F1 champion's daughter signs for McLaren

The daughter of two-time F1 champion Mika Hakkinen has signed for McLaren as part of the Woking-based squad's growing commitment to the next generation of female racing talent.

Hakkinen won the 1998 and 1999 drivers' titles with the iconic British racing outfit and has remained close to the team as an ambassador in recent years.

But now, his daughter Ella Hakkinen is looking to continue the family ties to the papaya squad, and at just 14 years of age, is the youngest signing in McLaren's driver development programme.

The Finnish racer already claimed her first major international victory at the 2024 Champions of the Future Academy, and has gone on to secure more wins and podium finishes whilst competing in Europe.

Hakkinen recently spoke on his daughter's successful start to her motorsport career, telling Finnish paper Ilta-Sanomat: "Ella is an extremely talented racing driver. I'm not just saying this as a father, but based on my observations as a former top driver."

And her career will now be bolstered by the team who her father had so much success with under the leadership of Ron Dennis in his heyday, as she joins McLaren's academy to test single seaters in preparation for 2027.

Brown: 'More remains to be done to increase female representation in motorsport'

14-year-old Hakkinen was announced as the latest signing to the F1 team's development ranks as part of an expansion of their commitment to creating opportunities for women in motorsport.

The announcement also revealed that McLaren will be running two papaya-backed cars with Rodin Motorsport in the 2026 F1 Academy campaign, with current driver Ella Lloyd set to continue in the all-female racing series next season.

The 20-year-old will be joined by Ella Stevens, who most recently became Vice-Champion in the 2025 British KZ2 Karting Championship, and is the only woman to ever secure a victory in the UK’s premier karting class.

Following the news of McLaren's driver development programme and F1 Academy expansion, McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown said: “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 in this space. I hope this signals to all the amazingly talented female karters, drivers, engineers, mechanics, marketeers and accountants out there that our sport is open to all and deeply committed to keeping up the incredible momentum we have seen over the past few years.

“There are so many opportunities both at and away from track and I want to thank NEOM for partnering with us in this space to help us open more pathways for women. To now have three talented young female drivers in our Driver Development Programme is really exciting, and I cannot wait to see them hit the track.”

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