McLaren have announced that two drivers will be representing the team on the 2026 F1 Academy gird, with Ella Lloyd retained for her sophomore campaign alongside Ella Stevens, who joins their Driver Development Programme.
Lloyd has enjoyed a successful rookie season with five podiums, including one win to her name. The Welsh racer finished the season in 4th, scoring 109 points in total.
Stevens recently became the Vice-Champion in the 2025 British KZ2 Karting Championship and is the only woman to win in the UK’s premier karting class. In September, she topped the timesheets in the inaugural F1 Academy Rookie Test.
McLaren’s added commitment to the series will be delivered in collaboration with long-standing partner NEOM, the development taking shape in northwest Saudi Arabia.
The second McLaren Racing entry piloted by 19 year old Stevens will be known as F1 Academy McLaren Oxagon, and both cars will be operated by Rodin Motorsport.
While I recognise that more remains to be done to increase female representation in motorsport, I’m immensely proud of the progress we’ve made in this space. I hope this signals to all the amazingly talented female karters, drivers, engineers, mechanics, marketeers and accountants out there that our sport is open to all and deeply committed to keeping up the incredible momentum we have seen over the past few years. There are so many opportunities both at and away from track and I want to thank NEOM for partnering with us in this space to help us open more pathways for women. To now have three talented young female drivers in our Driver Development Programme is really exciting, and I cannot wait to see them hit the track. Zak Brown on the news.
The NEOM McLaren Formula E Team has announced that McLaren Driver development programme and F1 Academy driver Ella Lloyd will take part in the Berlin Rookie Test, on Monday 14th July.
Ella, from Wales, began racing competitively in the Ginetta Junior Championship before competing in the Ginetta GT Championship the following year, finishing vice-champion.
At the beginning of 2024, Ella competed in the Formula Winter Series, securing the Female Driver Trophy multiple times. She competed in British F4, completing the season with three P2 result, one P3 and multiple points finishes.
In October last year, Ella joined the McLaren Driver Development Programme and represents the team in the 2025 F1 Academy season. Her participation in the series has already proved fruitful with a race victory in Jeddah, 3 more podiums to her name and 67 points overall from just four race weekends. Alongside her F1 Academy programme, Ella is laso competing in her second season of British F4.
Berlin will mark Ella’s second opportunity in Gen3 Evo machinery, following her first outing at the Season 11 pre-season Women’s test in Madrid, where she impressed the team with her feedback and ability to get to grips with the machinery quickly.
I’m really looking forward to getting behind the wheel of the GEN3 Evo car again with the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team. I learnt so much at the Women’s Test in Madrid and I’m excited to have another opportunity to get out on track and put all the preparation I’ve been doing in the simulator into practice. Lloyd on the news.
Ella is a very exciting young talent, and I’m thrilled that she will be back in the GEN3 Evo at the Berlin Rookie Test. Having worked alongside her over the course of this season, Ella’s professionalism and eagerness to learn left an impression on the whole team. I’m sure that she will continue to build on her knowledge and experience when we head out to Berlin. Ian James, Team Principal.
Maya Weug got Round 2 off to a strong start as the Ferrari driver snatched the fastest time away from Alisha Palmowski with a last-gasp effort as the chequered flag was flown.
It was nip and tuck at the top of the timing sheets, with the leading duo separated by 0.030s followed by Standings leader Doriane Pin in third.
With 40 minutes to get reacquainted with both the low-grip and the scorching temperatures, the field headed out for their installation laps. It would take 10 minutes before Nicole Havrda got the first time of the day on the board with a 2:11.374.
Pin would immediately lower the early benchmark to a 2:07.687 before moving into the 2:06s. Weug was next to go quickest on a 2:06.286 and then clocked in an improved time to put a six tenths buffer between herself and Pin, with Lia Block a further two tenths back in third.
Palmowski was the next driver to move into second, reducing the gap out front to four tenths. Exploring the limits, Farah AlYousef brought out the yellow flags with 15 minutes remaining after the Wild Card driver spun on to the run-off into the final corner.
Into the final three minutes, Pin seized the P1 spot on a 2:05.610, pipping Wug by 0.06s. However the times weren’t done falling yet as Weug restored herself to the top of the order moments before the chequered flag came out.
A last second improvement to 2:-5.387 from Palmowski seemed to get the job done by 0.052s, but Weug had one final push remaining to regain the fastest lap of the session with a 2:05.357.
Qualifying-
Chloe Chambers lit up the Jeddah Corniche Circuit to claim her first pole position in F1 Academy, winning out in a late three-car battle in qualifying.
