McLaren Racing has annꦦounced the signing of rising American karting sta༺r Ugo Ugochukwu.

The 13-year-old joins the Woking squad as part of a “long-term agreement” that provides McLaren with an option on Ugochukwu’s serv𒀰ices in the future.

McLaren Racing will support Ugochukwu’s continued development as he progresses through the junior categori🐠es of motorsport, having most recen🎉tly been crowned FIA European karting champion in 2020.

Ugochukwu began karting in New York in 2013 and has already racked up an impressive list of achie♚vements throughout his karting exploits in the United States and Europe, winning a total of six championship 💎titles.

“I’m honoured to be signed by such an iconic team as McLaren Racing so e𝕴arly in my career,” Ugochukwu said.

“To have the support of McLaren is fantastic and what any young driver dreams of. I’m focused right now on developing as a driver and racer, so having McLa👍ren by my side can only help me on and off the track.”

The signing of Ugochukwu mirrors McLaren’s decision to offer now seven-time world💃 champion Lewis Hamilton a contract when he was also just 13 years old back in 1998.

“We’ve been watching Ugo’s progress with interest, so when the opportunity to sign an agreement with him became available, we had no hesitation moving on it,” said ꧃McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown.

“Now we’ll focus on giving Ugo the right support when he needs it to help him 🎃fulfil his potential.” 

McLaren F1 team principal Andreas Seidl said the signing marks a departure from the🥂 traditional young driver programme ap♕proach to discovering new talent.

“U𒁃go is a 🎐promising young talent with strong development prospects,” he added.

“While he is still early in his career, it is clear h✃e has the ingredients to𝕴 be successful in the sport. This signing reflects our refocused approach to identifying and supporting new talent, away from a formal young driver programme to a more tailored basis.”