McLaren Racing has announced an expansion in its Driver Development Programme and will enter a second car into the 2026 F1 Academy season.
Ella Lloyd will continue driving for McLaren and will be joined by Ella Stevens. The pair will drive in cars operated by Rodin Motorsport. Additionally, Mika Häkkinen’s daughter, Ella Häkkinen, will also join McLaren’s programme as the youngest driver at just 14 years of age.
Three rising talents
Lloyd debuted in F1 Academy in 2024 as a Wild Card in Singapore, where her best finish was 7th. In 2024, she signed with McLaren as part of the Driver Development Programme before her full-time F1 Academy season. This season, she secured five podiums, including one win in Jeddah, and currently sits third in the driver standings heading into the Las Vegas finale.
19-year-old Stevens joins the McLaren programme after having claimed Vice-Champion in the 2025 British KZ2 Karting Championship. She is also the only woman to win in the UK’s premier karting class. She further impressed at the 2025 F1 Academy Rookie Test, where she topped the times with a 1:46.921 in the morning session.
At 14, Ella Häkkinen claimed her first international victory at the 2024 Champions of the Future Academy. The McLaren programme will allow her to test single-seaters in preparation for 2027.
A second McLaren entry
Ella Stevens will drive in a second McLaren Racing-backed car, called McLaren Oxagon. The name reflects McLaren’s long-standing partnership with the Saudi Arabian development project, NEOM.
With a second McLaren F1 Academy entry, CEO Zak Brown 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.”
He added: “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.”
