Son of a WRC driver, McLaren protégé and the next F2 star

In motorsport there are drivers who seem destined for it. There is something in their story, in their family environment, in the way they arrived at the track that makes everything fit with an almost narrative logic. Martinius Kleve Stenshorne, born on February 2, 2006 in Hokksund, Norway, is one of those cases. His father, Martin, competed in the World Rally Championship. Motorsport was not a discovery for Martinius. It was the landscape of his childhood.

At four years old he had already climbed into a kart. At ten he began competing seriously. And since then, the trajectory of this nineteen-year-old has been that of someone who understands that in motorsport there are no shortcuts, but there are accelerators. Today he is part of the McLaren Driver Development Programme, backed by Nicolas Todt’s All Road Management structure, and faces his first full Formula 2 season with Rodin Motorsport. The credentials are on the table.

From Italian karting to the radar of major teams

Stenshorne quickly drew attention outside Norway. In 2018, aged just twelve, he won the WSK Super Master Series and the Italian Karting Championship in the 60 Mini category. Victories in karting at that age in the demanding Italian context do not go unnoticed. Development programmes began to take note.

In 2022 he made the switch to single-seaters, competing in various F4 series including F4 UAE, Italian F4, Spanish F4 and ADAC F4. He finished seventh in the Italian championship and claimed three podiums in his early experiences in open-wheel cars. It was a solid beginning for someone who had barely turned sixteen.

FREC and the leap to the European stage

In 2023 came the real breakthrough. Stenshorne joined the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine with Trident and made history on his debut: he became the first rookie driver ever to win a race on his absolute debut in the competition. He ended the season as vice champion with five victories and a consistent performance that placed him definitively on the European motorsport map. Not as another promising name, but as the most outstanding rookie of the category that year.

Two F3 seasons and entry into McLaren’s programme

For 2024 he stepped up to the FIA Formula 3 Championship with Hitech Pulse Eight. In Melbourne he claimed his first win in the category, adding two more podiums across the season. That performance was enough for McLaren to come knocking: he became a member of the McLaren Driver Development Programme, the exclusive development structure of one of Formula 1’s most historic teams.

In 2025 he returned to F3 with the same team for a more mature campaign. Two wins, including a dominant display in Monaco, and three further runner up finishes gave him fifth in the championship. During the summer he also made his Formula 2 debut with Trident in Baku, qualifying seventh against a grid of far more experienced drivers. Both races ended in retirement, but the raw pace had been demonstrated convincingly.

At the end of the season, Rodin Motorsport confirmed him for the final two F2 rounds of 2025 at Lusail and Yas Marina, replacing Amaury Cordeel. And shortly after, the logical confirmation: Stenshorne would race with Rodin for the full 2026 Formula 2 season.

2026: the year of truth on the doorstep of F1

At nineteen years old, Stenshorne approaches the 2026 F2 season with a clear mindset. He is not talking about adapting. He is talking about winning the title in his first full campaign. It is the ambition of someone who has spent almost his entire life competing at the highest level and understands that every year without taking the step towards F1 is a year lost in the equation of his career.

His teammate is Alex Dunne, with whom he already has a friendship built across junior paddocks. The familiarity can be a weapon or a trap. Stenshorne appears aware of both possibilities. He has the pace, the backing and the will. What he lacks is the experience that only comes from mileage in the most demanding championship below Formula 1.

TIMELINE

February 2, 2006
Born in Hokksund, Norway. His father Martin competed in the WRC.

2010
First kart ride at age four.

2016
Begins competitive karting at age ten.

2018
Wins WSK Super Master Series and Italian Karting Championship in 60 Mini class, aged twelve.

2022
Single seater debut. Competes in F4 UAE, Italian F4, Spanish F4 and ADAC F4. Three podiums. Seventh in Italian championship.

2023
Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine with Trident. First rookie to win on debut in FREC history. Vice-champion with 5 victories.

2024
FIA Formula 3 debut with Hitech Pulse Eight. Win in Melbourne. Two additional podiums. Joins McLaren Driver Development Programme.

2025
Second F3 season. Fifth in championship with two wins (Monaco, Austria) and three further podiums. F2 debut in Baku with Trident (P7 in qualifying). Joins Rodin for final two F2 rounds. Signed for full 2026 F2 campaign with Rodin.

2026
First full FIA Formula 2 season with Rodin Motorsport. Declared goal: winning the championship.

KEY QUOTES

“I think to be the Champion in the first year, that’s the goal.”
Martinius Stenshorne — FIA F2 official, January 2026

“I’m really excited to be joining Rodin Motorsport in the 2026 Formula 2 Championship. This is a big step forward in my career, and I’m grateful to the team for their trust and support.”
Martinius Stenshorne — Rodin Motorsport official statement, October 2025

“I’m not a big fan of understeer. I would say I like the car to have quite a good front end, especially in the mid-corner.”
Martinius Stenshorne — Pit Debrief, April 2026 (on his setup philosophy)

CURIOSITIES

• His father Martin competed in the World Rally Championship. Motorsport is genetic inheritance in the Stenshorne family.
• Is personal friends with teammate Alex Dunne outside the circuit. The two regularly play video games together.
• Became the first rookie in FREC history to win a race on his absolute championship debut.
• Member of the McLaren Driver Development Programme, the same initiative that shaped drivers like Lando Norris.
• Won the Italian karting championship at age twelve, a feat that drew immediate attention from Europe’s top motorsport programmes.
• Uses the simulator intensively before each race weekend to compensate for limited experience at certain circuits.

At nineteen years old and with the McLaren academy behind him, Martinius Stenshorne has everything it takes to be a F2 star in 2026. Do you think this young Norwegian has the makings of a champion, or is F2 still too high a step for someone in their first full season? Let us know in the comments.

Source: fiaformula2.com, rodinmotorsport.com, pitdebrief.com, es.wikipedia.org, en.wikipedia.org, grokipedia.com, motortime.es, dailysportscar.com