It was a victory at the Montreal Grand Prix for Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 team driver George Russell and a podium for rookie Kimi Antonelli, but it was also a win for Charlotte County’s Grace Lloyd.
She discovered machine learning – using data and artificial intelligence to improve computer performance – during her undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto and fell in love with it.
It’s a journey that would eventually lead her to the pinnacle of motorsport – Formula 1.
Lloyd lives in Northampton, United Kingdom. At first, she said in an interview with The Courier, she dabbled with the solar race team – her first brush with motorsport.
“I really enjoyed it but as my time at school was coming to an end, I didn’t really see a way I could continue in motorsport and keep doing data work,” she said. “I vaguely knew of F1 and other motorsport series, but I had assumed that jobs in those teams were way more mechanically focused than I could ever hope to be.”
Lloyd said during the COVID-19 pandemic, she discovered Netflix’s Drive to Survive – a documentary-style show that follows the various teams and drivers across the world throughout the Formula 1 season.
“I wasn’t with them at the time but when I came home during the summer of 2020, [my family was] watching the races on Sundays,” she said. “Once I started watching [it] with them, I became hooked on the sport as a whole but I was really fascinated with the technical side and for the first time I thought ‘maybe I can work in F1.’ ”
Lloyd went on to a masters degree in data science and machine learning at Cardiff University in the UK.
“I joined their formula student team to get more experience and eventually applied and got the job I have now at Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team,” she said.
On the weekends, fans from across the world gather in the grandstands and teams prepare to fight to be the fastest on track, but work is always underway behind the seasons.
Lloyd is one of the people who works diligently so Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 drivers George Russell and rookie Kimi Antonelli can fight for wins against the top teams.
“A few times a season, I do get the opportunity to spend the weekend at the Brackley factory in the race support room helping monitor things,” she said. “Ahead of those weekends you’re still trying to do your regular job, but if the race is in a much different time zone you have to shift yourself onto the track time zone, which can be anywhere from just showing up a bit later to work to completely flipping your schedule for races like Melbourne.”
Her work, which happens mainly during the weekdays, kicks into higher gear following the race weekends.
“My work mostly starts once the weekend ends, and we get new data from the car,” she said. “I spend time looking at the data and understanding what happened over the weekend and how it might affect the data I use.”
There is a constant pursuit of better performance, she explained.
“We engineers are constantly trying to innovate to bring better lap time to the car. There is always something new to try or learn,” she said.
Lloyd said no one works in isolation and every day she is learning new things at every opportunity, with valuable insights coming from the people she works with.
The sport is entering a new era of technical regulations – according to the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) there will be a reduction in the car size and weight, revised aerodynamics. The teams will remove the “ground effect” on the cars, returning to a flat underside.
Changes are also coming to the power units and the removal of the drag reduction system, to be replaced by active aerodynamics.
Lloyd finds the technical regulations an interesting part of her job.
“We have such a big book of technical rules we have to follow, but this adds to the fun of the job,” she said. “It’s a lot of how to design within the rules or how to find interesting loopholes. Next year is a big regulation change so it’s a very busy time for all teams on the grid but its also a very exciting time to be in the sport.”
Her first win with the team was Las Vegas 2024, a one-two finish for the team.
“We always celebrate wins together at the factory on the Monday after a Grand Prix and your first win is always special,” she said.
She said it has truly been a dream come true to join the team.
“There’s a real sense of passion and teamwork that runs through everything we do, and it’s something you can feel just walking through the factory,” she said.
Working at the team, she explained, is good both physically and mentally.
“There is a lot of emphasis placed on wellbeing because we view it as you can’t be your best if you aren’t feeling your best,” she said.
Lloyd speaks to young women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) as part of the team’s outreach efforts.
“It’s something I’m really proud to be involved in,” she said. “Representation matters, and I hope that by sharing my journey, I can help inspire the next generation of girls to see themselves in motorsport.”
She has felt inspired and welcomed from the first day on the job, saying there has been a sense of passion and teamwork that runs through the heartbeat of the team.
She feels privileged to be part of the team always chasing the thrill of getting the checkered flag first.
“Formula 1 is such a dynamic and evolving sport—it’s not just about the racing, it’s about innovation, resilience, and pushing boundaries,” she said.
Lloyd said there is something for everyone in Formula 1.
“You might be surprised by how quickly you get hooked,” she said.
