Blomqvist joins McLaren programme

McLaren have added 18-year-old Tom Blomqvist to their Driver Development Programme..

McLaren have added 18-year-old Tom Blomqvist to their Driver Development Programme.

The teenager, the son of 1984 World Rally champion Stig Blomqvist, will join Dutch karting racer Nyck De Vries and British F3 runner-up Kevin Magnussen in the programme.

“I’m thrilled to get this opportunity,” said Blomqvist, who was the youngest driver to win the Formula Renault UK Championship in 2010.

“The competition gets fiercer every time you step up a category, and having this level of support will really improve my strength and confidence.”

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh said: “Tom is rightly considered to be a very bright prospect in single-seater racing.

“On-track results are the ultimate measurements of a driver’s merit, and in this regard Tom is already delivering on his potential.

“As a winner of the Formula Renault Championship, he’s following in the footsteps of Lewis Hamilton, who passed this career milestone just three years before graduating to Formula One.

“So we’re watching Tom’s progress with great interest.”