Go-kart teenage champion sets sights on Formula 1

Ethan won the Daytona Championship 2024 in his third year of go-karting, having come third 12 months earlier

A 13-year-old go-kart racer who won a junior championship last year has said his ultimate dream would be to compete as a racing driver in Formula 1.

Ethan from Aldridge in the West Midlands won the Daytona Championship 2024 in his third year, having come third in the go-karting final in his second year.

The teenager got into the sport after some of his friends were playing a Formula 1 game, and he started saving up for a go-kart.

"I was nagging my dad, 'Can we do a session? Can we do a session?' Eventually we went to Midlands Karting in Lichfield and did a one-on-one," he said. "They said I had good potential, so we kept going back."

He is now determined to make a career out of racing: "Formula 1 would be amazing, but I'd just be happy to be a racing driver, to be honest."

Ethan's dad, Steve, told the BBC: "We had a conversation. I said to Ethan, 'You've got to be all in; you've got to be 100% committed.'

"And I think this year alone he's got 27 race weekends, and they're full weekends; some of the tracks are four to five hours away.

"It's a full commitment from all of us, and I try and take a lot of the off-track stuff away from Ethan so he can focus on the racing."

Since then, Ethan has climbed up the ranks, winning the Daytona Championship and hoping to take on bigger championships over the next year, such as the British Championships.

Steve said: "I am proud. He works very hard, and a lot of it is off the track, which a lot of people don't tend to see.

"Doing what he does is quite physical, both on his body and mentally, and he has to be at the forefront, so he boxes three or four times a week, and he's got a one-to-one PT once a week to build up his strength."

Ethan added: "It's definitely pushing your neck to the limit as well."

When asked who his idol was, Ethan said: "I think Max Verstappen because of all of his aggression.

"Because I think he's a really nice guy outside the track, and he's quite nice to speak to. He helps all the rookies and stuff, but once the helmet goes on, he changes, and he's focused on the race win and doing the best he can, and it's for himself."