The Formula 1 hopeful who has only just passed her test

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Chloe Grant

She is a potential Formula 1 racing star of the future, but until a few days ago Chloe Grant wasn't even allowed to drive down her own street.

That's because the 17-year-old from Perth, who was recently chosen for the elite F1 Academy, has only just passed her driving test.

Hours after ripping up her L plates, Chloe headed to France to continue her dream to compete at the top level.

She passed her test after a handful of lessons.

Chloe said she was pleased to pass at the end of her first week driving on the road.

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Chloe took a handful of driving lessons before passing her test

"I wasn't nervous about my test until the date closed in," she said.

"The only thing I had been anxious about before beginning lessons was the oncoming cars, it was something I realised I hadn't had to consider on track."

Despite learning to drive aged 13, Chloe said there were still a couple of things she had to get to grips with on the streets of Perth.

"The two things we noticed the most were that my hands were constantly crossing over," she said.

"When you're on the road you have to keep your hands on either side and feed the wheel through.

"And taking the corners a bit slower, I was taking them a bit faster."

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Driving instructor Alan High said he was impressed by his star pupil

Chloe's driving instructor Alan High said it was the first time he had taught a potential F1 driver.

He said: "My biggest concern before we started was, would I be able to keep her at a reasonable speed?

"And what I've said is while she's doing her driving on the road, she's not got a crash helmet on so she's not in race mode.

"Hopefully that keeps her thinking we've got to be safe rather than driving flat-out."

Image source, Chloe Grant
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Chloe was always destined for a career in motor racing

Chloe will be part of the F1 Academy series and will partner Lena Buhler and Carrie Schreiner with French team ART Grand Prix.

The inaugural F1 Academy series starts in Austria this month with further events in Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, France and the United States, with five teams competing.

Chloe left school last summer and enrolled at Loughborough College to study Motorsport UK Academy's Diploma in Sporting Excellence (DiSE).

Following her driving lessons in Perth, Chloe would take to the wheel for racing practice at Knockhill in Fife.

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Knockhill events manager Stuart Gray said he saw Chloe's potential early on

Knockhill Racing Circuit events director Stuart Gray said he first saw Chloe's potential when she took part in a go-karting event at the track when she was 13.

He said: "There was something about her talent and her approach that made her different from the other kids that we had here.

"And I think that's been recognised with the F1 Academy, that she's got the potential to make it the whole way."

Stuart said motorsport competitors can access go-karting from the age of eight, and start racing at 14.

He said: "It will be a strange thing for her.

"One day she's doing 140mph on the track, next she's doing 20mph through Perth."

Image source, fierce digital marketing
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Chloe said being accepted for F1 Academy "made her dreams come true"

Chloe said being chosen for the F1 Academy had come at the perfect time and "made her dreams come true."

She said: "My ultimate goal is Formula 1, I want to show that girls can make it there.

"It is genuinely down to the backing and the small amount of us who do have the genuine talent to get there.

"I hope it inspires more women to get involved with the sport, it's my whole life now and I love it to absolute bits."

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