McLaren F1 teen hopes to inspire other women

"We are all driving the same car on the same track. It is who wins at the end of the day."

Ella Lloyd, 19, is joining one of the biggest Formula 1 brands in the world and said the representation would get more women into the sport - both behind the wheel and behind the scenes.

An accomplished athlete in skiing and show jumping, Ella, from Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf is joining McLaren for its 2025 F1 Academy season.

Despite her success, she still gets "mixed views" from men in the sport and hopes her place and an upcoming Netflix series following some of her peers, will help overtake stereotypes.

Ella only started driving two years ago but has already competed in races all over the world, securing four podiums in her last F4 season.

In 2025 she will represent McLaren where she will be one of 22 drivers aiming for success.

She said: "Its an amazing opportunity to be involved with McLaren and to be on the development programme.

"It's a full female grid to try and promote females in motorsport, not just in driving but as engineers and so on.

"Its going to be a big jump, not in terms of car, but just being in F1 and the media but I'm ready for it."

Ella says her mum Jessica (right) and dad Chris are supportive, with her mum plaiting her hair especially for races so it fits in her helmet

The Netflix series will follow some of Ella's peers in their races and personal lives and will be produced by Reese Witherspoon's company Hello Sunshine.

Ella is not in the programme but said the representation to get women in sport was very important for F1's future.

"There isn’t that many females at a high level so there aren’t many [women] to look up and say 'I want to get into it,' but F1 Academy is creating that.

"Seeing females compete, especially on the F1 weekend, is definitely going to make young females get into it."

She said, despite proving their place, women still struggled to get the support of some of their male peers.

"I have been competing against males this whole year on F4 and its been pretty positive and I've had quite a few podiums so there is no reason we can not be as good or even better," she said.

"When you're out on track they probably don’t like being passed by females but when you're on the track overtaking you're all there to do the same thing."

Singapore's Marina Bay Street Circuit is among the global courses Ella has raced on

Despite this, she said does not feel the pressure: "My goal is to go to F1 but I am just making small steps each time I get in the car to edge my way closer and closer to the goal.

"It would be pretty amazing to get that high [to race in F1] and it would inspire more women to get into motorsports. Not just driving but the mechanics and everything."

'Mam still plaits my hair for races'

Ella puts in a lot of hours of training but said she could not do it without her family, who come to every race and track day to support her.

They even have their own special routines.

"My mam plaits it in two plaits so it goes directly between my spine... She has always plaited my hair since so it's kind of a tradition now."

Her father Chris Lloyd is a Paralympic skier who was paralysed from the neck down after a rally car accident in 2011.

She said he has always encouraged her sporting ambitions.

"My family are always there with me whatever I am doing. I can't thank them enough.

"He [dad] still gets very nervous when I get in the car. I don’t think he likes it very much just in case something happens."

In a job with so much travelling, Ella said she always makes sure to head home when she is not testing, but she admits she does not "miss the rain".