Ella Lloyd has been crowned as the leading newcomer in this year’s F1 Academy series, capping a successful debut season that produced multiple race wins and podium finishes.
The Welsh ace entered the seventh and final double-header of the year, on the glamorous streets of Las Vegas, holding third in the overall standings by just two points, but behind two drivers who already had at least of year of competition in the series under their belts. Although she subsequently lost a position in the final table, Lloyd did enough over the weekend to ensure that she remained as the highest-placed rookie in fourth overall — and will look to build on that result in 2026, having confirmed her return to the F1 Academy with ongoing support from the McLaren team.
Buoyed by a positive test session in Bahrain, and another in Spain with the all-electric Formula E series, Lloyd arrived in Las Vegas with her 2026 programme secure and able to focus on the job in hand. After playing herself into the unique venue through Thursday’s 40-minute practice session, the 20-year-old was first to post a flying lap in qualifying which, with the Las Vegas Grand Prix’s unusual schedule, began shortly before ten at night! Unfortunately for Lloyd and those involved with the #20 entry, she found herself shuffled back through the top ten as the session wore on and, by missing a spot in the first eight for the partially-reversed race one grid, would find herself starting uncharacteristically far back in the field for both events.
“We struggled a bit in qualifying, but that was largely down to whether you got a tow or not,” Lloyd explained, acknowledging that working with another car was worth anything up to eight-tenths a lap. “Unfortunately, I only picked up a tow for a small part of my final lap, so I know there was a lot more potential in the car.”
With rain in the air, and several laps spent behind the safety car as the conditions caught out drivers around her, Lloyd managed to avoid the early chaos to join the lead battle in fifth place, only for a misjudgement while challenging for position on the wet surface to end in the barriers. With incidents continuing through to the chequered flag, the Rodin driver would no doubt rue a potential podium lost.
Thankfully, the final race of the season took place on a dry circuit but, with less mayhem ahead of her, Lloyd had to fight to make up places from her grid position. She was able to improve, however, pulling off several passing moves to elevate the papaya-and-black #20 machine to an eventual sixth place, more than enough to secure fourth in the end-of-season standings and clinch the rookie of the year title.
“It was a pretty tough weekend compared others that we have had, as we didn’t really find the right set-up for the dry conditions until the final race,” Lloyd admitted. “The wet set-up was pretty good but, unfortunately, I locked the front tyres on the painted lines and that left me with no front grip. In the dry, it wasn’t as easy to overtake as we thought it might be and the tow wasn’t as effective as it might have been.”
The McLaren team made headlines in the week before the F1 Academy finale when it announced that Lloyd would be a returning member of its young driver programme — alongside two other ‘Ellas’, Stevens and Hakkinen — and part of an expanded two-car line-up in the all-female series, which kicks off its 2026 calendar in Shanghai in mid-March.
“It’s been a good season overall, albeit with some up and downs,” Lloyd reflected. “To come away as top rookie is amazing, and we’ll be back next year to fight for the championship.”
