American F1 Academy stars set to race outside of F1 junior ladder

The United States has produced two F1 Academy stars in the 2024 season: Lia Block and Chloe Chambers. Both drivers have signed new deals that will guide their racing future, but neither will be progressing up the F1 junior ladder.

Chambers will be moving from Haas to Red Bull Ford after a successful season in IMSA’s Mustang Challenge while Block has signed a deal with Subaru to compete in an American Rally Association event.

Chloe Chambers: From Haas to Ford

Earlier this week, Chloe Chambers became the first confirmed driver to compete in the 2025 F1 Academy season when she inked a deal with Red Bull Racing and Ford.

The announcement preceded the Indy 8 Hour weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Chambers will be competing in the season finale for the Mustang Challenge series, which lends context to her Ford announcement.

“As an American driver, it is an honor to team up with an iconic American automotive company like Ford,” Chambers said, reported in the announcement.

“It is a privilege to be partnering with the Red Bull Ford Academy Program to continue improving female representation in the sport, and I am grateful for the support to achieve my own career goals in motorsport.

“I am excited to take part in the Ford Mustang Challenge this week and to have more opportunities to race outside of my role in F1 Academy.”

This season has been Chambers’ first in F1 Academy, but she’s balanced her pursuit of a European open-wheel career with an active career in American sports car racing.

That makes sense; when I spoke with her in 2022, she told me that her dream wasn’t merely to be a Formula 1 driver, but to become the next driver to secure the Triple Crown in motorsport, taking wins at the Monaco Grand Prix, the Indianapolis 500, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The last driver to accomplish the feat was Graham Hill.

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Lia Block: Reviving family ties with Subaru

Much like Chambers, Lia Block is in her first year with F1 Academy, though she’s also maintained an active career in rallying and off-road racing as she dips a toe into the open-wheel world for the first time.

Lia Block is the daughter of the late Ken Block, a professional rally driver and the co-owner of Hoonigan Industries, an apparel brand for car enthusiasts. As a result, she was raised firmly with in the American rallying world, and after her father’s death, she has carried on the family legacy by becoming the youngest-ever champion in American
Rally Association history.

It’s with the ARA that she’s making her return, taking over Brandon Semenuk’s Subaru WRX for the Lake Superior Performance Rally. Her father was a longtime Subaru driver, helping carve out the brand’s legacy here in America; his career kicked off behind the wheel of a WRX, too.

“My family and I have such a special history with this team,” Block said in a statement. “I wouldn’t want this milestone to be with anyone else.” 

What does it all mean?

F1 Academy has been facing criticism of late for multiple reasons — but primarily because its drivers have yet to truly begin advancing through the junior ladder system en route to Formula 1.

Marta Garcia, 2023 F1 Academy champion, secured a fully-funded ride in the Formula Regional European Championship; however, drivers are limited to two years in the series before they have to move along — and there hasn’t been as much public support for those drivers who will be ending their second season in the series this year.

However, the series has faced criticism for failing to adequately prepare its drivers for competition in other series, in part due to the infrequency of the races, the lack of track time, and the series’ scheduling at ultra-hot races or challenging street circuits.

Chambers has become the first driver to stake her claim for a seat in the 2025 season, but it’ll be her second in the sport — and if she fails to take a title, she’ll be tasked with negotiating her ladder advancement herself. Her experience behind the wheel of a Mustang in an IMSA-sanctioned series affords her options beyond the open-wheel ladder should opportunities fail to pan out.

Block, meanwhile, hails from the world of rally racing, so her one-off return makes sense. With a double best-finish of fourth place in both Singapore events, she’s proving that her open-wheel skills are improving — but it isn’t clear if it’ll be enough to continue advancing up the ladder.

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