Meet the teenage go-karter with dreams of being a future British F1 champion

The list of British F1 champions throughout history is full of incredibly talented drivers.

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton tops the Brit-list, alongside the likes of Jackie Stewart, James Hunt and father and son duo Graham and Damon Hill.

As the 2025 draws towards a dramatic conclusion – an 11th name might be added to the list of British world champions. McLaren’s Lando Norris is top of the standings with just one race remaining and within touching distance of a maiden world title.

Norris is one of many young drivers who got their start in karting – and a young British driver who’ll be backing him all the way this season is hoping to follow in his footsteps.

17-year-old Ethan Jeff-Hall has been karting since he was just five years old and recently signed with Mercedes-AMG F1 as a Junior Driver.

BBC Bitesize caught up with Ethan to find out about life in the fast lane.

"I would never have thought I'd be in this position.”

Ethan’s driving journey began at a very young age – he’d only been walking for around a year before he first took the wheel.

“I actually went on holiday when I was about two years old, and there were these little kind of go karts, which you put a pound in to drive around for five or ten minutes. And ever since then, that's been my dream to be in motorsport.

“I think many people get hooked when they're young, but obviously I've been wanting to do it since I was two years old. So if I was looking up to what I'd be like in ten years' time, I would never have thought I'd be in this position.”

While Ethan’s love of karting began as a holiday romance, he stepped things up when back at home and old enough to take to bigger karts and circuits.

Ethan – who is originally from Lancaster – began driving on indoor tracks at the age of five and over the next few years, shattered circuit records.

At eight-years-old, he graduated to outdoor tracks and was now allowed to race – and his talent even at a young age was clear to see.

While the trophies and awards have piled up through the years – and Ethan has even graduated into Formula 4 for Argenti Motorsport – that love for karting has always remained.

“I've been doing it since I was five!

“I made the step into F4 this year, which is obviously a great step, but karting's just so intense, you know, you're so low to the ground. It feels really quick. And I think that's the main thing for me.”

Green light for the future

With Ethan driving both karts and F4 cars this year – he’s aware that he’s racking up the miles behind the wheel.

The Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) are the governing body for many international motorsport competitions – and they are driving measures to reduce the sport’s environmental impact over the coming years.

The FIA wants to halve its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and become net zero by removing any residual emissions – no mean feat considering the huge scale of Formula 1, let alone the rest of motorsport.

But introducing sustainability measures is important to both Ethan – and his team.

In the 2025 British Kart Championships, Mercedes-AMG F1 joined forces with Motorsport UK to fund the use of sustainable fuels in a number of rounds of one of the event’s classes – claiming a 55% reduction in emissions in one round as a result.

“It's really good to be a part of a team which is so involved in that,” said Ethan.

“Mercedes are doing a great job trying to make karting a lot greener and F1.”

For a sport that has such a huge environmental impact, switching to sustainable fuels can make a huge difference in reducing emissions. Early biofuels relied on crops, whereas newer fuels convert waste, making them much more sustainable.

Other motorsport events have gone one step further and eliminated fuel altogether – with a rise in electric karting and Formula E, the open-car electric motorsport championship.

Getting into pole position

For Ethan now, his focus is on rising through the ranks and hopefully joining drivers like Norris and George Russell – a Mercedes-AMG F1 teammate of Ethan’s in the F1 ranks, who previously came up through karting as well – on the grid for future Formula 1 races.

“Being in F1 and just to be working with a great team like Mercedes is definitely something that I would like to be part of when I'm older.”

But Ethan knows it will take some hard work – something he’s not afraid of in the slightest.

He takes that attitude into his training and racing – and believes staying positive is an incredible driving force in achieving your goals, whether that’s racing, exams or anything else.

“I think the main thing is you work hard, you try your hardest and you know the results will be what they are. And you can only do the best you can, you know.

“I think the wins and the podiums are the big motivator. The better you do, the more motivated you are to keep going.”

So while the world of motorsport waits to see if an 11th British world champion is crowned – keep an eye out for Ethan Jeff-Hall, who might just fancy his chances of adding his own name to that list.

This article was published in November 2025