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A teenage racing driver from Northern Ireland has been offered a dream opportunity to be part of Formula 1 team Red Bull Racing’s academy.<\/b><\/p>\n
Magherafelt’s Fionn McLaughlin, 16, recently came through a hugely competitive evaluation week as one one of 11 invited candidates from the UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden, Lebanon and Mexico.<\/p>\n
From this aspiring group, the first drivers selected to join the programme were McLaughlin and Sweden’s Scott Lindblom. <\/p>\n
The three-day event consisted of prospective young drivers trying and testing open-wheel F4 and GP3 racing cars in a shootout format at the Jerez circuit in Spain.<\/p>\n
New talents join the same path as current F1 drivers Max Verstappen, Carlos Sainz and Daniel Ricciardo in taking part in the Red Bull junior driver development programme.<\/p>\n
McLaughlin began karting at the age of five, and by the time he was seven was competing in and winning in various championships around Ireland.<\/p>\n
He has gone on to compete successfully at British, European and world level and is currently in the OK class, representing Kart Republic as part of the VDK racing team.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n