From gaming to racing on F1 weekends - McLaughlin's journey

When Fionn McLaughlin finished school, he would run straight up to his bedroom and start driving on the Formula 1 games.

Now, two years on, he is getting ready to race on Grand Prix weekends for real in Formula 3, which supports Formula 1 for 10 events.

It has been a sharp rise for the 18-year-old, who was racing in karts until he was picked up by Red Bull Racing's junior programme in August 2024 and is now racing alongside some of the sport's biggest names.

Last year, in his first season of racing in cars, he dominated the British F4 championship and will now make the step up to Formula 3.

"It's crazy how life can change," McLaughlin told BBC Sport NI.

"I gamed a lot after school, that's all I really did so I know all the tracks off by heart in my head.

"Obviously not in the F3 car, but I know them. So that's the good thing about gaming when you're younger, it helps."

In the space of 18 months, McLaughlin's life has changed as he gets ready to embark of the biggest season of his short career.

In his words, "just never give up".

"The way it changes quickly is just unbelievable. When I was in go-karting I was driving around, never thinking I would be in cars.

"Obviously that was the goal, but now being in F3 so quickly it's like 'wow, it can really go quick'.

"You just have to enjoy every moment, take it all in and work as hard as you can. I feel like life moves quick so make the most of it."

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Since his British F4 title success in October, life has not slowed down for McLaughlin.

The teenager, from Magherafelt in Northern Ireland, headed to Asia for the famous Macau Grand Prix, where he challenged for victory before a late accident on the tight and twisty streets.

Then, he had testing in Spain to sample a Formula 3 car for the first time.

In the New Year he was in New Zealand for the Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy, and he was barely back in Europe when he was strapped into his Hitech Formula 3 car for final preparations for the new season.

McLaughlin said the jump from F4 machinery to Formula 3 was "quite crazy", comparing his first F3 outing to like being in "a rocket ship", but he has felt improvements every time he has stepped behind the wheel.

"The aero [aerodynamics] is quite different. We've got a lot more power and you have to drive differently, so I had to learn how to drive again but in a different way.

"I'm going to have to work as hard as I can and it's going to be one of the toughest years yet.

"The jump was big but now I'm getting used to it and I feel good with the car."

'This is a reality now'

McLaughlin's Formula 3 adventure will see him tackle 10 rounds across the world, from Australia and Monaco to Silverstone, Austria and a brand new event in Madrid.

Despite supporting some of the sport's biggest names, McLaughlin said he won't get distracted by the bright lights of Formula 1.

"It's my goal to get there but I'm here to race F3 and not watch F1.

"I just want to perform as well as I can in F3 and it's quite special yet to travel around the world with F1 drivers and F2 drivers.

"I haven't thought about it really it's just go do my job and come back and be happy and satisfied with what I've did."

McLaughlin said he was "very grateful" to have the support of his family and Red Bull, who "give everything they can" to back their young drivers.

"I'm really grateful for everything in life, with things that go wrong and right.

"You have to learn from everything and even when you do really well for a full year and was dominant like last year, you have to stay humble. Things can go wrong.

"You have to be happy with what you have, make the most of it, and if you do your best and you don't make it, then you can't do anything else.

"If I do my best, then I know me, my family and Red Bull will have put in everything we can."

So what about his goals for the biggest challenge of his fledgling career? Where does McLaughlin hope to be at the end of the season?

"It'd be nice to get a win, but for me it's all about learning and improving for the years ahead.

"It's all a process to F1 and everything I learned from the past will be put into the future.

"I don't really have a goal of championship. I just want to do everything I can in my power to work as hard behind the scenes, work well with the team and do the best we can with the car.

"Whatever that'll be, will be but I'm excited for the season ahead."