Although each team can only run two drivers in Formula 1, they’re all constantly on the lookout for the next great talent.
The likes of Liam Lawson, Oliver Bearman and Andrea Kimi Antonelli are pushing to join the F1 grid from 2025 with dozens of young talents hoping to join them on that shortlist.
A report from The Mirror suggests that McLaren are among the team looking at a driver further down the junior racing pyramid.
The 2024 season is the first in the sport’s history that doesn’t feature a rookie, a decision Eddie Jordan has suggested is ‘scandalous’.
The likes of Logan Sargeant and Zhou Guanyu have struggled to justify their promotions from Formula 2 since making their debuts in 2023 and 2022 respectively.
There are going to be several opportunities for young drivers next year with so much movement expected in the driver’s market this year.
However, teams know they need to continue scouting the regional series to discover the next Max Verstappen or Lewis Hamilton.
McLaren are among the teams that believe they’ve unearthed a gem and want to sign 16-year-old teenager Louis Sharp.
The young Kiwi is now racing in Europe and already has some silverware to his name.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about McLaren F1 Team from team principal to engine
McLaren now want to sign 16-year-old rising star Louis Sharp
Despite only being 16 years old, Louis Sharp already has an impressive CV to his name.
He made his debut in the F4 British Championship at the age of just 14 and already has multiple national titles to his name.
He was so young that he wasn’t eligible to race in the first three rounds, but still secured two wins and several podiums during his debut season.
Sharp won both trophies at the UAE F4 races in front of the Formula 1 paddock in Abu Dhabi and that might be where he caught McLaren’s attention.
Last year, he stayed in the F4 British Championship and followed in Lando Norris’s footsteps by winning the championship.
He’s now stepped up to race in GB3 this season where his current team manager Ricky Taylor has described him as ‘really exciting’.
It’s no wonder that McLaren are now keen to sign Sharp as he approaches the junior formulas that follow F1 around the world.
Louis Sharp already working with Formula 1 teams
The report from The Mirror suggests that as well as McLaren, Mercedes and Alpine are both keen on signing the 16-year-old.
He has already spent a day on Mercedes’s F1 simulator at their factory in Brackley.
Sharp is part of a year-long performance programme with Alpine, however, Sharp wouldn’t be the first driver to switch from the French outfit to McLaren.
The report goes on to say that he will spend time ‘embedded’ in the McLaren team over the course of a Grand Prix weekend this season.
The last driver to win the GB3 Championship that Sharp is currently leading was Callum Voisin and that earned him a seat in Formula 3 this year.
That has to be the aim for Sharp now with quick progression through the junior ranks the key to attracting interest from Formula 1.
Who would Sharp be competing against in McLaren’s academy?
If McLaren do sign Sharp, then he still faces plenty of competition on his way to Formula 1.
He’s currently 15 points ahead of Ugo Ugochukwu who is already in McLaren’s programme and won the Euro 4 Championship last year.
Pato O’Ward is the standout name in McLaren’s development programme as he continues to drive in IndyCar having previously tested in F1, although there are question marks over whether his driving style would suit Formula 1.
Japanese driver Ryo Hirakawa is currently competing in FIA WEC, while Gabriel Bortoleto is making his Formula 2 debut after winning F3 last season.
Bianca Bustamante is the final driver in their programme and currently competing in the Formula Winter Series and F1 Academy.
It’s virtually impossible to make it to Formula 1 without being connected to a team’s junior programme.
Sharp will have to carefully consider which team he wants to join with so much interest in his signature.
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