Time moves quickly in motor racing, but even by our sport’s usual standards, Ella Lloyd’s rise has been rapid. Just over three years ago, the then-teenager was building on her burgeoning reputation as a talented showjumper and skier, but she is now treading an entirely different path, at lightning speed. And after an impressive debut season in , the McLaren driver has her eyes set on the Championship in 2026.
With no prior competitive karting experience, Ella began racing competitively in 2022 in the Ginetta Junior Championship, ending her first season with points in an impressive 15 of the 25 races. The following year, she competed in the Ginetta GT Championship, earning the vice-champion title in a competitive field.
At the beginning of 2024, Ella made her single-seater debut in the Formula Winter Series, taking the Female Driver Trophy multiple times. This led to a seat in British F4 with JHR Developments, where she finished 11th, with 13 points finishes, including four podiums.
Ella also joined the F1 Academy grid in Singapore as the Wild Card, where she caught the attention of the McLaren Driver Development Programme after finishing in the points in both races.
She was officially announced as a McLaren Development Driver in October 2024, alongside a dual campaign with Rodin Motorsport in the 2025 F1 Academy and British F4 seasons. Emerging as a competitive force in both series, she’s picked up multiple podiums, including a maiden F1 Academy victory, in Race 1 of the series’ second round in Jeddah.
Additionally, in 2025, Ella gained further experience with McLaren’s Formula E team, initially at the all-electric series Women’s Test at Jarama in Madrid, where she finished seventh. This was followed by a second appearance at the Berlin Rookie Test in 2025.
Ella made great strides across her rookie season in F1 Academy and finished an impressive fourth in the Drivers’ standings in 2025, making her the highest-placed rookie. Ella will continue in F1 Academy in 2026 and has made her ambitions clear, asserting that she will be targeting ultimate honours.
Ella, who hails from Pontypridd in Wales, was born into a family with a high sporting pedigree. Her father is a Paralympic skier who also holds a rallying license, while outside of racing, Ella is a decorated showjumper and skier. In 2019, she won the gold medal at the 2019 Welsh Skiing Championship and the 148 Bronze League area 35 Wales with her horse, Elvira.
