Ella Hakkinen joins expanded McLaren female driver program

McLaren Racing today announced that it is doubling down on its commitment to opening pathways into motorsport and STEM careers for women by expanding its Driver Development Program and entering a second car into the all-female F1 Academy series.

As part of the expansion to the McLaren Racing Driver Development Program, current F1 Academy driver Ella Lloyd will be joined by Ella Stevens and Ella Hakkinen.

L to R: Ella Hakkinen, Ella Lloyd, and Ella Stevens. Photo courtesy of McLaren

Stevens, from Gloucestershire, has excelled throughout her karting career, most recently becoming Vice-Champion in the 2025 British KZ2 Karting Championship. She is the only woman to win in the UK’s premier karting class.

At 14 years of age, Ella Hakkinen will be the youngest talent in the program, but her career to-date has been no less impressive. She claimed her first major international victory at the 2024 Champions of the Future Academy in Cremona, which was followed by further wins and podium finishes across Europe. She will be joining the Driver Development Program to test single seaters in preparation for 2027.

Ella Stevens, 19, will join Ella Lloyd on the F1 Academy grid for 2026 in a second, McLaren Racing-backed entry to the all-female series. Both cars will be run and operated by Rodin Motorsport.

McLaren has long been a champion of women in motorsport – both on and off track – and this added commitment will be delivered in collaboration with long-standing partner NEOM, the development taking shape in northwest Saudi Arabia. The second McLaren Racing entry will be known as F1 Academy McLaren Oxagon.

Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing, said:

“While I recognize that more remains to be done to increase female representation in motorsport, I’m 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 Program is really exciting, and I cannot wait to see them hit the track.”