Nov.19 (GMM) The billionaire who helped launch Valtteri Bottas’ profession has confirmed he’s additionally financing Ella Hakkinen – reinforcing that the 14-year-old McLaren junior has severe backing behind her rise.
Antti Aarnio-Wihuri, 85, instructed Iltalehti that he agreed earlier this yr to help the daughter of two-time world champion Mika Hakkinen.
“Mika not too long ago visited me to ask if it will be attainable for me to assist,” Aarnio-Wihuri revealed. “We determined that we additionally have to help feminine drivers. Mika has helped me earlier than, so it is a sort of return service for him.”
Aarnio-Wihuri owns Wihuri Group, one in every of Finland’s greatest family-owned conglomerates – a well-recognized model contained in the F1 paddock.
He stated the preliminary funding was a “pretty modest quantity”, given Hakkinen continues to be at the beginning of her profession, however famous he solely backs a really small variety of drivers.
The Finnish tycoon stated he receives greater than 50 funding requests yearly from “future world champions”, however selects just a few.
Ella Hakkinen has raced karts beneath Czech and Monaco licences, reflecting her household roots, though Aarnio-Wihuri says she additionally speaks Finnish and shows the Finnish flag on her social media.
Her current campaigns came about within the Champions Karting Academy sequence with a Czech licence.
