Honda sign 16-year-old karting star

Honda have signed 16-year-old British karting star Will Stevens in a long-term driver support agreement, the team announced on Friday.

Stevens has established himself as one of the leading young kart racers in the world in recent years. Having won titles in 2005 and 2006, he competed in last year's FIA-CIK KF2 European and Asia-Pacific Championships, winning both series along with the International Open Masters KF2 title.

This season the Brit is competing with the TonyKart Racing Team in the KF1 class in all major European races, as well as participating in the WSK International Series and the World Cup in Japan.

His progress through the ranks has caught the eye of Honda, who are now set to assist Stevens in developing to the level of performance that is required to potentially become part of Honda's F1 programme in the future.

"I am extremely proud to be joining the Honda Racing F1 Team and this provides me with a great opportunity to progress my career towards my goal of reaching Formula One," said Stevens.

"I would like to thank everyone who has helped me so far in my career and especially Honda for their commitment and support of my future. I intend to do my very best to ensure that their belief in me is rewarded."

Ron Meadows, Sporting Director for the Honda Racing F1 Team with responsibility for Honda's Young Driver Programme, added: "We are delighted to welcome Will to the Honda Racing F1 Team.

"Will has had a very promising career in karting to date and we very much look forward to assisting his advancement through the ranks of the junior formulae towards achieving his ultimate ambition to race in Formula One.

"Honda considers the development of emerging motorsport talent to be a key part of our strategy and our commitment to Formula One. We look forward to seeing how Will progresses with our support over the course of the next few years."