Return delight for Lloyd but heartache for Evans

THERE was disappointment for Wales on the WRC front, but success for another Welsh driver this weekend.

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Pontypridd’s Ella Lloyd, who has been competing in the British F4 Championship with Rodin Motorsport and is a Mclaren-backed driver in the F1 Academy race series, was 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 doubleheader of the year, on the glamorous Las Vegas Strip holding third in the overall standings by just two points, but behind two drivers who already had much more experience in the series.

Lloyd lost a position in the final table, but ensured that she remained as the highest-placed rookie in fourth overall — and will now build on that result in 2026, with her return to the F1 Academy confirmed with ongoing support by the McLaren team.