McLaren Signs Two Female Karters to Driver Programme

McLaren Racing has expanded its Driver Development Programme by signing two young female karting talents, 19-year-old Ella Stevens and 14-year-old Ella Häkkinen, bringing the total number of women in the initiative to three. The announcement, made on Monday, underscores the team's growing commitment to fostering female participation in motorsport, with Stevens set to join existing F1 Academy driver Ella Lloyd in a second McLaren-backed car next year.

The Woking-based team, which currently supports 20-year-old Lloyd in the all-female F1 Academy series, will field two entries in 2026 operated by Rodin Motorsport. Lloyd, who secured her first victory in the series this season and holds third place in the 2025 standings ahead of the finale in Las Vegas, will be joined by Stevens. The British driver finished as runner-up in the 2025 British KZ2 Karting Championship, becoming the only woman to win a race in the United Kingdom's premier karting category. Stevens also topped the inaugural F1 Academy rookie test earlier this year and will transition to single-seater racing for the first time in 2026.

Ella Häkkinen, the youngest addition to the programme at 14, is the daughter of two-time...