16-year-old Ella Stevens has spent much of her life involved in motorsport. With two karting championship titles under her belt she has her target firmly fixed on joining the F1 grid.
The 16 year old from Wotton-under-Edge, has been racing karts since she was 6 years old. In the last ten years she has won several championship – against males and has shown every sign that she will continue to win irrespective of who she races against.
Out of overalls there is nothing remotely obvious that would help you pick Ella from a line-up of future stars. Behind the wheel she is unmissable, her speed and racing lines arresting. In this article we look at her amazing career, how she has been dominating the grid and where she wants to end up.
Ella Stevens Home Town
Stevens lives in Wotton-under-Edge, a small village in Gloucestershire, England.
She says she enjoys living in the countryside and spending time with her friends and family.
Where Does Ella Stevens Go To School
Stevens attends Katharine Lady Berkeley’s School, a secondary school in Wotton-under-Edge.
She says she likes school, and her favorite subjects are math and science. She also says she gets good support from her teachers and classmates for her racing career.
Ella hopes to concentrate on her STEM subjects and use these in her future motor sport career.
Ella Stevens Parents
Stevens’ parents are Mark and Sarah Stevens, who are both supportive of her passion for karting.
They help her with travelling, training, and funding for her races.
They also run a Facebook page called Ella Stevens Racing, where they share updates and photos of her achievements.
Ella Stevens Brother and Sister
Stevens has an older brother named Harry and a younger sister named Lucy.
She says they are both proud of her and sometimes come to watch her races. She also says they have their own hobbies and interests, such as football and dancing.
How Did Ella Stevens Get Into Karting
Stevens started karting when she was six years old, after her father took her to a local indoor track for fun.
She says she loved it from the first lap and asked her parents for a bambino kart for her birthday. Her passion for motorsport. It says it probably came from her dad and brother who used to do Autograss racing and karting, respectively.
She admits that the speed and noise were factors that she had to get used to. “I started (karting) when I was six when my parents bought me a bambino kart.”
Such is her passion that when her dad bought her first kart, she used to sit in it every day. She then joined a club and started competing in various categories, such as Bambino, Cadet, and Junior.
British Karting Championship (2016)
Ella entered the British Karting Championship and competed in the Bambino class (6 – 8 year olds). She raced in bambinos for two seasons before moving up to the Cadet class in 2016.
Cadet class is a little bit faster.
She raced in several club meetings around the country in 2016.
BirelART UK Series (2016/2017)
She also entered the BirelART UK series in 2016.
In BirelART all drivers use the same brand of engine and kart. It makes it a pure test of the drivers skill.
She found that her previous experience in the Motorsport UK British Karting Championships bambino and cadet classes really helped her become competitive BirelART.
Ella finished the first season in 12th place.
In 2017 she returned to the series, this time setting aiming for a better finish.
Ella’s skill shone through, and she dominated the series. She went into the final round leading the standings (by a huge margin.). All she need was a 5th place finish in the Pre-final was enough to secure the championship win.
Interestingly Lewis Hamilton won his first cadet class karting championship at the same age.
Little Green Man Championship – 2018
Ella moved on to the Little Green Man Championship where she competed in the IAME Cadet class.
The series is very competitive and is reputed to be the most populated racing grid in the UK.
Drivers can enter the series both with the backing of a team, and without. There is also drivers’ standings running alongside for those who don’t have a team (privateers).
In 2018 Ella finished 16th overall and won the Privateer standings.
Her 2019 Season
Ella joined Fusion Motorsport for her second season (2019) in the Little Green Man IAME Cadet National Championship.
She improved on her 2018 result finishing in 10th place in the standings.
It was a big jump to join a professional team. Finally she had access to professional advice and data reviews. This helped her work on her driving skills
“It also makes a change to listen to them instead of my Dad!” she said.
Former GP3 and current W Series racer Alice Powell has been providing input to Ella
Alice has been Ella’s best friend and coach since they met when Ella was racing in the Bambino class in 2015.
TVKC and X30 Series (2020)
In 2020, she was TVKC Winter champion of the X30 Mini series. The same year, Formula Scout named Stevens one of 10 female racing stars of the future.
She was also a junior nominee for the British Women Racing Drivers Club Goldstar award.
Did Ella Stevens Get Accepted By The FIA Girls On Track – Rising Stars Program?
Stevens was one of the 20 finalists of the FIA Girls on Track – Rising Stars program, which aims to identify and support young female drivers with potential to reach the highest level of motorsport. The program is supported by Ferrari, which will offer a place on its academy to one of the four drivers who will be selected after a series of tests and challenges at the Paul Ricard circuit in France this fall.
Stevens says she was very happy and honored to be part of the program and that it was a great experience to meet other girls who share her dream. She says she learned a lot from the coaches and mentors, such as former F1 driver Jules Bianchi’s sister Melanie.
Unfortunately, Stevens did not make it to the final four, but she says she is not discouraged and that she will keep working hard to improve her skills and achieve her goals.
Where Is Ella Stevens Racing In 2023?
Stevens is currently racing in the British Kart Championship – X30 Junior category, where she competes against boys and girls aged 12 to 16. She says she enjoys the challenge and that she loves overtaking and battling with other karts.
Ella hopes to progress to higher levels of motorsport in the future, such as Formula 4, Formula 3, and Formula 2, before reaching her ultimate dream of racing in Formula One.
She says she looks up to drivers like Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, and Tatiana Calderon, who have inspired her to pursue her passion and overcome the obstacles and stereotypes that she faces as a female in a male-dominated sport.
Ella says she can hear what other drivers and their parents say about her, but she does not let that affect her confidence or performance. She says she believes in herself and her abilities and that she wants to prove herself on the track.
Ella hopes to inspire other girls and women to follow their dreams and not give up on their ambitions. She says she wants to show them that anything is possible with hard work and dedication.
What Are Ella Stevens Hopes For The Future?
Ella is hoping to make it to the top of motorsport which means F1 is in her sites.
She is taking it step-by-step. He immediate goal is to race in the F4 Championships. From there she would like to progress through the ranks to F3, F2 and ultimately F1.
How Does Ella Stevens Cope With The Pressure?
For now, Stevens is balancing her driving passion with normal life as a teenager, juggling school and a social life.
“What I normally do is as soon as I get home from school, I get my work done and in between that I do all my fitness and my swimming,” Ella explains. “Then I have all weekend to just concentrate on my racing.
Source – CNN
Conclusion
Ella Stevens is a young driver with a big vision and a bright future. She is a rising star of karting who aims to become Ferrari’s first female F1 driver. She is a speed demon on the road to greatness.
We wish Ella luck. as she persues her dream of becoming an F1 champion.
