Ugo Ugochukwu, the 13-year-old son of Nigerian supermodel Oluchi Onweagba, has been signed by McLaren Racing, one of the world’s top racing teams.
Ugochukwu, who is an American, was recently crowned FIA European karting champion.
The young F1 driver has been winning racing awards since the age of eight. He won a slew of titles in the United States and Europe and most recently won the 2020 FIA OK-Junior European Championship and has graduated to the senior class in the 2021 season.
Haven spent only five years learning; his wins caught McLaren’s attention, the racing team that signed a Lewis Hamilton at a very young age and today he dominates the world of Formula One.
The Formula 1 team confirmed the news and stated that the agreement gives them an option to sign Ugochukwu to a race deal in the future.
McLaren Racing chief executive officer Zak Brown said: “We’ve been watching Ugo’s progress with interest.
“So when the opportunity to sign an agreement with him became available, we had no hesitation moving on it.”
McLaren describes the move as a multi-year contract with Ugochuku and could tie him to a further multi-year racing deal.
F1 has not had an American driver since Alexander Rossi took part in five races for the Marussia team in 2015. According to reports, the last American to win a Grand Prix was 1978 world champion Mario Andretti – at that year’s Dutch Grand Prix.
McLaren F1 team principal Andreas Seidl said: “Ugo is a promising young talent with strong development prospects.
“While he is still early in his career, it is clear he has the ingredients to be successful in the sport.
“This signing reflects our refocused approach to identifying and supporting new talent, away from a formal young driver programme to a more tailored basis.”
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Proud mom, Oluchi celebrated the news of her first great news on social media. The supermodel mom has two children, all boys, with Luca Orlandi, an Italian fashion designer.
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