MIKA HAKKINEN has backed his daughter, Ella, to become the first female Formula One driver this century.
Hakkinen, 57, was nicknamed the “Flying Finn” as he raced to back-to-back F1 titles with McLaren in 1998 and 1999, beating the likes of Michael Schumacher, Eddie Irvine and David Coulthard.
GettyTwo-time F1 champion Mika Hakkinen has backed his daughter to reach F1[/caption]
Ella Häkkinen, 14, is making waves in karting
And he claims to have passed on his racing genetics to his daughter, Ella.
At just 14 years old, Ella is already making waves in the Champions of the Future karting series.
She placed second in the final race, after taking pole position in qualifying, during an Academy Program karting series event at the Slovakia Ring last month.
And Hakkinen believes that “bada**” Ella is taking all the right steps to become a top racing driver.
He told Ilta-Sanomat: “Ella is an extremely talented racing driver.
“I’m not just saying this as a father, but based on my observations as a former top driver.”
Hakkinen continued: “The direction is completely right. Her motivation is simply incomprehensible.
“She wants to be a racing driver. At this point, she’s a real bada**.”
F1 has seen just five female drivers start a race, with the most recent of them, Giovanna Amati, starting three races with Brabham in 1992.
However, the last, and to date only, female F1 driver to score points was Italian Lella Lombardi, who raced between 1974 and 1976 for March, RAM and Williams and scored points in the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix.
In 2014, Susie Wolff – now the managing director of F1 Academy – became the first woman to participate in a Formula 1 weekend since Amati when she drove for Williams in a practice session at the British Grand Prix.
However, Hakkinen believes there will be a female F1 driver by 2030, and whoever that is would be the first full female driver in the sport this century.
He said: “Female drivers will rise to the highest level by 2030 – whether it’s Ella or someone else.
“This new generation of fans is 40 per cent female, and the sport needs to reflect that.”
Hakkinen also spoke about his daughters training regime to try and get to the top.
He revealed she is working with a personal trainer from the same performance organisation once used by seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, Hintsa Performance.
Hakkinen has predicted there will be a female driver in F1 by 2030
Shutterstock EditorialHe also revealed she is using a personal trainer from the same organisation once used by Lewis Hamilton[/caption]
Hintsa also train with Hakkinen’s son, Daniel.
He said: “They train at the same level as Hamilton. Nothing is left undone.”
Hakkinen added: “To be a father and a coach doesn’t work, I’m too emotional.
“You need someone very professional who can help your child find the best out of themselves.”
Speaking about how Hintsa have helped her, Ella said: “It’s really nice to have a team around you.
“It brings me more motivation, more happiness.”
Hamilton is a huge supporter of the F1 Academy series, and was singled out for praise by Wolff in 2023 due to him being the only F1 driver present in the paddock to support them.
Creator – [#item_custom_dc:creator]
