British karter Harry Williams has ​become the youngest ever ‌signing to Formula One ​champions McLaren’s Driver ⁠Development Programme at the age of 11.

The previous youngest ‌current member was Ella Hakkinen, daughter of ‌double F1 world ‌champion ⁠Mika, signed last ⁠year aged 14.

Williams, aged 11 from Nether Alderley in Cheshire, first started karting in 2021 in the Super One Series. He graduated to the Cadet category in 2022, racing in various Rotax and IAME races, competing at club level. In November of that year, he joined Fusion Motorsport, participating across national and international championships the following year.

He was the 2025 British Open Champion, O plate winner in the Italian Waterswift Series and was fifth in the European Waterswift Championship. Williams switched classes to juniors and immediately made an impact by finishing third in the WSK Final Cup in OKN-J.

“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. I look forward to learning from the team, and thank them for this exciting opportunity,” Williams was quoted in a release.

McLaren’s young driver programme has produced world champions ​Lewis Hamilton, ‌the most successful driver in the history of Formula One with seven ‌titles including his first ​with the Woking-based team in 2008, and ⁠reigning champion Lando Norris.

Hamilton joined in 1998 at ‌the age of 13.

“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 McLaren’s ‌chief business affairs officer Alessandro Alunni Bravi.

Published on Apr 23, 2026