Lloyd pleased by progress at Rodin after topping Day 1 in Jeddah

Ella Lloyd was satisfied with her first introduction to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, ending the first day of running at the top of the timesheets.

Showing decent pace from the outset, the McLaren driver clocked in the fourth-fastest time in the opening session. Picking up where she left off in the late-night running, Lloyd was flying under the floodlights, posting a 2:05.367 to finish the day quickest overall.

As she continues to get acquainted with track that she’ll be racing on in Round 2, Lloyd says she’s feeling much more confident in package she and her Rodin Motorsport team have put together.

“I think the track is pretty good,” she summarised. “It suits my driving style a lot more than Shanghai. The car is definitely in a better window than what it was at Shanghai.

“I just basically got on with it. Learnt the circuit this morning, which went pretty well. (Then) push this afternoon on the new tyres. I’d done a pretty decent lap, but there’s still obviously a lot more time to find.”

One challenge the field have encountered is the heat, with temperatures reaching above 35˚C during the first session and likely to remain so during both races in a fortnight's time.

READ MORE: Lloyd quickest on opening day of Jeddah in-season testing

Despite her background racing in the cooler British climate, Lloyd drew similarities to the conditions she faced during her Wild Card appearance last year as she looks to build on her work on Day 2.

“To be honest, I don't really mind the heat,” she admitted. “I did Singapore and I was alright. Coming here, once you're in the car, you’ve got the wind coming towards you. It's not too bad, I don't mind. It's only when you get out of the car, I feel like I'm sweating more.”