Teenage phenom and World Karting Champion Ethan Jeff-Hall has been signed to Mercedes F1’s junior program, cementing the German marque’s hold on the next generation of talent.

Ethan Jeff-Hall took a dramatic victory at the CIK-FIA World Championship for OK karts with a daring last-lap pass; the move earned him a new role with Mercedes.

World Champion kart racer “over the moon” to join Mercedes

At just 16 years of age, reigning world karting champion Ethan Jeff-Hall has made a definitive step toward a promising future by joining the Mercedes-AMG Formula 1 Junior Team for the 2025 season.

Jeff-Hall has been competing in the karting world since 2019, and he’s slowly been making a name for himself ever since.

In 2022, he definitively won the Rotax Max Euro Trophy and the following year took second overall in the British Kart Championship in the Rotax Max Junior category.

Earlier this year, he also took part in the 25-race Ginetta Junior championship, getting his first taste of an entry-level sportscar. His six wins in the series saw him secure a championship.

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And that isn’t his only championship this year.

In 2024, Jeff-Hall made two outings behind the wheel of an OK kart — and his effort at the FIA Karting World Championship was one such outing.

The event took place at the PF International Circuit under wet conditions, and of the 35 competitors taking part in the event, Ethan Jeff-Hall and competitor Joe Turney were the class of the field.

Turner had amassed a strong advantage over the rest of the field when he made a mistake that allowed Jeff-Hall into the lead on the final lap of the race. It was enough for Jeff-Hall to secure the coveted title.

The Briton was invited soon after to compete in the Ferrari Driver Academy world final, which would determine the racers set to join the Scuderia’s talent program; however, the results of that contest have yet to be announced. By signing with Mercedes, Jeff-Hall has taken himself out of the FDA running.

Jeff-Hall stated that he is “over the moon” about his new role with Mercedes,

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