McLaren shake-up driver lineup as THREE racing stars dropped

McLaren Racing have announced that three drivers have been struck from their young driver programme, as one F1 hopeful has been signed.

The team's driver development programme seeks to support a plethora of young drivers and help them to progress in their careers, with the team recently having signed F1 champion Mika Hakkinen's daughter Ella.

Alongside Ella Hakkinen, names including Pato O'Ward, Dries Van Langendonck and Ella Lloyd populate the programme, but three young drivers have now been released having previously been members.

Ugo Ugochukwu, Martinius Stenshorne and Brando Badoer will not continue with the McLaren driver development programme past the end of this year, the team have confirmed.

That surprise announcement was made amongst a statement confirming the signing of 18-year-old Matteo De Palo, who is currently racing in the Formula Regional European Championship and next year will make the step up to F3.

Speaking about his new opportunity, the teenager said: "Joining the McLaren driver development programme is a great honour. The team have a fantastic track record for developing talent, so I am excited to grow across all elements of being a racing driver.

"Thank you to Zak, Alessandro and the entire McLaren team. I am excited to get out on track in papaya."

McLaren's young talent pool gets refresh

With current F1 championship challengers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri still young themselves, of course, McLaren are not in any immediate rush to find a new F1 star.

Both of their current stars are on long-term contracts, and will likely battle it out for many more world titles in the future, not just this year's.

But, planning for the future has become common for F1 teams, and some drivers within their academy may just be used to fulfil McLaren's rookie driver quota in the future, giving them valuable F1 experience in the process.

The decision to let Ugochukwu, Stenshorne and Badoer go was confirmed later in the team statement, which read: "With multiple wins and podiums across their time with the team, we thank them for their contribution to McLaren and wish them the best for the future."

Former F1 team principal Alessandro Alunni Bravi, who is now McLaren's chief business affairs officer, said on the news of their latest star signing: "The McLaren driver development programme is pleased to welcome Matteo. He is an exciting young talent who has made great progress over the past seasons, showing adaptability, consistency and growth.

"We look forward to supporting his development across driving, as well as the wider aspects of being a professional driver, within our programme pathway.

"We also thank Ugo, Martinius and Brando for their contribution to McLaren and wish them the best for the future."

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