McLaren GT revealed at Autosport International the formation of the McLaren GT Driver Academy. The Academy in its inaugural year will feature three drivers with a variety of motorsport experience: Alex Fontana (Formula Renault 3.5), Struan Moore (Formula 4) and Andrew Watson (2015 McLaren GT Young Driver) with the intention of furthering their careers in GT racing.
The trio will work with McLaren factory drivers Rob Bell, Alvaro Parente and Bruno Senna.
Last year the McLaren Young Driver Programme made its debut, with Andrew Watson and Ross Wylie driving for customer teams in the British GT and International GT Open. The McLaren GT Driver Academy aims to build on that.
“The McLaren GT Driver Academy is a natural evolution of the Young Driver Programme which proved extremely successful in its debut season in 2015,” said Andrew Kirkaldy, managing director, McLaren GT. “We are seeing that the GT grids are becoming among the most competitive in the world, and they are attracting the best of the best through all categories. The appeal of the various global GT3 championships is becoming greater, and the drivers are younger and more committed than ever.
“Despite being young, we are increasingly seeing drivers moving from single seaters with a wealth of experience and a very high level of skill who are hungry for a new challenge. The new Driver Academy will be tailored to this greater level of experience, and look to help enhance the talents and provide a more complete understanding of how to manage and progress with a successful GT career.”
Further details of the McLaren GT Driver Academy and the schedule for the 2016 season will be announced in the coming weeks.
