Red Bull youngster emulates Max Verstappen with Grand Prix debut

A recently promoted Red Bull star is set to make his Macau Grand Prix debut next month, following in the footsteps of four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen.

Irish teenager Fionn McLaughlin was recently handed the news that in 2026 he will be promoted to F3 with Hitech TGR, racing alongside Jin Nakamura and Michael Shin.

McLaughlin joined the Red Bull young driver programme during his karting days, making the step up to single-seater racing in 2025, where he won the British F4 Championship in his rookie year in the series.

Now, it's been announced that the 17-year-old will be on the grid for the FIA F4 Macau Grand Prix in November, an event that has become synonymous with developing young racing talent.

F4 is on the Macau Grand Prix support bill for this year's event, and McLaughlin will line up alongside British teenager Thomas Bearman, who is the brother of Haas F1 star Ollie Bearman.

The main event at the Macau Grand Prix has a history of giving young racers a real chance in single-seater racing, and Verstappen himself took part in the 2014 Macau GP.

The Dutchman was looking to emulate Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna by winning the F3 race at the Guia Circuit. However, Verstappen pushed too hard in qualifying and ended up starting the race down in 24th.

Despite this, the Dutchman - who had already competed in an official F1 session at the 2014 Japanese Grand Prix - produced a brilliant performance to finish seventh around the 6.1km circuit.

Who is racing in the Macau Grand Prix in 2025?

The main race, which uses Formula Regional machinery, will see a number of young racing stars from around the globe compete against each other to prove that they can be the next Verstappen.

McLaughlin's F3 team-mate next year Nakamura will take to the start line, while both of Alexander Wurz's sons - Charlie and Oscar - will race for Evans GP.

Wurz senior is a former F1 driver having competed in four full seasons and claimed three podiums between 1997 and 2007. He is now the chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association.

The starting lineups for both the main race and the F4 race that McLaughlin is scheduled to compete in are provisional.

Nine national championships will be represented in the first running of the FIA F4 World Cup during the Macau Grand Prix week.#FIA #FIAF4WorldCup #MacauGP pic.twitter.com/hyu073YQ4S

— FIA (@fia) October 13, 2025

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