Feature
TEAM GUIDE: The Red Bull-backed trio looking to take Campos to the title in 2025
Campos Racing were a team on the up in 2024, but now the Spanish squad are setting their sights even higher ahead of the 2025 F1 ACADEMY season.
After finishing bottom of the Teams’ Standings in 2023, last year saw them threaten the top spot — sitting only 26 points behind then leaders Rodin Motorsport after their home round in Barcelona. However, they were unable to sustain their form and eventually finished third.
Sporting a refreshed line-up for 2025, Campos are set to field returnee Chloe Chambers alongside rookies Rafaela Ferreira and Alisha Palmowski. With the trio all part of the Red Bull Academy Programme, their roster is underpinned by a strong calibre of talent, but can they push forward into title contention this time around?
CHLOE CHAMBERS
Chloe Chambers is back for a second year, however, this time around the American driver will be the leader in the garage with one season of experience under her belt. That stability should be invaluable to Campos as they balance welcoming two new drivers and racing at three brand-new locations.
Last year, Chambers delivered one win and three further podium finishes but was pipped to a top-five finish by 11 points. Whilst she had the racecraft to contend upfront, the 20-year-old found herself facing more fightbacks up the order than she would have liked. Qualifying in the top five on only five of 15 occasions, the now Red Bull Ford-backed driver needs to make a bigger impression with her one-lap pace.
After cruising to a six-second victory in Barcelona Race 2, Chambers couldn’t quite match the same heights throughout the remainder of 2024. The season finale in Yas Marina had the potential to do so, but slipups whilst leading Races 1 and 2 saw her lose the progress she’d gained courtesy of two rapid getaways at lights out.
Ultimately, it was her four point-less races that hamstrung her quest for a top-five finish. Yet if Chambers can find those extra tenths in Qualifying, build consistent momentum from the opening phase and deliver the feedback Campos needs to establish a solid baseline, she could be well-placed to contend for the title.
RAFAELA FERREIRA
One of two new faces to the Campos fold, Rafaela Ferreira arrives fresh onto the scene off the back of her 2024 Brazilian F4 success. The first female driver to score a podium in the Championship the previous year, Ferreira took another step forward in her second campaign, sealing three wins, two poles and seven additional podiums as she took fourth in the Standings.
Although the victories were during reverse grid races, it demonstrates that the 19-year-old knows how to handle the pressure of leading from the front, but it won’t be easy fighting her way there in F1 ACADEMY.
A somewhat unknown quantity to the team, having not raced in single-seaters outside of South America prior to the start of this year, Ferreira is enjoying early preparations. The Racing Bulls driver is already getting acquainted with Campos during a two-round stint in the Formula Winter Series.
Her debut weekend in Portimão proved to be intense, as she was unable to break into the top 20 in Qualifying, while the opening race yielded the most success as a P27 start turned into a P16 finish.
These appearances should help the Brazilian settle into her new environment and gain an understanding of the characteristics of Pirelli tyres before the season starts, having previously raced on Hankook rubber. With the Red Bull trio rotating across three rounds, Ferreira has a point of comparison to both of her teammates, giving her a foundation to build off of as the year progresses.
ALISHA PALMOWSKI
As far as Wild Card performances went last year, Alisha Palmowski was one of the standouts. The Briton was already riding a wave of momentum off the back of scoring the Vice Champion title in her debut single-seater season in the GB4 Championship.
Her first impression in F1 ACADEMY made many take notice - she topped the opening session of testing in Qatar and, come race weekend, her pace warranted more than the results showed. Qualifying sixth and fourth, the Briton brought home a P5 finish in Race 1 but was unable to prove if she could contend for a podium afterwards as Race 2 didn't go ahead.
READ MORE: Career Spotlight: Meet Eimear O’Connor, Race Engineer at PREMA Racing
That fine start to life in F1 ACADEMY should boost Palmowski’s confidence in knowing she can adjust to the Tatuus F4-T421, after using its predecessor in GB4, and cope with the high-pressure environment of a Grand Prix weekend. Despite a challenging opening round in Formula Winter Series, the Red Bull Racing driver managed to score three top-13 finishes in a 30-car field and will be assured that points won’t be too far away.
With three promising drivers at the wheel, Campos will be optimistic that they can push themselves beyond last year’s 292-point haul. Banking on their winter break preparations, the Spanish team should stand in good stead to put more silverware within reach as they hunt down the ultimate prize.