Photo: McLaren
McLaren junior Dries Van Langendonck will make his single-seater debut on his 15th birthday this weekend as he joins the British Formula 4 grid for the rest of this season with Rodin Motorsport.
Belgian driver Van Langendonck was world karting champion in the OK Junior class in 2023 before being signed to McLaren’s driver development programme last year.
He has already joined the British F4 field for tests with Rodin this month at Brands Hatch and at Donington Park, topping a session on both days and finishing the latter test fifth fastest overall.
Van Langendonck turns 15 years old this Saturday, making him eligible to take part in qualifying and the races at Donington this weekend. He will also contest the remaining rounds of the season at Silverstone and Brands Hatch.
“Dries is a talented young driver and we’re pleased to have him join us for the rest of the season,” said Rodin’s sporting director Benn Huntingford. “We look forward to working closely with him and seeing what we can achieve together.”
Van Langendonck won the European and Champions of the Future titles in OK Junior last year before stepping up to senior OK level at the end of the season, winning the WSK Final Cup.
He joined the Prema team for 2025 and begun the year by winning the WSK Super Masters Series. He also came second in the opening round of the European championship, and finished eighth in the standings despite only contesting two of the four rounds before he turned his attentions to cars.