Ella Lloyd to enter F4 UAE Trophy Series with Xcel Motorsport

McLaren Development Program driver Ella Lloyd will compete in the upcoming F4 UAE Trophy Series with Xcel Motorsport as preparation for her 2025 campaign after an impressive debut in British F4 and a wild card appearance in F1 Academy in 2024, on her single seater debut season.

Welsh racer Ella Lloyd is set to enter the upcoming F4 UAE Trophy series, as she joins Xcel Motorsport for the Middle-East based rounds in preparation of her 2025 F1 Academy campaign.

Lloyd, who made her debut in single seaters in 2024, has been signed to the McLaren Driver Development Program for the 2025 F1 Academy campaign, following a convincing debut in the all-female series promoted by F1 in a wild card entry at Singapore.

Lloyd stepped up to Formula 4 machinery after becoming vice-champion in the Ginetta GT Championship in 2023, where she scored 10 class wins.

After a solid testing program, Ella then made her F4 racing debut in the Formula Winter Series, where she competed at Aragon and Barcelona.

She then tackled her first full-season campaign in the British F4 Championship with JHR Development, securing four podiums, securing four podiums, in a stellar season that also featured 13 top-ten finishes out of 27 races.

Ella entered the fifth round of the F1 Academy season as the Wild Card and immediately made good progress over the weekend on the Marina Bay Singapore street circuit, finishing twice in the top-ten. She was then announced as the McLaren representative for the 2025 season in a Rodin Motorsport entry.

To continue her preparation, Lloyd will now enter the F4 UAE Trophy series with Xcel Motorsport: "I’m super excited to announce that I will be competing in the 2024 F4 UAE Trophy Series with Xcel Motorsport, I can’t wait to hit the track later next week and push for the best results possible" - Lloyd commented.

The F4 UAE Trophy series includes three rounds at the end of 2024, across Dubai Autodrome and Yas Marina Circuit - including the F1-supporting round - before the full F4 Middle East Championship, scheduled for January/February 2025 in a five-event calendar.

“We are delighted to welcome Ella to the team for the F4 UAE Trophy Series", said Paul Hardy, team manager of Xcel Motorsport. "Her performances in the British F4 Championship this year have been solid, showcasing her raw speed and racecraft. We believe she has great potential, and we’re excited to work with her as she takes this next step in her career.”

The inaugural F4 UAE Trophy Series will kick off on December 1st at Dubai Autodrome, followed by the F1-support round on 7-8 December and the final meeting, again at Abu Dhabi, on 15th December in support of the Gulf 12 Hours race.