A RACING talent from county Derry has earned a spot in the prestigious Red Bull Junior Driving Team.
Fionn McLaughlin, 16, has risen to his potential and is now on the same driving youth team that has promoted F1 superstars such as three-time champion Max Verstappen, eight-time race winner Daniel Ricciardo, and Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz.
McLaughlin was one of 11 drivers invited to the Red Bull trials, with athletes coming from the UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, Lebanon and Mexico. The trials involved driving open wheel F4 and GP3 racing cars in a shootout format, lasting for three days.
The 16-year-old overcame the pressure of the weekend and was the first to qualify for the team, joining a talented but short list of athletes, with there being currently only nine drivers in the Junior Formula Series ranging from the ages of 15 to 19.
Fresh from an intense weekend, the teenager stated his immense excitement for the future, and expressed his desire to make it to the pinnacle of motor racing:
“My goal in racing is to be a world champion. I never give up; I work hard until I’m at the top. I will keep working until I’m there.”
McLaughlin’s racing hero, Sebastian Vettel, was also a product of the Red Bull Junior Driving team.
“The driver that got me into racing was Sebastian Vettel. He has always been an inspiration to me.”
Director of Red Bull Formula 1, Helmut Marko, was extremely impressed with the Magherafelt lad: “It was his first time in a Formula car, and he went out and was straight away competitive.
“What is important here is that we see most of them for the first time in a Formula car. How they adapt, how quickly they progress and how their improvement is during a two-day test. We are looking for both talent and speed, a driver to win a Grand Prix. We are really focused on how good these drivers are under pressure and on qualifying simulations.
“We don’t buy stars, we make stars. We give them the chance - they can use our simulators in Milton Keynes, they will have support with training and nutrition. It’s perfect preparation for Formula 1,” concluded Marko, a former professional racing driver himself.
McLaughlin will move from karting to the F4 series starting from next season, in which he will take on some of the best drivers in the world in his age range.
