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Williams Racing is delighted to
welcome Zak O’Sullivan to the team’s Driver Academy. The team is also
pleased to confirm that Zak will compete in the 2022 FIA Formula 3
Championship, running in the 18-race series with Carlin.
Zak is one of the foremost young talents in motorsport, having recently been
crowned GB3 Champion after an extraordinary debut season in the category,
securing seven wins and 14 podium finishes on his way to the trophy. His
notable consistency through the season saw him eclipse his nearest
championship rival by an impressive margin of 164 points.
The 16-year-old has now been shortlisted in the final four for the
prestigious Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award, which aims to
find and assist the best British junior racing drivers, and the winner of
which will be announced this Sunday, 6 February in the annual awards
ceremony.
As a Williams Racing Academy Driver, Zak will be fully integrated into the
team, both trackside and at the factory at Grove, Oxfordshire, where he will
conduct simulator work and provide effective feedback for car development.
The team will support Zak’s growth as a driver through this work, along with
honing the other skills needed to be a top-line racing driver, including
human performance and marketing disciplines.
In 2020 Zak was crowned British F4’s Vice Champion, missing out on the title
by only four points after taking nine race victories and eighteen podiums.
Prior to this, Zak recorded a second-place finish in the 2019 Ginetta Junior
Championship, ending the season as the highest placed rookie.
Speaking about the announcement, Zak said, “I’m honoured to have been
selected as a Williams Racing Academy Driver. This is an incredible
opportunity and I can't thank Jost, Sven and the whole team enough for their
faith in me. Williams Racing is one of the most successful and respected
teams in Formula One and have nurtured some of the greatest talents in the
sport. I’m also so pleased to be continuing my relationship with Carlin and
stepping up to FIA F3 with them this season. This will be my third year
working with the team and I am looking forward to the challenge ahead.”
Sven Smeets, Williams Racing Sporting Director, added “We are all very
pleased to welcome Zak to the Williams Racing Driver Academy. His incredibly
successful GB3 Championship campaign speaks to his natural talent, and the
team can attest to his capability, drive and professionalism having seen him
drive the simulator in Grove. I’m very much looking forward to seeing him
take on FIA Formula 3 next year; I know he’ll prove a formidable competitor.
We’re now looking forward to working alongside Zak to support his
development and progression, a role that we’re proud to play in a talented
young driver’s career.” |
