Grapevine: McLaren back 14-year-old Rowland

"He demonstrates the talent and determination that we look for in a driver," said McLaren CEO Martin Whitmarsh.

"You cannot judge talent on one race, however a clear example of why we have joined forces with Oliver is his performance at a kart meeting in February at Shenington.

"Having jumped the start, Oliver was relegated to the back of the grid, but proceeded to take the win with some very classy overtaking manoeuvres. It showed dedication and tenacity."

Whitmarsh played down the inevitable comparisons with Lewis Hamilton, who has received support from McLaren since his karting days.

"No driver is the next Lewis Hamilton, or Nick Heidfeld, or Ricardo Zonta, all drivers who have been supported by the McLaren and Mercedes-Benz Young Drivers Support Programme," he said.

"Each driver is individual, and we have certainly not brought Oliver into the Programme with the aim of him following Lewis's exact career path.

"We will take what we have learnt from our work with all the drivers in the Programme and use some of that knowledge with Oliver, but we are not making any comparisons.

"Oliver will receive a range of support, from technical and management advice from within the McLaren Racing operations. We will work with him on the physical training side and there will also be financial investment in his career."

Rowland also rejected any suggestion that he was being trained as the next generation' Hamilton.

"I'm obviously happy to be part of the same programme that Lewis benefited from," he said.

"It is not for me to draw comparisons with Lewis, but it is extremely flattering that McLaren and Mercedes-Benz have decided to support my ambitions."