5 days Ago By Harry Smith
Lando Norris and Zak Brown both sent their congratulations to Ugo Ugochukwu after the McLaren junior driver followed in the footsteps of Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna by winning the prestigious Macau Grand Prix. The 17-year-old won a dramatic Macau GP at the weekend, converting pole position to victory in a race that produced a red flag and five safety cars. Ugochukwu was ever-present at the front, leading every lap as he held off Red Bull junior starlet Oliver Goethe to take the chequered flag first.
For Ugochukwu, Sunday’s race was a breakthrough moment. The young American, unique among racing drivers due to his height and wiry figure, has been on the radar of feeder series fans for a while but struggled to make the expected impact during his rookie campaign in the Formula Regional European Championship in 2024. The New York-born racer’s win was met with praise from two key members of the McLaren stable.
Three-time F1 Grand Prix winner Norris posted Ugochukwu’s success to his Instagram story, adding the comment: “Nice one @ugougochukwu”. McLaren Racing CEO Brown also weighed in with a designated post for Ugochukwu’s success. His caption read: “Congrats to McLaren development driver @ugougochukwu for leading every lap to win the 2024 #MacauGP.
“Excellent skill and determination to navigate a tricky race. We’re proud! Ugo picks up the trophy previously won by legends like Senna and Schumacher and is the first American to win it in over 40 years! Mega!” As Brown mentioned, the Macau GP is one of the most prestigious events a junior driver can win on the road to open-wheel greatness. Senna won the race back in 1983, driving for West Surrey Racing with Theodore Racing.
Schumacher is also a previous winner of the event. In 1990, he won for WTS Racing in a talent-laden field that included future Ferrari driver Eddie Irvine, future two-time world champion Mika Hakkinen and a host of other F1 stars in the making. More recent winners include former Williams academy driver Dan Ticktum, IndyCar star Felix Rosenqvist and Formula E ace Antonio Felix da Costa.
Unlike that trio, however, Ugochukwu hopes to make it to the F1 grid. The McLaren starlet is already stepping up to Formula Three for the 2025 campaign and with the backing of perennial frontrunners Prema Racing behind him, his chances of making an impact in his rookie year are strong..
