NOVEMBER 19, 2025

Bottas backer confirms support for Ella Hakkinen

The billionaire who helped launch Valtteri Bottas' career has confirmed he is also financing Ella Hakkinen - reinforcing that the 14-year-old McLaren junior has serious backing behind her rise.

Antti Aarnio-Wihuri, 85, told Iltalehti that he agreed earlier this year to support the daughter of two-time world champion Mika Hakkinen.

Mika recently visited me to ask if it would be possible for me to help, Aarnio-Wihuri revealed. We decided that we also need to support female drivers. Mika has helped me before, so this is a kind of return service for him.

Aarnio-Wihuri owns Wihuri Group, one of Finland's biggest family-owned conglomerates - a familiar brand inside the F1 paddock.

He said the initial funding was a fairly modest amount, given Hakkinen is still at the start of her career, but noted he only backs a very small number of drivers.

The Finnish tycoon said he receives more than 50 funding requests every year from future world champions, but selects only a few.

Ella Hakkinen has raced karts under Czech and Monaco licences, reflecting her family roots, although Aarnio-Wihuri says she also speaks Finnish and displays the Finnish flag on her social media.

Her recent campaigns took place in the Champions Karting Academy series with a Czech licence.

(GMM)