Who is Ella Hakkinen? All about the 14-year-old tipped to follow her father into F1 with McLaren

A 14-year-old prodigy: Ella Hakkinen has recently been anointed with the coveted driver development programme at the McLaren F1 Team. In addition to the significance for her own career, Ella’s arrival also marks a key step forward in McLaren's ongoing push to support female drivers. With backing from the same team that nurtured her karting star, the daughter of two-time F1 world champion Mika Hakkinen looks set for a rapid promotion to the single-seater ranks.Her recruitment represents an expansion of McLaren's female-driver pipeline in which she joins two other young female talents and will ultimately become the youngest driver by far in that scheme. Ella joins as the team prepares to guide her through single-seater racing by 2027, setting the foundations for a possible future entry into Formula 1.Ella Hakkinen’s karting pedigree and rise through the ranksElla Hakkinen has taken her first steps in European karting, claiming victories and podiums in junior competitions. She won the Champions of the Future Academy event at Cremona in 2024. Her father has described her as “a very gifted racing driver.” Her name and play on words are now starting to attract attention, not just from her father, but from the speed at which he is progressing. By bringing her into McLaren's programme she is plugged into a formal development system aimed at helping her transition to singles-seaters later in the decade.Also Read: This is what Audi’s F1 car would look like! Debut & more details explainedWhat McLaren’s backing means and the road ahead for EllaThe addition of Ella Hakkinen is part of a wider McLaren initiative to improve female representation in motorsport. Team CEO Zak Brown emphasised that while there remains much to be done, the progress made so far is something the organisation is proud of. For Ella the next step is clear: testing single-seater cars in preparation for a debut around 2027. At just 14 the focus for now is development, experience and support rather than immediate entry into Formula 1.Nonetheless with her father’s endorsement, McLaren’s infrastructure behind her, and a promising karting track record, Ella Hakkinen sits among the most closely watched junior talents in motorsport today.Cast Your Vote for India's Biggest Habit Index and Get an Exclusive First Look Before Results Go Live. Take the survey here!