Formula One news

McLaren signs 14-year-old talent

The McLaren Formula 1 team has signed up 14-year-old karting talent Oliver Rowland. Rowland is the latest addition to McLaren's Young Driver Support Programme.

Oliver Rowland

Martin Whitmarsh explained how McLaren will guide Rowland in the upcoming years: "Oliver will receive a range of support, from technical and management advice from within the McLaren Racing operations. We will work with him on the physical training side and there will also be financial investment in his career. As with all contractual issues, we would not discuss the specifics of the latter."

But Whitmarsh has warned not to expect him to be the next Lewis Hamilton. Whitmarsh said: "No driver is the next Lewis Hamilton, or Nick Heidfeld, or Ricardo Zonta, all drivers who have been supported by the McLaren and Mercedes-Benz Young Drivers Support Programme. Each driver is individual, and we have certainly not brought Oliver into the Programme with the aim of him following Lewis's exact career path. We will take what we have learnt from our work with all the drivers in the Programme and use some of that knowledge with Oliver, but we are not making any comparisons. "

Oliver Rowland said about his McLaren deal: "I am really proud to have joined the McLaren and Mercedes-Benz Young Driver Support Programme. To have such support from some of the biggest names in the sport is fantastic and I am looking forward to developing our relationship over time."

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