McLaren has announced the signing of British karter, Harry Williams to its Driver Development Programme.

Williams, from Nether Alderley in Cheshire, first started karting in 2021 in the Super One Series. He graduated to the Cadet category in 2022, racing in various Rotax and IAME races, competing at club level. In November of that year, he joined Fusion Motorsport, participating across national and international championships the following year.

In 2024, he progressed into the international karting field whilst competing in the British IAME Inter Waterswift category and finishing in the top 10 of the Championship, achieving similar results in the IAME Euro Series - X30 Mini. In 2025, he competed in the International Karting Mini 60 series and the Waterswift category. He was the 2025 British Open Champion, O plate winner in the Italian Waterswift Series and was fifth in the European Waterswift Championship. He switched classes to juniors and immediately made an impact by finishing third in the WSK Final Cup in OKN-J.

So far in 2026, Williams has competed in the WSK Super Master Series in the OK-Junior category and will compete in the WSK Euro Series, Champions of the Future Series and the FIA Karting Championships in the same category.

Williams joins the Woking team's talent pipeline, which has an overarching aim to help drivers progress towards Formula 1, IndyCar and the team's upcoming World Endurance Championship entry. The programme, led by Chief Business Affairs Officer Alessandro Alunni Bravi, currently consists of Christian Costoya, Matteo De Palo, Leonardo Fornaroli, Ella Häkkinen, Ella Lloyd, Pato O'Ward, Grégoire Saucy, Ella Stevens, Dries Van Langendonck and Richard Verschoor.

"We are very pleased to have signed Harry to the McLaren Driver Development Programme," said Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Chief Business Affairs Officer, McLaren Racing. "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."

"I am really excited to join the McLaren Driver Development Programme," added Williams. "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."