Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes team have added a 13-year-old from China to their junior squad, with Formula One yet to produce a driver from the world’s most populous nation.
Cui Yuanpu, who has been karting since the age of six, joins several other potential F1 stars of the future in Mercedes’ young driver programme.
“He’s the top karting talent from China and there hasn’t been a Chinese F1 driver yet so we’re looking forward to seeing how Yuanpu progresses and helping him move up the racing ranks,” said Mercedes driver development advisor Gwen Lagrue.