McLaren Racing announced Tuesday that Ella Lloyd has joined the McLaren Driver Development program and will represent the team in the 2025 F1 Academy season with Rodin Motorsport.
Lloyd, 19, began racing competitively in 2022 in the Ginetta Junior Championship, finishing in the points at 15 of 25 races that season. The following year, she competed in the Ginetta GT Championship, and finished the year as runner-up.
At the start of this year, Lloyd competed in the Formula Winter Series, taking the Female Driver Trophy multiple times. She competed in British F4, completing the 2024 season with three P2 results, one P3 and multiple points finishes. The Welsh racer also took part in the Singapore F1 Academy weekend as the Wild Card driver, finishing in the points in both races.
In line with the F1 Academy regulations limiting drivers to a maximum of two years in the series, Lloyd will step up to represent McLaren in the 2025 F1 Academy season, racing with Rodin Motorsport.
Her involvement in the McLaren Driver Development program, led by Stephanie Carlin, will see her compete in Formula E’s first-ever Women’s Test for the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team on Nov. 7, 2024, in Valencia, Spain.
Carlin, director of F1 business operations at McLaren Racing, said: “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.”
Lloyd herself said: “It’s an honor to drive for a team that has such a great racing history and also a long track record for developing talent. 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 [McLaren CEO], Stephanie Carlin and the entire McLaren team for their faith in me. I can’t wait to get racing in papaya.”