes in both races see her leave Singapore with another 14 points to her name. However, with Maya Weug’s double P2 finishes, the Haas driver has now dropped to fourth in the drivers’ standings with two rounds of action left to go.

When asked if she felt confident going forward about regaining a spot inside the top three, she said: “I definitely think it's totally doable (…) It's very close from third to fifth, so we'll see what happens in the last two rounds. Anything can happen, anything can change.”