McLaren Racing has widened its commitment to developing young female drivers, confirming the addition of Ella Stevens and Ella Häkkinen to its Driver Development Programme alongside current F1 Academy competitor Ella Lloyd.
Stevens, who hails from Gloucestershire, joins the programme after a standout karting career. She most recently secured the Vice-Champion title in the 2025 British KZ2 Karting Championship and remains the only woman to win in the UK’s top-tier karting category.
At 14, Häkkinen becomes the youngest member of McLaren’s development pathway. Her early achievements already include a major international win at the 2024 Champions of the Future Academy in Cremona, followed by further victories and podium finishes across Europe. She will take part in single-seater testing within the programme as preparation for 2027.
McLaren confirmed that Stevens, 19, will line up alongside Lloyd on the F1 Academy grid for the 2026 season, forming a second McLaren-backed entry in the all-female championship. Both cars will be operated by Rodin Motorsport. The new entry will run under the name F1 Academy McLaren Oxagon, developed in partnership with NEOM in northwest Saudi Arabia.
The team said the expansion aligns with its longstanding investment in supporting women across motorsport roles, both on track and behind the scenes.
Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing, 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.”
McLaren said the strengthened programme aims to build on recent progress in developing female talent and provide clear routes through competitive motorsport for emerging drivers.