The Red Bull Ford driver stamped her mark on the timesheets with three minutes to go and nobody’s final attempts could touch her 2:04.320. Doriane Pin was her closest rival in second, two and a half tenths back as Maya Weug completed the top three.
Bolting on a fresh set of Pirelli tyres for Qualifying under the floodlights, Ella Lloyd got the first time on the board, posting a 2:06.550 with a big lock-up from the McLaren driver into the final corner. Despite improving to a 2:06.307 on her next attempt, she was demoted to P2 by practice pace-setter Weug, who went 0.480s clear of Lloyd and her Rodin Motorsport teammates Chloe Chong and Emma Felbermayr.
Their early rhythm would be interrupted by the Red Flag at the 23 minute mark as Lia Block clipped the inside wall into the final corner and crashed into the barrier.
Once running resumed, the drivers squabbled over track position but Lloyd took advantage of her clean air to go top on a 2:05.635. This was only for Weug to once again eclipse her by 0.051s ahead of Alba Larsen who moved her Tommy Hilfiger can into the top three.
Another flying lap complete and Alisha Palmowski was next to go fastest, but the Red Bull Racing driver’s hold would be brief. Chambers rose to the top of the timing screens, three tenths clear of Larsen.
Whilst several of her rivals pitted around the halfway point, Chambers pushed on, becoming the first driver into the 2:04s. Her Campos Racing teammate Palmowski who also improved, closing to within 0.063s of the American.
Palmowski wasn’t done there, going fastest of all on a 2:04.864. Pin, who languished down in P11, then shot up to the top of the order by 0.048s. Benefitting from the tow behind Lloyd, Chambers threw down the gauntlet with a 2:04.320 to take provisional pole.
Pin’s final two attempts weren’t enough to deny Campos their second pole position in F1 Academy, although the Mercedes driver did reduce the deficit down to two tenths.
Weug’s last-gasp improvement at the chequered flag was enough for third, with the rest of the top six holding firm. The top 10 are- Pole: Chambers, P2: Pin, P3: Weug, P4: Palmowski, P5: Larsen, P6: Hausmann, P7: Llloyd, P8: Felbermayr, P9: Gademan and P10: Chong.
Day 2, Race 1-
Ella Lloyd claimed a masterful maiden F1 Academy victory around the Jeddah Corniche Circuit as she seized the lead from her Rodin Motorsport teammate Emma Felbermayr at the first corner to win race 1.
Despite a tantalising Safety Car restart, and immense pressure from Ferrari’s Maya Weug, the McLaren driver maintained first position all the way to the chequered flag.
Although Felbermayr started on reverse grid pole, it was Lloyd who got the better launch at lights out as she sailed into the lead of the race, quickly establishing a sturdy gap back to her teammate. There was another great start for Palmowski down in P5 – she charged through to break into the top three, surviving an additional challenge from Alba Larsen before she masterfully took P2 on the road from Felbermayr.
The drivers jostled for position across the field throughout the opening laps, with Mercedes’ Doriane Pin getting stuck into an intense battle with Tina Hausmann as Weug improved to P3 just ahead.
Further back, disaster struck for Lia Block, who failed to qualify for a second round in a row – the American crashed out of the session.
Whilst fighting to progress up the order, Block was tagged from behind by Haas driver Courtney Crone, spinning her car to face in the wrong direction on track. She managed to get going once again, but it was a different story for Chloe Chong, whose car was damaged as she tried to take avoiding action in the incident.
The chaos triggered an appearance by the Safety Car to neutralise the pack, putting Lloyd under pressure to execute a flawless restart.
Meanwhile, Felbermayr lost out for a second time as she dropped two positions to Pin and Hausmann. The Mercedes driver, and leader in the Drivers’ standings, then set out to hunt down Larsen in P4, with the two battling around the circuit until Pin finally claimed the spot with a superb overtake down the inside on Lap 9.
A flurry of penalties were dealt out on the next lap – Wild Card driver Farah AlYousef received a five-second penalty for a false start, while Crone was handed a 10 second penalty for causing a collision with Block.
Back at the front, there was no time to take a breath even as Race 1 neared its end. On Lap 12 of 13, Ferrari driver Weug skilfully snatched P2 from Palmowski, leaving the latter at the mercy of Pin.
Despite Lloyd’s earlier dominance, Weug was just half a second behind on the final lap, filling the British racer’s mirrors as the two fought in a drag race to chequered flag. Just one-tenth separated the duo over the line, but Lloyd held on brilliantly to secure her first victory in the series.
Maya Weug battled relentlessly to claim her first win of the season ahead of Chloe Chambers, with the Red Bull Ford driver finishing first on the road before being demoted to due to a penalty that arose for her intense on track contest with the Ferrari driver.
