| Founded | 1998 |
|---|---|
| Base | Woking, Surrey, England, UK |
| Current drivers | WEC Ryō HirakawaIndyCar  Pato O'Ward[1]Formula 2  Gabriel BortoletoFRECA  Ugo Ugochukwu[1] F1 Academy  Bianca Bustamante |
The McLaren Driver Development Programme (formerly known as the McLaren Young Driver Programme, the McLaren-Honda Young Driver Programme, and the McLaren-Mercedes Young Driver Support Programme) is a driver development program operated by McLaren. It is intended to offer year-by-year guidance, assistance and endorsement to help promising young racers climb the motorsport ladder.
The most notable participant in the programme is Lewis Hamilton, who joined the programme while karting and eventually graduated to the McLaren F1 Team. He has won the Formula One Drivers' Championship seven times between 2008 and 2020, where the 2008 championship was won with McLaren. Hamilton is currently the only graduate from the programme who has won a World Championship as a McLaren driver.
Four drivers have graduated from the programme to the McLaren F1 Team: Lewis Hamilton in 2007, Kevin Magnussen in 2014, Stoffel Vandoorne in 2016, and Lando Norris in 2019.
History
The programme was founded in 1998 by McLaren and Mercedes as the McLaren-Mercedes Young Driver Support Programme. The programme signed Wesley Graves and Lewis Hamilton as one of its first drivers.
From 2019 to 2021, no drivers were part of the program, which McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown said was due to the team's "very targeted" approach and already stable Formula One line-up, meaning it would be difficult for any young drivers to find a place in Formula One.[2][3] In March 2021, American karting driver Ugo Ugochukwu was recruited into the programme.[4]
In April 2023, the Young Driver Programme was replaced by the Driver Development Programme.[1] Later in October, the programme signed its first female driver in Bianca Bustamante. Bustamante will represent McLaren in the 2024 F1 Academy season.[5][6]
Drivers
Current
| Driver | Since | Current series | Titles achieved as McLaren Driver Development Programme member |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ugo Ugochukwu[4]
|
2021– | Formula Regional Middle East Championship Formula Regional European Championship |
Euro 4 Championship (2023) |
| Pato O'Ward[1]
|
2023– | IndyCar Series | none as McLaren Driver Development Programme member |
| Ryō Hirakawa[7][a]
|
2023– | FIA World Endurance Championship | FIA World Endurance Championship (2023) |
| Gabriel Bortoleto[8]
|
2023– | FIA Formula 2 Championship | none as McLaren Driver Development Programme member |
| Bianca Bustamante[5]
|
2023– | Formula Winter Series F1 Academy |
none as McLaren Driver Development Programme member |
Former
- Championship titles highlighted in bold.
See also
Notes
- ^ Driver is also a member of the Toyota Gazoo Racing Driver Challenge
References
- ^ a b c d "McLAREN ANNOUNCES NEW DRIVER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME". McLaren.com. McLaren.
- ^ van Osten, Phillip (24 December 2020). "Brown: Lack of McLaren young drivers due to 'different philosophy'". F1i.com. Archived from the original on 24 December 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- ^ Smith, Luke (23 December 2020). "McLaren sticking to "targeted" approach for F1 young driver programme". Autosport.com. Archived from the original on 26 December 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- ^ a b "McLaren sign long-term deal with 13-year-old American karting ace Ugo Ugochukwu". www.formula1.com. 22 March 2021. Archived from the original on 24 October 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
- ^ a b "McLaren sign F1 Academy's Bianca Bustamante as first female member of Driver Development Programme". Formula 1®. 18 October 2023. Archived from the original on 24 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ "All 10 Formula 1 teams will have F1 Academy drivers and liveries for the 2024 season". F1® Academy. 26 July 2023. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
- ^ Jogia, Saajan (22 September 2023). "F1 News: McLaren Takes on New Reserve Driver". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 24 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- ^ Wood, Ida (5 October 2023). "McLaren signs Bortoleto as junior, makes Badoer an 'optioned driver'". Formula Scout. Archived from the original on 24 October 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
- ^ Noble, Jonathan. "Futures on Fast Forward". Atlas F1. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
- ^ "Mclaren Sign Kart Drivers". Crash. 9 April 1998. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
- ^ a b c "FAITH IN YOUTH: McLaren's young driver track record". Formula1.com. 5 September 2018. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
- ^ De Groote, Steven (6 August 2003). "McLaren signs Cheng Congfu". F1 Technical. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
- ^ "McLaren tukee suomalaislupausta". sportti.com. 19 March 2010. Archived from the original on 16 March 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
- ^ Wood, Elliot (6 May 2019). "Nyck de Vries' split with McLaren confirmed". Formula Scout. Archived from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- ^ "Stig's son joins McLaren". The Telegraph. 26 February 2012. Archived from the original on 6 February 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
- ^ de Cotta, Ian (10 February 2014). "Tang wins big in New Zealand". Today Online.
- ^ "2017 McLaren-Honda Young Driver Programme members revealed". McLaren Racing. 22 February 2017. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- ^ "Lando Norris joins McLaren F1 young driver programme". GP Today. 2017. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
- ^ Wood, Elliot (9 March 2020). "Sergio Sette Camara leaves McLaren for return to Red Bull". Formula Scout. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
- ^ Fryer, Jenna (28 July 2022). "IndyCar champ Palou declares he will be at McLaren in 2023". AP News. Archived from the original on 24 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
- ^ Martin, Bruce (18 August 2023). "McLaren And Arrow McLaren File Lawsuit Against Alex Palou". Forbes. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
This page was last edited on 12 April 2024, at 09:06