| Ella Lloyd | |
| Nationality: |  British |
| Birth Date: | 20 July 2005 |
| Birth Place: | Pontypridd, Wales, United Kingdom |
| Current Series: | F4 British Championship |
| First Year: | 2024 |
| Current Team: | JHR Developments |
| Car Number: | 44 |
| Starts: | 26 (27 entries) |
| Podiums: | 4 |
| Best Finish: | 11th |
Ella Mai Lloyd (born 20 July 2005) is a British[1] racing driver from Wales who will be competing in the 2025 season of F1 Academy for Rodin Motorsport as a member of the McLaren Driver Development Program. She previously competed in the 2024 F4 British Championship, and was the runner up of the 2023 Ginetta GT5 Challenge.[2]
Despite never actually competing in karting, Lloyd's first taste of motorsport came in 2018 when she was invited to take part in the FIA's Girls on Track Karting Challenge at Silverstone.[3] She formally began her career four years later, in the 2022 Ginetta Junior Championship.[4] Racing for Assetto Motorsport, she scored points in 15 of 25 races and recorded a best race finish of 11th.
In early 2023, Lloyd was chosen for the Motorsport UK Academy Futures program and moved up to the Ginetta GT5 Challenge with Xentek Motorsport.[5] [6] The season was an instant success, as she won on debut and picked up 10 wins, 10 pole positions and 17 podiums, eventually finishing runner-up behind Luke Garlick.[7]
Lloyd made her single-seater debut in the 2024 Formula Winter Series, driving for Rodin Motorsport in two rounds.[8] In her debut weekend she had her best qualifying time deleted for causing a red flag, which meant she started in 38th. She made up more than 30 positions over the three races, finishing in 21st, 20th, and 22nd.[9] She improved to 18th in qualifying for the next round, but weather and contact marred her results in the races. Lloyd won the female trophy in three of the four races she finished.[10]
Lloyd later joined JHR Developments for a full programme in British F4.[11] [12] Her debut came at Donington Park, where she finished 8th and 7th having notably overtaken the much more experienced Abbi Pulling.[13] Lloyd's campaign took off in the fifth round at Silverstone, with three strong results including a maiden podium, where she followed teammate Leo Robinson through for a JHR 1–2.[14] The pair repeated the feat at Knockhill, and Lloyd also returned to the rostrum at Donington, where she qualified a season-best 3rd in wet conditions, and Brands Hatch.[15] [16] Despite skipping the penultimate round, Lloyd finished 11th in the championship with 99 points.[17]
In 2024, along with her British F4 commitments, Lloyd served as the wildcard entry for the fifth round of the all-female F1 Academy series at Singapore.[18] Although mechanical issues limited her mileage in practice, Lloyd qualified eighth, a mere 0.111 off fourth place. She improved to 6th and 7th in the races, but a penalty for a false start demoted her to 9th in race one.[19] [20]
On 8 October, it was announced that Lloyd would be entering the 2025 season for Rodin Motorsport with support from McLaren, having joined the team's driver development programme.[21]
In November 2024, Lloyd and McLaren's incumbent F1 Academy driver Bianca Bustamante joined the British outfit for the Formula E women's test that took place at Jarama in Madrid ahead of the 2024–25 season.[22] Lloyd placed 7th overall at the test, a showing Gary Paffett described as "impressive".[23] [24]
Besides racing, Lloyd has also competed in skiing and show jumping. Her father, Chris Lloyd, is a former rally driver and later competed in the 2018 Paralympics in alpine skiing.[25]
Lloyd is managed by Greenlight Sports Management, an agency run by 2003 Le Mans winner Guy Smith and fellow sportscar racer Andy Meyrick.[26]
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Ginetta Junior Championship | Assetto Motorsport | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 67 | 21st | |
| Ginetta GT5 Challenge - Pro | Xentek Motorsport | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC | ||
| 2023 | Ginetta GT5 Challenge - Pro | Xentek Motorsport | 25 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 571 | 2nd | |
| 2024 | Formula Winter Series | Rodin Motorsport | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41st | |
| F4 British Championship | JHR Developments | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 99 | 11th | ||
| F1 Academy | Prema Racing | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 18th* | ||
| Formula Trophy UAE | Xcel Motorsport | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20th* | ||
| 2025 | F1 Academy | Rodin Motorsport |
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)