Beneath the disarming smile and down-to-earth affability, Oliver Turvey is a formidable competitor.

As one of McLaren’s test and development drivers, his talents are only showcased to the tightknit group of engineers with whom he works to steer development and set-up of the car for our race drivers.

But as a racer – and winner – his abilities and career are hitting new peaks.

The Cumbrian blitzed a trail through Britain and Europe’s junior single-seater series – including stints in Formula BMW, Italian Formula Renault, and the Formula Renault Eurocup. He won the prestigious  McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award in 2006, and was runner-up in the 2008 British Formula 3 series.

The same year, while studying engineering at Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam College, he was awarded the honour of Full Blue, the college city’s highest sporting accolade, and the first time the status had been earned by a racing driver.

Drives in Formula Renault 3.5 and GP2 underlined his single-seater potential, but it was a switch to sportscars that saw a further blossoming of Oliver’s career. He first contested the classic Le Mans 24-hour enduro in 2013, returning a year later with team-mates Simon Dolan and Harry Tincknell to impressively win the LMP2 category for the Jota Sport team. It was a breakthrough performance – and Oliver’s role was fundamental to the team’s success.

As a driver, Oliver is able to jump into the simulator and work with our engineers; as a graduate engineer, Oliver’s mechanical mindedness is a considerable asset to our designers as they work to develop the car.

Since 2014, Oliver has raced in Formula E.

Oliver can be found on Twitter and Instagram.