Meet the three Ellas racing through McLaren's F1 ranks

Breaking news from the world of sport: Meet the three Ellas racing through McLaren's F1 ranks33 minutes ago Share Save Add as preferred on GoogleÁine O DonnellandManish Pandey , NewsbeatMcLaren Racing(L-R) Ella Häkkinen, Ella Lloyd and Ella Stevens are race for McLarenWhen you think about three Ellas, the first thing that comes to mind might be Rihanna's song Umbrella. But for people working in the McLaren Formula 1 garage, there's a reason why they're always humming the 2007 hit. Their three Ellas - Ella Häkkinen, Ella Lloyd and Ella Stevens - are all part of the team's Driver Development Programme, which offers guidance and opportunities.

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. 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. Häkkinen's a step below her fellow Ellas, after joining the McLaren programme last year aged 14, but already feels right at home.

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"It's nice to have girls that are also friends do similar championships as you," she says. It shouldn't come as a surprise though - racing is very much in her blood. Getty ImagesElla Häkkinen's dad Mika won F1 world titles for McLaren in 1998 and 1999Häkkinen, now 15, is the daughter of two-time F1 world champion Mika Häkkinen but tells Newsbeat it's actually her grandmother who first took her racing.

"She brought us into an indoor kart arena and I just really loved the passion," she says. Finnish champion Mika - remembered for his battles with F1 great Michael Schumacher - then took his daughter to try outdoor karting. She says having a world champ dad comes with plenty of photos and videos of his success, and some handy tips.

"He obviously knows the mindset and mentality," she says. "What you have to do before the race, what you need to do after the race to recover. "But the 15-year-old often goes to her races without her dad, because "he's really emotional".

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Getty ImagesElla Lloyd won her first race in Jeddah last yearWhile some F1 stars like Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc choose to race online in their spare time, Häkkinen unwinds by riding horses. It's something she says she did competitively before motorsports took over. And horses have also played a helping hand in teammate Ella Lloyd's success.

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. Just a few years ago she was a talented show jumper and skier, a background she says has "definitely helped" in racing. "You've got to feel what is doing all the time," she says.

"So that transitions well because you're sitting in the car, and you've got to feel what the car is doing underneath you. "Lloyd says a feel for the different types of ice in skiing also helps her understand the grip of the racing track.

The story has climbed to the top of the sports agenda, with fans and analysts following closely.