Häkkinen: My children train like Lewis Hamilton

      The children of former Finnish Formula 1 drivers are following in their fathers' footsteps and are already achieving initial success in karting, and it's not only Robin Räikkönen but also Ella Häkkinen, the daughter of two-time world champion Mika Häkkinen.

      She will turn 15 in November; at present she competes in the European karting series The Champions of the Future, and her passion is so serious that Ella's father does not rule out that in about five years she could realize her dream of becoming a Formula 1 driver.

      "When I look at the kids competing in karting now, I see that there are incredibly talented drivers among them," Mika shared in an interview with the Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat. "But when they move up to more serious classes, the demands increase. When they get behind the wheel of more powerful cars, you no longer need to endure 15–20 laps on the track—you have to pilot at full speed for an hour. And that's tough if the cars don't have power steering.

      Girls will reach the highest categories of motorsport by 2030; it could be Ella or someone else, but we have a very simple and clear plan. Certainly women are at a disadvantage compared to men in terms of muscular strength, but if the aim is to succeed, talking about the car being specially set up for you will not help.

      That's why we follow a full program with a coach from the Hintsa Performance center, who is responsible for the physical training of my children, Ella and 12-year-old Daniel. This must be done properly, and these are precisely the approaches being practiced.

      The children train very intensively: every day they run 10 kilometers, do stretching, strengthen their muscles and follow a strict diet. Everything is taken extremely seriously.

      Regardless of whether racing ever becomes their profession, they will in any case receive good athletic training and develop the right nutrition and sleep routines. In other words, we are preparing for any possible scenario, and I can say that under the guidance of Hintsa Performance specialists my children train the same way as Lewis Hamilton or any other Formula 1 driver. There should be no gaps in their preparation.

      There are about a hundred participants in The Champions of the Future series, including eight girls. At a recent round in Slovakia Ella took pole and finished second in the race — that's an excellent result. Everything is going in the right direction; my daughter is distinguished by incredible motivation. She wants to become a professional driver, but already shows real persistence.

      "She is very talented, I say this not just as her father—my opinion is based on personal observations, and after all I am a former Formula 1 driver..."