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The 17-year-old from Northern Ireland is part of the Red Bull Academy, having joined the programme in the summer of 2024 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.

2025 is Thomas’ first full season of British F4. He made the step up to the fourth rung of the single-seater ladder for the final two rounds of the 2024 campaign and also competed in Round 2 of the Euro 4 Championship at the Red Bull Ring last September. In the second race of the British F4 season finale at Brands Hatch he finished in ninth place, taking the second step on the podium in the Rookies’ Cup. He started Race 3 from 15^th on the Grid and gained five places to take the chequered flag in P10, stepping onto the Rookies’ Podium for a second time and securing further Championship points to open his British F4 career tally. Prior to transitioning to single-seaters, Bearman worked his way through the ranks in karting, competing in the British Karting Championship – Junior Rotax, UKC Karting Championship – Junior Rotax, RMC Euro Trophy – Senior Rotax, and BNL Karting Series – Senior Rotax. His progression mirrors that of his older brother, F1 driver Ollie Bearman, whose entry step from karts to cars was also Formula 4.

Joseph makes the step up to British F4 with Hitech for the final four rounds of the 2025 season.

His car racing debut came in the Ginetta Junior Winter Series last November, in which he took the Rookie Vice-Champion honours. The British driver moved up to the Ginetta Junior Championship in spring 2025, claiming four overall podiums and six Rookie podiums, and amassing a creditable haul of points in his twelve races to date. Joseph is currently fourth in the Drivers’ Standings, but he will now step away from the series to focus on his British F4 campaign.

Earlier in his career, the 15-year-old progressed through the ranks of national and international karting, securing wins at every level.