McLaren have added 11 year old British karter Harry Williams to their Driver Development Programme as the team continues to build its long term talent pipeline across Formula 1, IndyCar and World Endurance Championship pathways.

Williams, from Nether Alderley in Cheshire, began karting in 2021 and moved into Cadet racing the following year before joining Fusion Motorsport in late 2022. His rise has since gathered pace through national and international competition.

In 2024, Williams raced internationally while finishing in the top 10 of the British IAME Inter Waterswift Championship and delivering comparable results in the IAME Euro Series X30 Mini.

His 2025 campaign marked a bigger breakthrough. Williams won the British Open title, claimed the O Plate in the Italian Waterswift Series, finished 5th in the European Waterswift Championship and then stepped up to juniors, where he immediately finished 3rd 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 contest the WSK Euro Series, Champions of the Future Series and FIA Karting Championships in the same class.

McLaren said the programme is designed to create a consistent route into its race operations, with Alessandro Alunni Bravi outlining the strategy: “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," Alunni Bravi explained.

Williams commented: “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," the youngster concluded.