{"id":683922,"date":"2026-05-21T10:18:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T10:18:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/683922\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T10:18:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T10:18:13","slug":"meet-the-three-ellas-racing-through-mclarens-f1-ranks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/683922\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the three Ellas racing through McLaren’s F1 ranks"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you think about three Ellas, the first thing that comes to mind might be Rihanna’s song Umbrella.<\/p>\n

But for people working in the McLaren Formula 1 garage, there’s a reason why they’re always humming the 2007 hit.<\/p>\n

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Their three Ellas – Ella H\u00e4kkinen, Ella Lloyd and Ella Stevens – are all part of the team’s Driver Development Programme, which offers guidance and opportunities.<\/p>\n

And in a sport traditionally dominated by men, the Ellas are all keen to make their mark, aided slightly by horses and a Welsh dragon.<\/p>\n

The slightly older Lloyd, 20, and Stevens, 19, will return to racing in Canada this weekend in the F1 Academy, the sport’s all-female category that launched in 2023.<\/p>\n

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H\u00e4kkinen’s a step below her fellow Ellas, after joining the McLaren programme last year aged 14, but already feels right at home.<\/p>\n

“It’s nice to have girls that are also friends do similar championships as you,” she says.<\/p>\n

It shouldn’t come as a surprise though – racing is very much in her blood.<\/p>\n

\"Ella<\/p>\n

Ella H\u00e4kkinen’s dad Mika won F1 world titles for McLaren in 1998 and 1999 [Getty Images]<\/p>\n

H\u00e4kkinen, now 15, is the daughter of two-time F1 world champion Mika H\u00e4kkinen but tells Newsbeat it’s actually her grandmother who first took her racing.<\/p>\n

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“She brought us into an indoor kart arena and I just really loved the passion,” she says.<\/p>\n

Finnish champion Mika – remembered for his battles with F1 great Michael Schumacher – then took his daughter to try outdoor karting.<\/p>\n

She says having a world champ dad comes with plenty of photos and videos of his success, and some handy tips.<\/p>\n

“He obviously knows the mindset and mentality,” she says.<\/p>\n

“What you have to do before the race, what you need to do after the race to recover.”<\/p>\n

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But the 15-year-old often goes to her races without her dad, because “he’s really emotional”.<\/p>\n

\"Ella<\/p>\n

Ella Lloyd won her first race in Jeddah last year [Getty Images]<\/p>\n

While some F1 stars like Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc choose to race online in their spare time, H\u00e4kkinen unwinds by riding horses.<\/p>\n

It’s something she says she did competitively before motorsports took over.<\/p>\n

And horses have also played a helping hand in teammate Ella Lloyd’s success.<\/p>\n

By her own admission, Lloyd had a “later” start in racing to most, but it’s not slowed her down as she was F1 Academy’s ‘Rookie of the Year’ last season.<\/p>\n

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Just a few years ago she was a talented show jumper and skier, a background she says has “definitely helped” in racing.<\/p>\n

“You’ve got to feel what [the horse] is doing all the time,” she says.<\/p>\n

“So that transitions well because you’re sitting in the car, and you’ve got to feel what the car is doing underneath you.”<\/p>\n

Lloyd says a feel for the different types of ice in skiing also helps her understand the grip of the racing track.<\/p>\n

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“I think that’s one of the key things that kind of made the transition a lot easier and a lot quicker.”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The Welsh dragon is always on Lloyd’s helmet when she races [Getty Images]<\/p>\n

It’s not just horses helping Lloyd, but a Welsh dragon too, imprinted on her helmet.<\/p>\n

She comes from Pontypridd in south Wales and was born into a sporting family as her dad’s a Paralympic skier.<\/p>\n

“All you see in the comments is just the Welsh flag and everyone supporting from back home,” she says.<\/p>\n

“It’s nice to have such amazing support and I’m proud to have the Welsh flag on my suit.”<\/p>\n

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Lloyd’s certainly made her home fans proud with her speed in the car, picking up her first F1 Academy victory in Saudi Arabia last year.<\/p>\n

She wasn’t able to replicate her success this year as the Jeddah race was cancelled due to the conflict in the Middle East.<\/p>\n

But Lloyd says she’s looking forward to the rest of the season – starting with race two in Canada this weekend.<\/p>\n

\"Ella<\/p>\n

Like lots of F1 champions, Ella Stevens won karting titles at a young age [Getty Images]<\/p>\n

The final one of the Ellas – Ella Stevens – started racing when she was just six and has since followed in hallowed racing steps.<\/p>\n

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She’s won karting titles at a similar age to seven-time F1 champion Sir Lewis Hamilton.<\/p>\n

But Stevens admits racing for McLaren is “a big step up”, not least in the exposure.<\/p>\n

“Especially being in F1 Academy, it’s on an F1 stage,” she says.<\/p>\n

“So it’s a lot bigger to what I’m used to.”<\/p>\n

The opportunities on offer though are pretty tempting.<\/p>\n

Last year’s F1 Academy winner, Doriane Pin, drove Hamilton’s 2021 Mercedes car back in April.<\/p>\n

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“It was really cool to see a female drive an F1 car,” Stevens says.<\/p>\n

“It’s just amazing to see that progress.”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

[BBC]<\/p>\n

Listen to Newsbeat live<\/a> at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays – or listen back here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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