MCLAREN HAVE ANNOUNCED that British karter Harry Williams has been signed to their Driver Development Programme, making the 11-year-old the youngest-ever recruit.
Harry is two years younger than F1 great Lewis Hamilton was when he joined the team in 1998.
Harry, from Nether Alderley in Cheshire, began his karting career in the Super One Series in 2021 before graduating to the Cadet category in 2022. After signing to Fusion Motorsport later that year, he went on to participate in national and international championships during 2023.
In 2024, Harry finished in the top 10 of the Championship in the British IAME Inter Waterswift category whilst also competing in the international karting field. In the year that followed, he became the 2025 British Open Champion, O plate winner in the Italian Waterswift Series and was fifth in the European Waterswift Championship.
After switching class to juniors, Harry placed third in the WSK Final Cup in OKN-J. So far in 2026, he has competed in the WSK Super Master Series in the OK-Junior category and will also participate in the WSK Euro Series, Champions of the Future Series and the FIA Karting Championships in the same category.
The youngster joins a line-up that also features Christian Costoya, Matteo De Palo, Leonardo Fornaroli, Ella Hakkinen, Ella Lloyd, Pato O’Ward, Gregoire Saucy, Ella Stevens, Dries Van Langendonck and Richard Verschoor.
