McLaren has signed a contract with an 11-year-old karting driver.

      McLaren has announced the signing of an 11-year-old British karting driver, Harry Williams, who has become a participant in the young driver development program.

      Harry started karting in 2021, and by 2023, he began competing in national and international competitions. He achieved his first significant success in 2025, becoming the winner of the British Open Karting Championship, winning the Italian Waterswift series, and finishing fifth in the European Waterswift Championship.

      In 2026, Williams competes in the WSK Super Master Series in the OK-Junior category and plans to participate in the European WSK series, Champions of the Future Series, and FIA Karting championships in the same category.

      Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Business Director: “We are very pleased to have signed a contract with Harry, making him a part of the McLaren youth program. Harry is a fantastic karting driver who has already made an impression at both national and international levels. We look forward to seeing what progress he can make as a McLaren driver.

      Our goal is to build a stable driver development system that will allow us to compete successfully in Formula 1, IndyCar, and FIA WEC for many years to come. Signing a contract with Harry, a talented young karting driver, confirms our intentions.

      Welcome to the team, Harry!”

      Harry Williams: “I am very excited to join the McLaren driver development program. They are known for helping young talents, so it’s great to join the team as I continue to progress in karting and plan to compete in ‘formulas’ in the future. I look forward to learning from the team and thank them for this amazing opportunity.”

      In addition to Williams, the McLaren youth program includes Richard Fershor (European Le Mans Series in LMP2 class), Grégoire Sossi (European Le Mans Series in LMP2 class and IMSA), Matteo de Palo (Formula 3), Ella Lloyd and Ella Stevens (both in F1 Academy), Dries van Langenhonk (British Formula 4), Christian Kostoja (Italian, European, and Middle Eastern Formula 4), and Ella Hakkinen (testing in Formula 4 in preparation for her debut in 2027).