Lloyd joins McLaren for upcoming F1 Academy season

Ella Lloyd will drive in Formula E's Women's Test in Spain this November

Welsh teenager Ella Lloyd has joined the McLaren Driver Development programme.

The 19-year-old will drive in Formula E's Women's Test in Valencia, Spain, on 7 November and will then represent McLaren in the 2025 F1 Academy season, in an entry operated by Rodin Motorsport.

Lloyd, whose family is from Pontypridd in south Wales, joins the programme following an impressive British F4 season where she secured four podiums.

“I’m really excited to be joining the McLaren Driver Development programme as the team’s F1 Academy driver in 2025," Lloyd told the McLaren website.

"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.”

Lloyd 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 second and one third-place finish, plus multiple points finishes.