Beauly’s Oliver Stewart will compete in the 2022 F4 British Championship after joining the Hitech Grand Prix team.
The 15-year-old makes the step up following a successful karting career, with a number of wins and podium finishes on last year’s Motorsport UK British Kart Championship helping him to finish fourth overall in the Junior X30 section.
Stewart also took on-track victory of the 2021 Kart Masters Junior X30 race, securing the British LGM title the same year.
He went on to win the vice-champion title at the IAME World Finals before rounding off a hugely successful 2021 by being selected as one of 12 drivers from around the world for the Richard Mille Young Driver Academy shootout in Spain.
Stewart will now make the transition to Britain’s FIA Formula 4 series, in Hitech’s first season in a new era for the championship under Motorsport UK’s organisation.
Stewart said: “I’m overwhelmed by the opportunity I have been given to drive for such a fantastic team as Hitech GP.
“It has been my dream to race in a car ever since I was a little boy.
“It’s a huge step and a massive learning curve but I will give it everything and make the most of this fantastic chance I’ve been given.
“Most importantly I’d like to thank Allan Dallas of Ross-Shire Engineering for making this happen and the countless other people that have helped me to get to this point. I can’t wait to get going with Hitech GP.”
The F4 British Championship was introduced in 2015, with the first title being claimed by Englishman Lando Norris, who now represents McLaren-Mercedes in Formula One.
The 2022 championship, which comprises of 10 events, begins at Donnington Park in Derby on April 22-24.
Dominic Stott, the British F4 team manager, said: “We are excited to welcome Oliver onboard for the 2022 season.
“He has had some strong results in karting and we want to show what we can do together.
“We now have a solid driver line-up for the British F4 season and we aim to build on our promising showing in the FIA F4 UAE Championship over the last couple of months.”