October 24, 2023

Chloe Grant concludes her debut F1 Academy Season with a Double Ninth-Place success in Austin

Chloe Grant, the promising 17-year-old talent from Perth, gracefully wrapped up her maiden F1 Academy season with a remarkable performance at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, last weekend (October 21-22). Competing in three races, Chloe showcased her skills before an audience that included the elite of Formula 1, an impressive on-event three-day attendance of over 432,000 fans, and a vast global television viewership that enjoyed the live track action.

Throughout the season, Chloe consistently demonstrated her prowess by securing top-ten finishes on ten occasions, despite facing the challenge of missing two races and competing against more experienced and older female drivers. This achievement earned her a commendable 12th place in the final standings.

Chloe's strong showing continued at the Circuit of The Americas, where she posted top-ten times in both practice sessions. This placed her in the 9th and 10th positions on the grid for Races 1 and 3. Unfortunately, the opening race took an unfortunate turn due to an overly ambitious overtaking attempt by a competitor, which led to the retirement of Chloe's car and two others.

The ART Grand Prix team worked tirelessly to repair the significant damage, allowing Chloe to start from the fifth row for the second race. She demonstrated her skill by racing as high as eighth and ultimately secured a creditable ninth-place finish. On the following Sunday, in the final race, Chloe displayed her potential, challenging for a top-six position and finishing in ninth place once more.

Reflecting on her debut F1 Academy season, Chloe remarked,“My first F1 Academy season has been challenging at times but hugely rewarding – a fantastic experience and I’m really sad it’s over.

“The opening race was a disaster. Excessive wheelspin caused me to drop four places at the start then on the second lap at Turn 1, I was wiped-out by another car charging down the inside of me and found myself sandwiched with another car on my outside. It caused a lot of damage but the ART guys did a great job in getting the car repaired for me to compete in the second race later the same day and I came home a solid ninth. The final race was the most positive for me in terms of my lap times. I pushed hard and it was all very close. All the cars are the same and it’s really tight, making it very tough to make up places.”