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McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown said this was due to the team's "very targeted" approach and already stable Formula One line-up, meaning it would be difficult for any young drivers to find a place in Formula One. [1] [2] In April 2023, the Young Driver Programme was replaced by the Driver Development Programme. [3]
In 1998, McLaren became the first Formula One team to establish a driver development program, founding the McLaren-Mercedes Young Driver Support Programme; [1] its initial cohort famously included 13-year-old kart racer Lewis Hamilton, [2] who became the first driver development program alumnus in Formula One to win the World Drivers' Championship in 2008. [3]
McLaren GT Driver Academy logo The McLaren GT Driver Academy , formerly known as McLaren GT Young Driver Programme is the programme launched by McLaren GT in 2015 to offer greater benefits to a larger pool of drivers who hold a range of different on-track experience.
Selected as the McLaren GT "Young Driver" of the Year, Wylie joined the McLaren Driver Academy programme alongside Andrew Watson, [36] and competed in the 2015 British GT Championship, racing a McLaren 650S GT3 for Von Ryan Racing. Wylie finished the season second in the Silver Cup (15th overall) with 6 top-ten finishes from nine races.
A member of the McLaren Young Driver Programme from 2010 to 2013, [12] Magnussen had his first experience of the McLaren MP4-27 Formula One car on track at the Abu Dhabi Young Driver test in 2012. He set a quickest time of 1:42.651.
On October 18, 2023, McLaren announced the signing of Bustamante to the McLaren Driver Development Programme and that she will represent McLaren for the 2024 season under ART Grand Prix. Bustamante is the first female driver signed to the McLaren Driver Development Programme. [14] [15]
Signed to the McLaren Young Driver Programme from 2010 to 2019, De Vries won his first championship at the Formula Renault Eurocup in 2014 with Koiranen. He finished third in the 2015 Formula Renault 3.5 Series before winning multiple races in the 2016 GP3 Series .
In September 2023, McLaren announced that Hirakawa has joined the McLaren Driver Development Programme and will be the team's reserve driver for the 2024 season. [ 36 ] [ 37 ] On 12 October 2023, Hirakawa tested Formula One machinery for the first time, driving the team's 2021 -spec MCL35M at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya alongside Pato O ...