Ella Lloyd topped the morning session on Day 1 of the F1 Academy in-season test at Silverstone. The British driver went 2:01.568 in the first session and ended the afternoon session going third fastest.
With Rodin Motorsport, Lloyd made several improvements throughout the opening day. After finding her footing quickly around the iconic track, the McLaren driver left the day on a positive note. Speaking about her experience after Day 1, Lloyd said:
“Today been very positive actually. There was a lot of grip out there from the race weekend that just happened. A positive day, just trying things with the car as well. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow and seeing what we can do.”
Lloyd about the Silverstone circuit: “I know it like the back of my hand.”
Lloyd is not unfamiliar with the Silverstone circuit, as she previously raced there in British F4. The 20-year-old drew on her prior track experience to deliver a solid lap early on. While the afternoon session saw her P3 rather than P1, Lloyd believes opting for a different run plan could explain this.
“Definitely any track knowledge helps. This morning, we had a pretty good car. This afternoon, we had a good car as well but I think the time we did (our lap) our new tyre wasn’t at the peak of the track.
“We did it at the end and it went a bit cloudy and a little bit colder. I think when Payton did her time, which was straight after lunch, that was when the track was probably at its best. We set a decent lap time in the morning, so I think we can set another good one tomorrow.”
“I’ve always liked Silverstone. I’ve been coming here for who knows how many years now, so I know it like the back of my hand. I think because I’ve driven it so much, I’ve just got used to the track and how you need to drive it. So it definitely suits me and my driving style now.”
Holds an advantage over the F1 Academy field at Silverstone
As conditions vary by time of day, Lloyd hopes tomorrow’s run is even better weather-wise. Still, the McLaren driver delivered strong lap times and a solid effort. Day 2 of testing is set to deliver damp conditions. However, with Lloyd’s experience, she hopes she has an advantage over the pack when it comes to managing weather changes.
“If it doesn’t rain, it doesn’t bother me because then it gives me the upper hand on the race weekend if it does rain. If it rains, there’s more experience in the car and we haven’t really done a lot of wet running in this car.
“It’s definitely good to have a test considering we’ve missed out on a race weekend, so it’s quite key to have this test before Montreal. This car is actually a lot different to drive compared to the normal F4 car.
“Even though I’ve been doing British F4 and testing, it’s nothing like driving the actual car, so it’s good to just get back out there. Montreal is completely different, no one drives there compared to here where we’ve just had a race weekend. It’s going to be a completely different challenge, but I’m looking forward to it.”
The next round of F1 Academy will be in Montreal, before Lloyd and the grid head back to Silverstone in July.
