Ella Lloyd has been deemed one of the most exciting up-and-coming female talents in motorsport, and going into 2025, she’ll be McLaren Racing’s F1 Academy driver.

Ella was born in Wales into a family with a high sporting pedigree as her father was a Paralympic skier who also holds a rallying license.

Ella 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, Ella made her single-seater debut in the Formula Winter Series, taking the Female Driver Trophy multiple times. She now competes in British F4 with JHR Developments. Ella has had multiple points finishes so far, including P2 in Race 2 at Silverstone, Race 2 at Knockhill and Race 3 at Brands Hatch GP and P3 in Race 3 at Donington Park.

Ella also joined the F1 Academy grid in Singapore as the Wild Card, where she made her mark, finishing in the points in both races.

Outside of racing, Ella is a decorated show jumper and skier, winning the gold medal at the 2019 Welsh Skiing Championship.

In October 2024, Ella was announced as part of the McLaren Driver Development programme ahead of her competing for the team in the 2025 F1 Academy season. Alongside her role in the DDP and the F1 Academy programme, Ella will also race in British F4 with Rodin Motorsport.