McLaren announces Ella Lloyd as its F1 Academy driver for 2025
McLaren has announced that Ella Lloyd will represent the Woking-based outfit in the F1 Academy in 2025 while she will also take part in Formula E's first ever women's test.
As part of her role in the McLaren Driver Development programme, Ella Lloyd will race in the F1 Academy next year, the Woking-based outfit has recently confirmed.
The 19-year old driver from Wales began racing competitively in 2022 in the Ginetta Junior Championship, finishing in the points at 15 of the 25 races that season. The following year, she competed in the Ginetta GT Championship, earning the vice-champion title in a competitive field.
At the beginning of 2024, 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 programme, led by Stephanie Carlin, will see her join the team’s talent pipeline, which has an overarching aim to help drivers progress towards Formula 1, IndyCar and Formula E.
As part of her role in the programme, Lloyd will also compete in Formula E’s first-ever Women’s Test for the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team which will take place on the 7th November in Valencia, Spain. As part of Official Pre-Season Testing in preparation for the 2024/25 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, this test aims to spearhead racing talent by providing an opportunity to gain experience in the new GEN3 Evo car.
McLaren's Director of F1 Business Operations, Stephanie Carlin commented: “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.”
Lloyd commented: “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.
"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.”
