Meet Ella Lloyd, the 19-year-old Welsh driver joining the F1 Academy grid for the 2025 season.
Early Career
Starting her competitive racing career in just 2022, Lloyd made her debut in the Ginetta Junior Championship.
Finishing in the points at 15 of the 25 races, the Welsh driver then competed in the Ginetta GT Championship in the following year.
The 19-year-old secured the vice-champion title in the highly competitive field.
At the beginning of 2022, Lloyd competed in the Formula Winter Series, achieving the Female Driver Trophy several times.
Furthermore, she also competed in British F4, ending the 2024 season with three P2 results, and one P3 and multiple points finishes.
Welcomed By McLaren
In October 2024, it was announced that Lloyd was joining the McLaren Driver Development programme and will therefore represent the team in the 2025 F1 Academy season with Rodin Motorsport.
Lloyd completed one F1 Academy race weekend during the 2024 season, acting as the Wild Card at the Singapore Grand Prix.
The Welsh driver finished in the points in both races, therefore stepping up to the series full time appeared like the most obvious option, especially considering the F1 Academy regulations.
Currently, the F1 Academy regulations limit drivers to a maximum of two years in the series before they are required to move on.
“I’m really excited to be joining the McLaren Driver Development programme as the team’s F1 Academy driver in 2025. It’s an honour to drive for a team that has such a great racing history, and also a long track record for developing talent,” said Lloyd.
“With McLaren, I now have everything I need to keep developing and pushing the boundaries as a female in motorsport. Thank you to Zak Brown, Stephanie Carlin and the entire McLaren team for their faith in me. I can’t wait to get racing in papaya.”
Stephanie Carlin, Director, F1 Business Operations, McLaren Racing, added:
“I am pleased to welcome Ella to the McLaren Driver Development programme ahead of her debut as our F1 Academy driver for the 2025 season. Ella has great talent and potential and has already cemented herself in the series, performing brilliantly as the Wild Card entry in Singapore, so we’re excited to see what she can do with us. We look forward to supporting her development.”
Looking Ahead
The overarching aim of McLaren’s Driver Development Programme is to help drivers progress towards Formula 1, IndyCar and Formula E.
As part of her role, Lloyd has already taken part in Formula E’s first-ever Women’s Test for NEOM McLaren Formula E Team, which took place on November 7th, 2024.
Crucially, the test provided female drivers with the opportunity to drive the new Season 11 GEN3 Evo race car.
By proactively launching this initiative, Formula E’s long-term strategy is to remove barriers and expand opportunities for women within the all-electric championship.
Furthermore, Ella Lloyd will be hoping to make an impact in her first full-season in F1 Academy, achieving regular points scoring positions and podiums in the fight for the championship.
Featured Image Credit: McLaren Racing
[adrotate banner=”10″]
Get 10% off all official F1 Merch at TheRaceWorks.com using code ‘EF1‘ at checkout.