McLaren Racing“We’re all driving the identical automobile on the identical observe. It’s who wins on the finish of the day.”
Ella Lloyd, 19, is becoming a member of one of many largest System 1 manufacturers on the planet and mentioned the illustration would get extra ladies into the game – each behind the wheel and behind the scenes.
An achieved athlete in snowboarding and present leaping, Ella, from Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf is becoming a member of McLaren for its 2025 F1 Academy season.
Regardless of her success, she nonetheless will get “blended views” from males within the sport and hopes her place and an upcoming Netflix series following a few of her friends, will assist overtake stereotypes.
Ella solely began driving two years in the past however has already competed in races all around the world, securing 4 podiums in her final F4 season.
In 2025 she’s going to signify McLaren the place she can be one in all 22 drivers aiming for fulfillment.
She mentioned: “Its a tremendous alternative to be concerned with McLaren and to be on the event programme.
“It is a full feminine grid to try to promote females in motorsport, not simply in driving however as engineers and so forth.
“Its going to be a giant leap, not when it comes to automobile, however simply being in F1 and the media however I am prepared for it.”
The Netflix sequence will comply with a few of Ella’s friends of their races and private lives and can be produced by Reece Wetherspoon’s firm Hey Sunshine.
Ella is just not within the programme however mentioned the illustration to get ladies in sport was crucial for F1’s future.
“There isn’t that many females at a excessive degree so there aren’t many [women] to search for and say ‘I need to get into it,’ however F1 Academy is creating that.
“Seeing females compete, particularly on the F1 weekend, is certainly going to make younger females get into it.”
She mentioned, regardless of proving their place, ladies nonetheless struggled to get the help of a few of their male friends.
“I’ve been competing in opposition to males this complete 12 months on F4 and its been fairly optimistic and I’ve had fairly a number of podiums so there isn’t any purpose we can’t be nearly as good and even higher,” she mentioned.
“Whenever you’re out on observe they most likely don’t like being handed by females however while you’re on the observe overtaking you are all there to do the identical factor.”
Getty PhotographsRegardless of this, she mentioned doesn’t really feel the stress: “My purpose is to go to F1 however I’m simply making small steps every time I get within the automobile to edge my manner nearer and nearer to the purpose.
“It might be fairly superb to get that top [to race in F1] and it will encourage extra ladies to get into motorsports. Not simply driving however the mechanics and every part.”
‘Mam nonetheless plaits my hair for races’
Ella places in a number of hours of coaching however mentioned she couldn’t do it with out her household, who come to each race and observe day to help her.
They even have their very own particular routines.
“My mam plaits it in two plaits so it goes instantly between my backbone… She has all the time plaited my hair since so it is sort of a convention now.”
Her father Chris Lloyd is a Paralympic skier who was paralysed from the neck down after a rally car accident in 2011.
She mentioned he has all the time inspired her sporting ambitions.
“My household are all the time there with me no matter I’m doing. I can not thank them sufficient.
“He [dad] nonetheless will get very nervous once I get within the automobile. I don’t suppose he likes it very a lot simply in case one thing occurs.”
In a job with a lot travelling, Ella mentioned she all the time makes certain to go residence when she is just not testing, however she admits she doesn’t “miss the rain”.
