Kimi Antonelli's former adversary becomes a part of the McLaren young drivers program

Kimi Antonelli's former adversary from FRECA, Martinius Stenshorne, is now part of the McLaren Young Drivers Program. The young Norwegian was one of the arch-rivals of the Mercedes Junior last season and impressed everyone with his performance.

While Martinius Stenshorne has gone for a more conventional career route where he's taking part in Formula 3, Kimi Antonelli is already in Formula 2, and if the rumors turn out to be true, he will be in F1 at some point this season.

Stenshorne is not the only young driver that the squad has signed, as fellow prospect Alex Dunne has also been signed. With Kimi Antonelli on a fast track to F1, his former adversary is going to take a more conventional route, and a partnership with a major F1 team is certainly a major boost for his development prospects.

Talking about signing the two prospects, Stephanie Carlin, the team's director of F1 business operations, who oversees the team’s development program, said,

“We’re pleased to announce that Alex and Martinius have joined our Driver Development programme. They are both exciting and promising young talents within motorsport, with proven records on track in their respective junior categories including this season’s FIA Formula 3 Championship."

She added,

"The entire team is looking forward to welcoming Alex and Martinius to the McLaren family and we’ll be working closely to support their development within our talent pipeline.”

Kimi Antonelli's former adversary thanks McLaren for the opportunity

Stenshorne thanked McLaren for such an opportunity. The young driver is currently in F3 and driving for Hitech. Getting the opportunity to be a part of the driver development program is a major boost for his career. Talking about the opportunity, the driver touched on the historic aspect of the team as he said,

"I’m incredibly excited to join the McLaren Driver Development programme, it’s an honour to now be part of the McLaren family. The team has a great history of developing talent, so I’m looking forward to growing with the team and learning from their expertise as I continue on my journey towards the top of motorsport."

Stenshorne finished runner-up in FRECA last season behind Kimi Antonelli after a very competitive battle between the two. While Kimi had 400 points, his adversary was not too far behind, with 361 points to his name.

Stenshorne has already won a race in F3 this season and currently finds himself with 10 points to his name in 4 events. The association is surely going to help his career take the next step towards F1.