Ugo Ugochukwu Takes After Lewis Hamilton In McLaren’s Drivers’ Data

More facts have emerged in the growth of Nigerian-born lad, Ugo Ugochukwu as the next top motorsport star to take after Britain’s foremost race driver, Lewis Hamilton on the cards of Formula 1 team, McLaren.

Megasportsarena.com reports that, although a year has gone since the British team signed Ugochukwu to their ranks, some months after losing Hamilton to Mercedes, the buzz is still sounding loud about the youngster’s potentials.

Such is the buzz surrounding the 13-year-old karter, who was born to a Nigerian mother in United States of America, as he keeps justifying trappings of his long-term deal to support his development through motorsport’s junior categories.

This means the Surrey-based team would have the first option on Ugochukwu’s services in the future and they quickly outlined an elaborate development programme for the New York-based Kart racing champion both in USA and Europe.

Aside propelling him into the spotlight and providing support for his career, McLaren agreed an option to bank on Ugo’s services with a full-fledged professional in the future, as he continues growing through the OK Senior class of karting.

Details of this development are provided in a report by Sky Sports, which added that Ugochukwu has won a host of titles since he began karting in 2013 and only last year won the FIA OKJ European Championship.

His story has already brought up memory of how McLaren famously signed Hamilton when he was only 13, after an impressive start to his racing career, after which the Briton went on to enter F1 with the Woking team and won his first world F1 world title with them in 2008 aged 23.

Ugochukwu, who was born in New York to a Nigerian mother Oluchi Onweagba-Orlandi, who won the first edition of The Face of Africa contest in 1998, and Italian fashion designer father, Luca Orlandi, is now being tipped for stardom, after signing to the same management firm of current McLaren race driver, Lando Norris

McLaren chief executive, Zak Brown disclosed: “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. Now we’ll focus on giving Ugo the right support when he needs it to help him fulfill his potential.”

Team principal, Andreas Seidl added: “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.”

Ugochukwu, who started racing in 2013 and has already won trophies in USA and Europe, responded thus: I’m honoured to be signed by such an iconic team as McLaren Racing so early in my career.

“To have the support of McLaren is fantastic and what any young driver dreams of. I’m focused right now on developing as a driver and racer, so having McLaren by my side can only help me on and off the track.”