Fionn McLaughlin: The Road to Formula 4 Glory

(Image Credits to the BBC)

Seventeen-year-old Hitech driver Fionn McLaughlin clinched the British Formula 4 trophy in his debut season. The young Irishman fought off rivals like James Piszcyk and Martin Molnár to seek glory, scoring 363.5 points - 52.5 points in front of second place. McLaughlin won 5 races and took 9 podiums throughout the season, a breathtaking season for the rookie. Regardless of some disappointing performances, he managed to finish the season on a high with some very exciting opportunities coming in 2026.

Fionn McLaughlin, born on October 29th, 2007, in Magherafelt, Northern Ireland, lived and breathed racing from a very young age. From getting his first kart at the tender age of 3, and starting karting at age 5, McLaughlin was quick to make an impression on his opponents, along with an ability to gather sponsors. He would start competitive karting at 7 years old, ranking in many Irish championships.

Over the years, from 2019-2023, he would finish 14th in the British Karting Championship, received the opportunity of a lifetime to fly out to Italy and compete for the Republic Team of Dino Chiesa and be victorious in 2021 at the International Kart Circuit. McLaughlin signed in 2023 with Kart Republic as part of their VDK team, who are a professional karting team based in the beautiful country of Belgium. He would finish 7th overall.

He would also race in the FIA World Karting Championships, claiming 3 heat wins across the weekend, but unfortunately missing out on victory after an engine failure. McLaughlin would also compete in the X30 European Championships and the IAME World Games, where he would finish P4 and P5, respectively.

In 2024, he finished P6 overall in both the CIK-FIA World Karting Championships and the CIK-FIA European Karting Championships. The young karter also claimed P3 overall in the OK Champions of the Future Euro Series, along with a 2nd place overall in the IAME Euro Series. 2024 would also see the Irishman sign for the Red Bull Driver Academy, as a result of his stunning performances in the respective karting competitions.

This year, in 2025, McLaughlin made his debut in single-seater racing, competing in both the Formula Winter Series and British Formula 4 with Hitech TGR. In his debut season, he clinched rookie champion in the Formula Winter Series and placed 3rd in their overall championship. McLaughlin also snatched the Rookie Championship by 200.5 points, a sensational season for the young Irishman. From the pressure of leading such a prestigious championship and retiring from races due to failures and crashes, he never gave up showing the young drivers resilience on his mission to secure the title that he desperately wanted, proving everyone why he is backed as the next ‘Vettel, Hamilton, or Verstappen’.

2026 will see a very exciting opportunity for such an exciting prospect with McLaughlin joining the Formula 3 grid next year after having signed with Hitech TGR.

Article written by Evelyn Gibson