\u201cI think I\u2019ve improved consistently as the season as gone on,\u201d she agrees. \u201cShanghai [sixth and seventh] wasn\u2019t the best start, and honestly, my expectations were a bit higher \u2013 but we\u2019ve come a long way. Winning in Jeddah was satisfying, I had a consistent weekend in Canada [second, second and second], and last time out in Zandvoort [fourth and fourth] was pretty good too. I think I\u2019m getting progressively better and more consistent.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Returning to Marina Bay, a year on from her F1 Academy debut, is an opportunity to demonstrate her development as a racing driver: \u201cI\u2019m looking forward to this weekend as an opportunity to show that progress. I was competitive here last year, and have done a lot of racing since then, particularly on street circuits, which are a different sort of racing experience. Hopefully this weekend will be pretty good.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Alongside her F1 Academy campaign, Ella also competes in British F4, where she has multiple points finishes and five podiums from two seasons in the series. Hopping between the two series isn\u2019t entirely straightforward: F1 Academy is based on an F4 car and, like the British F4 Championship, uses a Tatuus F4-T41 chassis \u2013 but the two series still differ in many ways. A combination of differing tyres, engines, aero packs and rules makes the challenge of switching between the series a little disconcerting. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI would say that it was a little bit of a struggle to start with – the two cars are different,\u201d she says. \u201cThe main challenge, to begin with, was trying to find the right setup for me with the F1 Academy car \u2013 I was trying to find my feet a little bit in that respect. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe camber and caster on the F1 Academy car are limited at the front, and the aerodynamic options move in big steps, so you need to have a lot of mechanical grip. It\u2019s different to the British F4 car, where you can balance that out with aero. This results in quite different characteristics, which require two different driving styles: the F1 Academy car doesn\u2019t have a lot of front end, whereas the British F4 car rotates really well. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter the first few rounds, I learned to adapt relatively quickly. Having to jump from car to car, with only one practice session in each, has made me a better driver. I am now better at adapting quickly, and am able to be fast straight away. It was hard work initially, but is definitely an advantage for me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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