Ella Häkkinen Joins McLaren

In the world of Formula 1, few surnames carry the same weight as Häkkinen. Now, more than two decades after Mika Häkkinen’s final race for McLaren, the name is returning to the team this time through his 14-year-old daughter, Ella Häkkinen, one of Europe’s most promising young racers.

McLaren has officially announced that Ella will join its Driver Development Programme, marking a major step in her blossoming motorsport career. The young Finn, who has already collected wins and podiums across Europe’s competitive karting scene, will become the youngest member of the team’s junior roster.

A New Chapter for a Famous Name

Ella’s addition to the McLaren family is more than just a symbolic reunion. It’s a sign of the team’s commitment to nurturing future talent and to broadening opportunities for women in motorsport.

She will join Ella Stevens, 19, and Ella Lloyd, 20, two British racers who will represent McLaren in the F1 Academy in 2026, an all-female racing series that runs alongside Formula 1 Grands Prix. While Stevens and Lloyd prepare for the grid, Häkkinen will spend the next two years testing single-seaters, building towards a potential debut in 2027.

The 14-year-old’s résumé already speaks volumes. In 2024, she claimed victory at the Champions of the Future Academy karting event in Cremona, Italy a result that put her firmly on the radar of top teams.

A Father’s Pride

For Mika Häkkinen, the two-time Formula 1 world champion who delivered McLaren’s last drivers’ titles in 1998 and 1999, watching his daughter follow in his tyre tracks has been both surreal and gratifying.

“Ella is an extremely talented racing driver,” Mika told Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat last month. “I’m not just saying this as a father, but as a former top driver. I don’t focus so much on the results it’s about how she develops as a driver. When there’s progress and motivation, there’s always a chance of success.”

Mika’s own career spanned over a decade in Formula 1, yielding 20 race wins and cementing his reputation as one of the sport’s greats. Now, he’s watching the next generation take shape not just as a father, but as a mentor.

McLaren’s Commitment to the Future

McLaren CEO Zak Brown praised the addition of Häkkinen and her peers as a sign of the team’s evolving approach to diversity and talent development.

“While I recognise that more remains to be done to increase female representation in motorsport, I’m immensely proud of the progress we’ve made,” Brown said. “To now have three talented young female drivers in our Driver Development Programme is really exciting. I can’t wait to see them hit the track.”

Brown also thanked McLaren’s partner NEOM for supporting initiatives that open more pathways for women in racing from drivers to engineers, mechanics, and beyond.

The Road Ahead

For Ella Häkkinen, the journey is only just beginning. Testing single-seaters will mark her first step into the world that made her father a legend. And while expectations will inevitably follow her name, those who’ve watched her drive say her talent speaks for itself.

McLaren’s orange papaya has always been a symbol of speed, precision, and heritage. With Ella Häkkinen now wearing its colours, it’s also a symbol of the future one where the next generation of racers, regardless of gender, can chase their Formula 1 dreams.

From F1 news to tech, history to opinions, F1 Chronicle has a free Substack. To deliver the stories you want straight to your inbox, click here.

For more F1 news and videos, follow us on Microsoft Start.

New to Formula 1? Check out our Glossary of F1 Terms, and our Beginners Guide to Formula 1 to fast-track your F1 knowledge