Interview

Chambers confident home podium is on the cards around well-suited Miami

2 May 2024

Chloe Chambers has a spring in her step on her return to the Miami International Autodrome with the American driver optimistic that a boost on home soil can bolster her quest for a podium.

One of five drivers in the field to have raced on this street circuit, her first appearance yielded points back in 2022. Now looking to build on that experience, Chambers said her confidence is helped by the legions of support at both her and Haas’ home event.

“I’m super excited to be racing in Miami for Round 2,” she noted. “It’s my home race and Haas’ home race, so it will be a really good weekend for both of us with all the support from the fans.

“I’m super excited to be racing back at this track after racing there in W Series. It was a really good weekend for me, so I’m looking to improve on that and continue on with the progress that we’ve been making throughout the season.”

She added: “The home fan support definitely gives me and Haas an extra boost for the weekend. I guess in a way it brings some pressure, but I try not to really let it get to me too much. I try to focus more on my racing. I think the support from the fans that we feel actually ends up helping us and benefiting us for the weekend.”

Opening her F1 ACADEMY account with P4 and P10 finishes in Jeddah, Chambers managed to make the most out of her two top 10 starts and carried that pace into last month’s in-season test in Jeddah. Looking back on how she’s navigated the start of her campaign, the Haas driver acknowledged the positives of her performances so far, even if the circuits didn’t play to her strengths.

“In Jeddah, the racecraft was really good so we managed to get a decent amount of points from that race weekend,” she explained. “It wasn't really our best track, so I'm still glad to have gotten that many points throughout the weekend.

“Testing in Zandvoort was pretty good. Most of the driving was in the wet, but I improved a lot and I was really happy with the results in the wet. I've been adapting to F1 ACADEMY pretty well. The team and everyone have been really supportive, so I'm really excited heading into this race weekend.”

Fortunately for Chambers, she seems to gel well with the streets of Miami. Gifted with ample chances to gamble on a move, Chambers is anticipating a hard-fought weekend ahead.

“When I was here racing a couple of years ago, I really liked the track because it was really good for racing,” she stated. “There were a lot of passing opportunities. There were a lot of passes that happened during the race, so I think this race should be really exciting compared to Jeddah because Jeddah is pretty hard to pass on.”

When asked if her previous racing on the track could give her an early advantage over most of her rivals, Chambers downplayed it in the long run, but believes it will open up possibilities to move forward.

“The prior experience will be very beneficial for at least the first Practice session,” she explained. Because we have two Practice sessions, it will allow more time for people to catch up a little bit with the drivers who have been here before.

"Of course, being on the sim, I think everybody should be going in with at least a decent idea of the circuit and how to drive the circuit. I think that makes it more competitive, so it should be a pretty close race this weekend.”

Buoyed on by her home advantage, the Campos Racing driver is hungry to achieve her first podium in the series and give the crowd something to celebrate.

“I would love to get a podium in front of my home crowd. I feel pretty confident that this track will be a good track for us. The characteristics of the track I think suit me a little better than Jeddah did. Also, all of the support from the fans and everyone will be really nice, and all of the support from Haas as well has been very beneficial. I'm definitely trying to get a podium in front of my home fans, so it would be super special to be able to do that.”