Ugo Ugochukwu who became the 2020 CIK-FIA European OKJ champion has signed for McLaren as a development. The American who is 13 years old, is the same age as Lewis Hamilton was when he was signed to the British outfit. While McLaren's driver porgram has churned out the same number of talents as Red Bull's or Ferrari's programs, it did provided Formula 1 with some remarkable talents with seven-time world champion representing the jewel in its crown. McLaren have provided the sport with Stoffel Vandoorne, Kevin Magnussen and signed Formula E star Nyck de Vris in 2010. "This signing reflects our refocused approach to identifying and supporting new talent, away from a formal young driver programme to a more tailored basis," said McLaren team princiapl Andra Siedl to F1.com "Ugo is a promising young talent with strong development prospects. While he is still early in his career, it is clear he has the ingredients to be successful in the sport." McLaren CEO confirmed that team have kept an eye on Ugochukwu's performance for a while and made the decision to extend their support to the teenager after much consideration. "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," Brown added. "Now we’ll focus on giving Ugo the right support when he needs it to help him fulfil his potential." Ugochukwu who has won several titles across North America and Europe was expectedly delighted with the annoucment. "I’m honoured to be signed by such an iconic team as McLaren Racing so early 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 McLaren by my side can only help me on and off the track."
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McLaren Racing is pleased to announce a long-term agreement with Ugo Ugochukwu, the promising young driver from the USA. — McLaren (@McLarenF1) March 22, 2021
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