McLaren has three drivers named Ella making waves in the F1 Academy - the sport's all-female category that launched in 2023. Ella Häkkinen, Ella Lloyd, and Ella Stevens are all part of the team's Driver Development Programme, and two of them - Lloyd, 20, and Stevens, 19 - return to racing in Canada this weekend. In a sport traditionally dominated by men, the trio represents a significant step forward.

Häkkinen stands out even among this accomplished group. The 15-year-old is the daughter of two-time F1 world champion Mika Häkkinen, who won titles for McLaren in 1998 and 1999. She joined the programme last year aged 14, though her grandmother first took her karting at an indoor arena. "He obviously knows the mindset and mentality," she says of her father. "What you have to do before the race, what you need to do after the race to recover."

Lloyd was F1 Academy's Rookie of the Year last season after winning her first race in Jeddah. The 20-year-old from Pontypridd, south Wales, had a later start than most - she was a competitive show jumper and skier before turning to racing. "You've got to feel what the horse is doing all the time," she says. "That transitions well because you're sitting in the car and you've got to feel what the car is doing underneath you." Her helmet features a Welsh dragon as a tribute to her home.

Stevens started racing at six years old, winning karting titles at a similar age to Lewis Hamilton. "Especially being in F1 Academy, it's on an F1 stage," she says. "So it's a lot bigger to what I'm used to." The opportunities are tangible - last year's winner Doriane Pin drove Hamilton's 2021 Mercedes car in April. "It's just amazing to see that progress."