By Sam Cooper
May 17 2007

Oliver is just fourteen years of age, he originates from Barnsley, which is located in the middle of England, he is currently racing in JICA Karting. Oliver has shown some of the most important characteristics that McLaren look for when they recruit another driver to be part of their young driver program, which has developed some of the best racing drivers such as Nick Heidfeld and Lewis Hamilton.

"We are delighted to have Oliver as part of the programme," said McLaren CEO Martin Whitmarsh. "He demonstrates the talent and determination that we look for in a driver. Oliver will receive a range of support, from technical and management advice, from within the McLaren Racing operations. We will work with him on the physical training side and there will also be financial investment in his career."

"To have such support from some of the biggest names in the sport is fantastic and I am looking forward to developing our relationship over time," he said. “When you are given an opportunity like this, you don’t allow yourself to be worried by pressure, you have to focus on making the most of it, and that is what I intend to do."

Rumours have developed about the new signing, they suggest that McLaren are preparing Oliver to be the next Lewis Hamilton, Martin was quick to deny this rumour. "No driver is the next Lewis Hamilton, or Nick Heidfeld, or Ricardo Zonta, all drivers who have been supported by the McLaren and Mercedes-Benz Young Drivers Support Programme," said Whitmarsh. “Each driver is individual, and we have certainly not brought Oliver into the Programme with the aim of him following Lewis’s exact career path.

However, it wouldn’t surprise us at McLaren Fans if this was the case, it costs over £4 million or $8 million to become a formula one driver. Which sport he would enter though remains to be seen. Formula one is an option, but I wouldn’t rule out Oliver driving in DTM with Mercedes.

"We will take what we have learnt from our work with all the drivers in the Programme and use some of that knowledge with Oliver, but we are not making any comparisons."

Being picked up by a major motorsport company is a brilliant feeling, but at the same time it can become a gigantic pressure to have on you, McLaren will certainly want Oliver to be successful.

We will follow Oliver’s progress when we can do, in a few years time he will almost certainly be entering Formula ford, or perhaps Formula Renault, where his name will become more well known to us, and who knows, in 8-10 years time, we could see him driving a McLaren to success in formula one.