Interview
‘Harder than I wanted it to be’ - Lloyd and Felbermayr reflect on frustrating Silverstone Qualifying
Ella Lloyd and Emma Felbermayr were left searching for answers after enduring a difficult Qualifying at Silverstone, with both Rodin Motorsport drivers conceding that the pace was not at the level they expected.
Lloyd topped the timesheets during in-season testing, but that pace failed to translate into a strong return to the British track. The McLaren driver did not seem as comfortable as she did back in April, finishing 11th in Practice.
This continued into Qualifying, with Lloyd unable to challenge the leading group throughout the 30-minute session. Six tenths slower than polesitter Chiara Bättig, the 20-year-old had to settle for P6.
Speaking after the session, Lloyd admitted that the pace wasn’t where she wanted it to be, with track evolution less than anticipated after six session between Practice and Qualifying.
“The track obviously gripped up a little bit, but I don't think it was very significant,” noted Lloyd. “There was quite a bit of wind and the direction changed from earlier as well, so I was just having to adapt to that.
“We didn’t really have the best car in Free Practice, which put me on the back foot a little bit just coming in not really expecting what the car’s going to be like and the grip level. I think there was maybe a little bit more in there but not much more.”
Despite the disappointment, this marked Lloyd’s highest Qualifying result of the campaign so far. Gaining 21 places across the three races in Montreal, the Welsh racer only needs to gain two on Saturday as she lines up third for the Reverse Grid Race.
READ MORE: QUALIFYING: Bättig makes history as she rockets to first Wild Card pole at Silverstone
Believing she has the pace to bring home her first win and podium of 2026, Lloyd stressed the need to focus on nailing her getaway to get the best opportunities to overtake through the opening sequence of corners.
“It's a bit annoying,” she admits. “I topped the times in testing and the car has just never felt the same coming here this weekend as it did during the test. That's kind of a downside, but obviously it's the best Qualifying of the year so far, so I've got to take it as a bit of a positive.
“I know I can race. I think you've seen in all the races until now that I've moved forward in every race. I have good starts, so that's all I can hope for really — a good start to keep it clean and make as many moves as I possibly can.”
On the other side of the garage, Felbermayr also struggled to piece together what went wrong in Qualifying. With her best time deleted for track limits at Turn 9, which would have matched Lloyd’s effort, the Audi driver eventually finished eighth quickest.
This has dealt a blow to her clawing back some of Alisha Palmowski’s 25-point advantage in the Drivers’ Standings, with the Red Bull Racing driver securing P2.
“Not a clean session,” said Felbermayr. “The first outing we had was pretty strong, but the second one was just too slow. The first one felt really good, the second one not so much.
“I don’t know, we need to analyse what happened. It was really close to P4, within two tenths so it’s not too far off. I got one of my laps deleted, the faster one which is also not optimal. I just need to see and improve for tomorrow.”
Felbermayr will now line up on reverse grid pole for the third time in F1 ACADEMY after Race 1 in Jeddah and Miami last year, with Alpine’s Nina Gademan for company on the front row.
Acutely aware of the likelihood of a chaotic debut race for the series at Silverstone, the Austrian driver’s focus will be on ensuring she makes it to the chequered flag twice this weekend.
Asked what approach will be leading from pole, Felbermayr said: “Just having a clean race, trying to improve the pace. For Sunday, I have to make a few places up, so there are some opportunities to overtake here. It's not ruined the weekend, but definitely a bit harder than I wanted it to be.”