The young Red Bull Junior Team talent had been on the back foot from the start of the weekend, hit by mechanical issues in both free-practice sessions.

Despite the time lost compared to his rivals, McLaughlin still managed to qualify sixth, putting himself in a position to fight his way back into contention and challenge for a podium.

The Irish got off to a lightning start and quickly climbed to second, piling the pressure on Italian driver Emanuele Olivieri in the closing stages and briefly daring to believe he could snatch the win.

Sadly, his charge came to an abrupt end on the final lap after a small mistake sent him into the barriers, forcing him to retire and leaving Olivieri to take the chequered flag unchallenged.

Born on October 29, 2007, in Magherafelt, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, Fionn McLaughlin could well be Red Bull’s next rising star — especially as fans wait to see when and how Arvid Lindblad will make his long-anticipated Formula 1 debut.

The young Northern Irishman, also 18 like Lindblad and part of the Red Bull Junior Programme, clinched the British Formula 4 title this year in his very first season in single-seaters.

McLaughlin is one of Helmut Marko’s latest bets — and the teenager himself spoke in a recent interview about what Marko saw in him and why he chose to bring him into the Red Bull programme.