Young Dutch kart driver Dean Hoogendoorn joins the Williams Academy
The Williams team has just announced the arrival of a new member to its academy. He is Dean Hoogendoorn, a Dutch kart driver. At the age of 12, he becomes the youngest member of the Williams team.
Williams pursues its ambitious recruitment. After recruiting numerous engineers and confirming Carlos Sainz’s arrival for 2025, the British team continues to expand its academy of young talents. The latest addition is Dean Hoogendoorn, a young Dutch karting prodigy.
Many successes in karting
Dean Hoogendoorn, at just 9 years old, became the youngest winner of the WSK Super Master Race in the Mini Gr. 3 category, a record he still holds today. With multiple victories in WSK races and an impressive career in karting, he also won the WSK Euro Series OK-N Junior in 2023. The same year, he finished second in the MINI Gr.3 championship. Currently competing in the OK Junior category, Dean recently secured a third place at the prestigious WSK Super Master Series.
Dean’s promising results convinced Williams to include him in its academy, offering him financial and sporting support to help him improve his skills. The young Dutch driver is excited to join the team.
When I was four years old and drove a kart for the first time, I knew one thing: I wanted to be world champion. That’s why I live and dream, and I work hard every day to achieve my goal. Racing is my passion and being part of the Williams family is a moment of great pride for me. I will give everything I can to the team and I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish together.
Support its development.
This recruitment demonstrates Williams’ commitment to supporting talented young drivers by providing them with an environment conducive to their development for a potential career in Formula 1. Sven Smeets, Sporting Director of Williams Racing, already recognizes Dean’s immense potential.
Dean is a promising young talent and we are delighted to welcome him to the Williams Racing Driver Academy. He has had an impressive start in the world of karting, progressing faster than most other drivers his age and challenging drivers sometimes two years older than him. Dean has a bright future ahead of him and we look forward to supporting his development for the remainder of 2024 and beyond.
With this recruitment, Williams continues to build many young talents and it would not be surprising to see some, like Deon Hoogendoorn, close to the Formula 1 paddocks in a few years.
