McLaren have signed up the son of 1984 World Rally champion Stig Blomqvist to their Driver Development Programme.
Team principal Martin Whitmarsh sees 18-year-old Tom Blomqvist as a potential rising star.
In 2010 Blomqvist became the youngest driver to win the Formula Renault UK Championship, graduating to the Formula Three Cup last year in which he finished sixth overall.
Whitmarsh said: "Tom is rightly considered to be a very bright prospect in single-seater racing.
"On-track results are the ultimate measurements of a driver's merit, and in this regard Tom is already delivering on his potential.
"As a winner of the Formula Renault championship, he's following in the footsteps of Lewis Hamilton, who passed this career milestone just three years before graduating to Formula One.
"So we're watching Tom's progress with great interest."
Appreciating just what McLaren can do for his career, Blomqvist, who was born in Cambridge, said: "I'm thrilled to get this opportunity.
"The competition gets fiercer every time you step up a category, and having this level of support will really improve my strength and confidence."
Name witheld
8:38am on 23/2/2012
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