Ella Lloyd, F1 Academy driver and member of the McLaren Driver Development Programme, returns to the site of her breakthrough as the top-ranked newcomer, with a shot at the championship and a long-term goal firmly in sight: reaching Formula 1.
With two rounds remaining in the 2025 F1 Academy season, Lloyd has emerged as one of the most exciting new faces in junior motorsport. The Paddock Chronicle caught up with her ahead of this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix.
Ella Lloyd’s Impressive Season
If there’s one thing Ella Lloyd has proven in 2025, it’s that a rookie season doesn’t have to look like one. Stepping into F1 Academy as part of the McLaren Driver Development Programme, the Welsh talent has approached each round with growing consistency and confidence — turning early promise into championship-level performance.
She opened her campaign with two top-ten finishes in Shanghai, then stunned the field in Jeddah with a maiden victory in only her second race weekend. A retirement in Miami threatened to stall her momentum, but what followed in Canada was a masterclass in composure — three consecutive podiums that catapulted her back into contention. At Zandvoort, she backed it up with a pair of strong fourth-place finishes, proving she’s not just fast, but relentlessly consistent.
British F4 and Formula E Rookie Test
The 20-year-old is also competing in British F4, where she currently sits 14th in the standings out of 36 contenders (at the time of writing) and is the top-ranked female driver — ahead of other current F1 Academy racers such as Emma Felbermayr, Alba Larsen, and Nina Gademan.
On top of that, Lloyd joined fellow F1 Academy alumni Abbi Pulling and Bianca Bustamante at the ABB FIA Formula E Rookie Test in Berlin, marking her second time in all-electric machinery as part of the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team. She finished just two tenths behind Pulling — a former F1 Academy champion — further demonstrating her immense potential.
Interestingly, her level of maturity comes from a path less typical in motorsport. Without a background in karting, Lloyd’s career began just three years ago — and she’s been climbing ever since. From show jumping and skiing gold medals to Ginetta championships and now single-seaters, her progression has been remarkably fast.
Hard Work, But Also a Strong Support System
To reach the top in motorsport — as in any sport — consistency and results aren’t enough. Behind every standout performance is a support system that allows talent to thrive. In Ella Lloyd’s case, that system has been crucial to her development, both on and off the track.
With McLaren and Rodin Motorsport in her corner, Lloyd has had the resources, guidance, and trust to extract the most from every race weekend.
“Working with McLaren and Rodin together has been pretty positive this year,” she said. “I’ve had Warren [Hughes] with me, which is from McLaren, at every race weekend, just there to support. But yeah, I think everything McLaren are bringing to develop me as a driver, I can’t thank them enough.”
As part of the McLaren Driver Development Programme, Lloyd has benefitted from a holistic approach to her growth — from technical feedback to mental preparation. At the same time, Rodin Motorsport — also fielding her in British F4 — has played a vital role in sharpening her single-seater skills.
“It’s probably the most development I’ve done from last year,” she explained. “They’ve put a lot of work in behind the scenes just to get everything right.”
Even former F1 Academy champion and Rodin alum Abbi Pulling has been part of that ecosystem, offering valuable insight as Lloyd adapts to the demands of the series.
“Being able to work with Abbi as well has been amazing because she knows the track, she knows the car. Every little bit helps.”
With her support network firing on all cylinders, Lloyd has been able to focus fully on performance, and the results speak for themselves.
The Singapore Return
Singapore is where it all began. As a wildcard in 2024, Ella Lloyd stepped into the F1 Academy spotlight for the first time and scored points in both races on one of the most demanding tracks on the calendar. Now, one year later, she returns not as a guest but as a title contender and as the top rookie in the standings.
Marina Bay is fast, bumpy, and unforgiving — the kind of place where experience usually counts. However, for Lloyd, the biggest difference between then and now isn’t track familiarity but how much she’s evolved as a driver.
“I don’t think anything from last year, except obviously driving the track and driving the car, you know, will benefit me,” she explained. “I think I’ve just developed so much over the year as a driver anyway. And that’s just going to make the big difference, really.”
And with rain expected in every session, Singapore could easily turn into a survival test. But that doesn’t intimidate her — in fact, it might play right into her hands.
“I’m looking forward to the rain, to be honest,” she said. “Coming from the UK, in British F4 it always rains, so I’m pretty used to it… We’re just going to take it session by session and build up to it.”
Ella Lloyd’s Road to F1
Whether Ella Lloyd finishes 2025 as the top rookie — or pulls off something even more unexpected — her first season in F1 Academy has already proven one thing: she belongs at the front of the field. With two rounds remaining, including the Las Vegas finale, the Welsh driver is still very much in the mix. But even beyond the results, her name is now firmly in the conversation for what comes next.
Her dual campaign in British F4 continues to showcase her adaptability across disciplines. Combined with her development work under McLaren and her recent experience behind the wheel of Formula E machinery, Lloyd is building a profile that goes well beyond rookie expectations — she’s determined and clear about where she wants that path to lead.
“My aim is Formula 1,” she said. “And I’m going to try and pursue that until it’s no longer possible. But there’s always a route that I could look down.”
Whatever comes next, one thing is certain: Ella Lloyd is one to watch.
Feature Image Credit: McLaren Racing