It was a flawless getaway for first-time polesitter Chambers despite the pressure of Doriane Pin lining up alongside her, who dominated in Jeddah last season. The American executed a strong launch while Pin lost her P2 spot to the charging Weug.
Focusing on keeping the gap to Chambers as small as possible, the Ferrari driver kicked off a thrilling wheel-to-wheel battle for first place on the track – an attempted overtake round the outside of the American resulted in Weug taking a trip onto the run-off area.
But the fight at the front was far from over as Weug rattled over the kerb to send her car momentarily into the air, once again forcing her to drive wide and allowing Chambers to reclaim the lead.
Chambers began to build a small lead over her rivals, getting up to over a second for a short period, but her hopes of clinging onto the lead were dashed as she was handed a five second time penalty for forcing Weug off the track at Turn 22 during their tantalising battle.
With the field settling into a rhythm and three laps remaining, Chambers continued to extend her advantage at the front in order to salvage a potential podium.
The American racer needed a lap of qualifying speed to minimise her penalty and only drop her to P2, resulting in a fight on the timing sheets between her and Pin – the two were ultimately split by less than one tenth at the chequered flag, meaning that Chambers lost just one position.
She may have crossed the line in second the road, but the penalty promoted Weug to victory, making her the first Ferrari driver to win at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
The full top 10 are- P1: Weug, P2: Chambers, P3: Pin, P4: Palmowski, P5: Larsen, P6: Hausmann, P7: Gademan, P8: Lloyd, P9: Ciconte and P10: Chong.
Ella Lloyd will be embarking on her first full F1 Academy season next year, with the Welsh racer joining the McLaren Driver Development programme to represent the team next season with Rodin Motorsport.
As part of her role in the programme, Lloyd will also compete in Formula E’s Women’s Test – for NEOM McLaren in November, as part of pre-season testing for the 2024/25 season.
The 19 year old made her car racing debut back in 2022 in the Ginetta Junior championship, scoring points in 15 of 25 races that season. The next year, saw her progress to the Ginetta GT Championship, scoring 10 victories and a further eight podiums on her way to Vice Champion title in the Pro Class.
This year, has seen Lloyd achieve the Female Driver Trophy several times in the Formula Winter Series. She also followed that up with a success rookie British F4 campaign in which she secured three second-place finishes, one third place and multiple points finishes to finish 11th in the Standings.
Lloyd has already had her first taste of racing in F1 Academy, where she scored points twice as the Wild Card Entry for Round 5 in Singapore last month.
I’m really excited to be joining the McLaren Driver Development programme as the team’s F1 ACADEMY driver in 2025. 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. Thank you to Zak Brown, Stephanie Carlin and the entire McLaren team for their faith in me. I can’t wait to get racing in papaya. Lloyd on the news.
I am pleased to welcome Ella to the McLaren Driver Development programme ahead of her debut as our F1 ACADEMY driver for the 2025 season. Ella has great talent and potential and has already cemented herself in the series, performing brilliantly as the Wild Card entry in Singapore, so we’re excited to see what she can do with us. We look forward to supporting her development. Stephanie Carlin, Director of F1 Business Operations at McLaren.
F1 Academy has announced that British racer Ella Lloyd will join the grid as the Wild Card entry for Round 5.
Lloyd is currently competing in ROKiT FIA British Formula F4 with JHR Developments and has registered three podium finishes this season, sitting ninth in the standings out of 29.
Singapore will see her get behind the wheel of an F1 Academy car for the first time under the lights at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
The Wild Card initiative was introduced to help strengthen the talent pool in the regions in which F1 Academy races and prioritises talented young driver from each race region. At races where a driver from the local region is not available, the opportunity is made accessible to drivers from other regions who aspire to compete in F1 Academy in the future.
The 18 year old will compete in a special-edition livery and race suit to spotlight F1 Academy Discover Your Drive, the series’ global programme aimed at changing perceptions of motorsport and inspiring the next generation of female talent.
I am very excited and honoured to be given the opportunity to be the F1 ACADEMY Wild Card entry in Singapore. My hard work and dedication throughout my rookie season in single seaters have led me to this amazing moment in my career and I am looking forward to putting everything I have learned into practice and making the most of the weekend. I will show everyone what I can do behind the wheel while making the most of the experience and hopefully inspiring other young female drivers to push for their dreams. I would like to thank Susie Wolff, F1 ACADEMY and everyone involved for making this possible. Ella Lloyd on being the Wild Card Entry.
Jordan's Track Talk 