Yesterday, British driver Ella Lloyd was announced as the next Wild Card entry in the all-female series. This initiative was launched to support and strengthen the talent pool in the regions where F1 Academy races. In places where a local driver isn’t available, the opportunity is accessible to drivers from different regions that aspire to drive in F1 Academy in the future.
18-year-old Lloyd is currently competing in the ROKiT FIA British Formula F4 with JHR Developments, already scoring three podium finishes this season and occupying ninth place out of twenty nine in the championship. In Singapore, she’ll drive a special-edition livery of F1 Academy Discover Your Drive, which is the series’ global programme focused on finding and inspiring the new generation of female talent in motorsport.
On top of backing up Lloyd, F1 Academy Discover You Drive started the Career Discovery Programme in 2024 — an educational trackside experience at every race, designed to create more opportunities for students to take a look into the real life of motorsport.
In Singapore, there will be six students invited to the F1 Academy paddock to participate in the early-careers programme and across the whole weekend, students are introduced to a variety of roles in journalism, marketing, sponsorship, hospitality, or event management. They are also assigned to different F1 Academy teams to learn about engineering, strategy and operations.
“At F1 Academy, our mission is to inspire the next generation of female talent – both on and off the track,” said Pilar Harris, F1 Academy Discover Your Drive lead.
“We’re working to bring opportunities to young girls and women around the world and encourage a new generation of girls and women to consider a career in motorsport. We’re delighted to welcome Ella as our Wild Card entry for Round 5 and to see her sporting a livery that underlines our commitment to fuelling futures with F1 Academy Discover Your Drive.”
Ella Lloyd is a perfect example of a dedicated young woman in sports — aside from a promising racing driver, she is also a decorated show jumper, winning the 148 Bronze League area 35 Wales with her horse named Elvira in 2019, while in the same year she also took gold at the Welsh Skiing Championship in Switzerland.
The 18-year-old from Pontypridd made her racing debut in 2022 at the Ginetta Junior Championship, which was a great success, bringing home points in fifteen out of twenty five races. Last season, Lloyd moved up to GT5, taking ten victories and another eight podiums to finish second in the Pro class.
British F4 this year is a new experience for her, bringing her into the single-seaters with downforce. Now, taking part in one round of F1 Academy can help her not only broaden her horizons and gain valuable experience, but also attract sponsors and potentially a team to take her in for a full season in the all-female series in the future.
“I am very excited and honored 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,” Lloyd commented.
“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,” she concluded.
