McLaren make 11-year-old Harry Williams their youngest ever signing – two years younger than F1 great Lewis Hamilton was when he joined.
Ella Hakkinen, daughter of double F1 world champion Mika, who signed last year aged 14, was previously the youngest driver currently on the McLaren driver development programme.
Seven-time world champion Hamilton joined the programme aged 13 in 1998, going on to make his F1 debut in 2007.
Reigning champion and McLaren driver Lando Norris also came through the programme, joining aged 17.
“Our goal is to build a consistent pipeline, laddering into our race programmes in F1, IndyCar and the World Endurance Championship for many years to come, and adding Harry as a talented young karter demonstrates this,” said Alessandro Aluni Bravi, McLaren’s chief business affairs officer.
“For this driver, I think there is no target, no pressure other than enjoy karting to get maximum experience, but also to understand what does it mean to be a McLaren driver.”
Williams, from Cheshire, first started karting in 2021 and was the 2025 British Open Champion, O plate winner in the Italian Waterswift Series and was fifth in the European Waterswift Championship.
“I am really excited to join the McLaren driver development programme. They’re known for developing talent, so it’s great to join the team as I continue to progress in karting and into single-seater racing in the future,” he said.