McLaren has signed British karter Harry Williams to its Driver Development Programme, making the 11-year-old the youngest-ever recruit.
Williams, from Nether Alderley in Cheshire, began karting in the Super One Series in 2021 and moved into Cadets in 2022. After joining Fusion Motorsport later that year, he competed in national and international events through 2023.
In 2024 he finished inside the top 10 in the British IAME Inter Waterswift championship while also racing internationally. In 2025 Williams became British Open Champion, won the O plate in the Italian Waterswift Series and finished fifth in the European Waterswift Championship. After moving up to juniors he took third in the WSK Final Cup in OKN-J.
So far in 2026 Williams has raced in the WSK Super Master Series in OK-Junior and is set to compete in the WSK Euro Series, Champions of the Future Series and the FIA Karting Championships in the same category.
Alessandro Alunni Bravi, McLaren’s Chief Business Affairs Officer and head of the Driver Development Programme, said: “We are very pleased to have signed Harry to the McLaren Driver Development Programme. Harry is a fantastic karter who has impressed on the national and international stage so far, so we are excited to see how he develops as a McLaren driver going forward. 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. Welcome to the team, Harry.”
Williams added: “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 joins a programme that already includes Christian Costoya, Matteo De Palo, Leonardo Fornaroli, Ella Hakkinen, Ella Lloyd, Pato O’Ward, Grégoire Saucy, Ella Stevens, Dries Van Langendonck and Richard Verschoor.
