Interview
Lloyd credits ‘massive step forward’ for propelling her to flawless Jeddah Race 1 victory
In Ella Lloyd’s mind, victory in Race 1 was never in doubt from the moment the McLaren driver nailed her getaway from a P2 start on the run down to the first corner.
Getting the better of her Rodin Motorsport teammate Emma Felbermayr off the line, Lloyd looked right at home, pulling out a 1.3s gap by the end of the opening lap.
Holding firm at the Safety Car restart, she was unbothered by the pressure Alisha Palmowski and later Maya Weug tried to pile on her. Keeping herself tantalisingly close but just out of their reach, Lloyd took home her first win in the series by 0.176s.
Satisfied by a job well done, Lloyd said: “I’m feeling pretty good. My plan was to lead into Turn 1 and that’s what I’ve done, pretty happy with myself for that. Then just be consistent and I think my race was pretty consistent.
“I had quite a big gap at the start and then the Safety Car came out, obviously the field caught back up. I dealt with it quite well, kept calm, no mistakes and just kept pushing to the end.”
Safety Car restarts are a tense moment for any driver, not least a rookie like Lloyd in only her third F1 ACADEMY weekend after her Singapore Wild Card appearance last year. Detailing the thought process, the Briton knew her rivals would have no response if she played to her strengths.
“I thought (about getting) a good restart,” Lloyd explained. "Hopefully, I can drop her a little bit and I did. She didn’t get a chance into Turn 1 and then I was quick through the first Sector. Obviously, with the tow, they’re going to catch up through the last two. I kept my head cool, been consistent, made no mistakes and I won.”
READ MORE: RACE 1: Lloyd clings on for maiden victory in Jeddah ahead of Weug and Palmowski
She added: “They were behind me, but I knew they were too far away to do a move. Maya tried into the last corner, but I didn’t even bother defending because I knew she was too far back.”
Achieving Rodin’s 11th win in the series and McLaren’s first podium in Jeddah on a Formula 1 weekend was a big accomplishment for Lloyd. Nevertheless, the 19-year-old is far from satisfied and wants to win outright on Grand Prix Sunday.
“It’s pretty good. Not from where I want it, I want it to be in the main race, not the reverse grid," she said. "So, my goal is for the main race to get a better Qualifying and to be able to win from there.
“I think we’ve had a massive step forward from Shanghai. We were quick in the test here, Qualifying didn’t quite go our way, but we showed our pace in the race. Hopefully, in Race 2 we can just keep pushing and try and make up as many places as we can.”
Now looking ahead to her P7 start for Race 2, Lloyd added: “My pace is pretty good, made no mistakes. My racing is pretty good, so to be a little bit further back from where I want to be, I’ll just have to get my head down and just make moves.”