McLaren had to beat a number of its Formula 1 rivals to sign young American karting champion Ugo Ugochukwu, according to team CEO Zak Brown. The 13-year-old Ugochukwu won the 2020 FIA OKJ European Championship, adding to a number of titles from the U.S. that caught the attention of multiple F1 teams. The American was part of Sauber’s junior karting program before signing an agreement with McLaren and Brown says he and team principal Andreas Seidl had to work smartly to secure his signature. “There was interest from a couple of other teams — some of the big ones,” Brown said. “I think he’s got a great racing pedigree — Andreas and I spoke about it quite a bit —...
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