When 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.
“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.
