Hakkinen's daughter, 14, joins McLaren programme

Ella Hakkinen, the daughter of two-time Formula 1 world champion Mika Hakkinen, has been added to the McLaren driver development programme.

The 14-year-old has secured wins and podium finishes around Europe in karting and will be the youngest driver on the programme.

She will be joined by Briton Ella Stevens, who is the only woman to have won in Britain's premier karting class.

Stevens, 19, will represent F1 constructors' champions McLaren alongside fellow Briton Ella Lloyd, 20, in the all-female F1 Academy series in 2026.

McLaren said Finn Hakkinen would be testing single-seaters in preparation for 2027.

Mika Hakkinen, who won the F1 title with McLaren in 1998 and 1999, thinks his daughter could be a future star of the sport.

"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," he told Finnish paper Ilta-Sanomat last month.