17-year-old
Red Bull Academy driver
Fionn McLaughlin
joins British F4 campaign
Hitech GP has confirmed Fionn McLaughlin for its 2025 ROKiT British F4 Championship challenge. The 17-year-old from Northern Ireland is part of the Red Bull Academy, having joined the programme this summer after a hugely competitive evaluation as one of 11 invited candidates from around the world.
McLaughlin began karting at the age of five, and by the time he was seven he was competing in and winning various championships around Ireland.
He has since enjoyed success at British, European and world level and spent 2024 competing in the OK class. Notable achievements include being vice-champion of the 2022 British Karting Championships and vice-champion of the 2022 Iame World Games.
Last season, McLaughlin competed in the CIK-FIA European Championships finishing seventh overall in his first year in the category. In 2023, McLaughlin would also compete in the FIA Karting World Championship claiming pole position in his group. Fionn would also claim three heat wins across the weekend, narrowly missing out on winning the final due to an engine failure. He also finished sixth in the 2024 FIA Karting World Championship.
As a member of Red Bull’s junior driver programme, he follows in the footsteps of Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz, and his own racing role model Sebastian Vettel.
Fionn McLaughlin
“My goal in racing is to be a Formula One World Champion and joining Hitech is the next step in my development path.”
The Red Bull Academy Junior Team member continued:
“I never give up and work hard until I’m at the top and this is why Hitech is the perfect step because watching them over the last few years they are always winning and I look forward to that being me soon.”
Dominic Stott, Hitech’s British F4 Championship Team Manager, commented
“Fionn is an exciting young talent and we’re pleased to welcome him to Hitech for the 2025 British F4 season.
“The transition from karting is always a real test but Fionn has shown a lot of potential and we’re looking forward to seeing him make the step up to the start of a promising single-seater career.”