From karting at eight years old, to joining the Williams Racing Academy – Zak O’Sullivan continues to make waves as he chases his Formula 1 dream.
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As a racing fan, it’s always great to cheer on drivers from your home country. But it’s even more special to cheer on a driver from your hometown. Residents in Stevenage have Lewis Hamilton, those in King’s Lynn have George Russell, and locals in Bristol have Lando Norris.
In Cheltenham, the town where I was born and have lived for the majority of my life, we have Zak O’Sullivan.
Currently racing in Formula 2 with ART Grand Prix, Zak is certainly drawing some good attention to his skills. Throw in a GB3 Championship win in 2021, coming 2nd in the 2023 Formula 3 championship, plus a couple of prestigious awards, and you’ve got someone to keep your eye on.
Early Years
At the tender age of just eight years old, Zak O’Sullivan was on the karting tracks of Europe. His skill in the wet weather earned him the nickname “Rain Man”, and in his first five races he managed to rack up three wins.
By 11 years of age, Zak claimed his first ever championship win. He was one of the youngest drivers to have won the British Super One Rookie Championship. In the same year, he managed to win the British GP Kartmasters Championship, thrusting him into the European World Karting arena.
In 2018, Zak took the runner-up spot in the DKM Championship. At 14 years old, this then paved the way for his move from karts to cars, and in 2019 he joined the Ginetta Junior Championship. In his first Ginetta Junior race, he managed to clinch 2nd place – the first of 14 podium finishes that year (three of which were race wins). Zak got his hands on the Ginetta Junior Championship Rookie Cup, finishing the championship 2nd overall.
Moving On Up
Roll on 2020, and Zak got his first taste of competitive single-seater racing. Driving for Carlin in his maiden British F4 Championship season, he took his first victory at Donington Park. This was swiftly followed with more success at Brands Hatch, where Zak took both pole and a double race win. His main rival for the whole season was Luke Browning, and controversial circumstances meant that Zak unfortunately lost out at the very last race of the season.
The BRDC gave Zak the BRDC Superstar award at the start of 2021, making him the youngest ever driver to win the accolade. The prestigious award puts the spotlight on promising British racing drivers, with previous winners including George Russell, Lando Norris and Alex Albon.
That same year, Zak moved into the GB3 Championship (formerly known as the BRDC British F3 Championship), continuing to drive for Carlin. He managed to rack up seven race wins and seven further podium places. He also achieved the most poles, most fastest laps and most laps led. With such a dominant season, Zak swept away the competition and took the crown in the championship. In recognition of this, the BRDC bestowed Zak with another prestigious award – the Jim Clark Trophy.
Team Principal Trevor Carlin openly gave high praise to Zak. “I’m fortunate to have worked with many talented drivers, some of which have made it all the way to Formula One. Zak has a fantastic natural talent…I see a very bright future ahead.”
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Formula 3
In February 2022, the Williams Racing Academy announced that Zak would be joining them as one of their drivers. His new role would see him helping to conduct simulator work and give valuable feedback to the team. In return, the team would support Zak’s growth as a driver.
The good news continued to flow. At the delayed 2021 Aston Martin Autosports Awards, Zak received the Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year award. Carlin also announced that Zak would be driving for them in the FIA Formula 3 championship in 2022.
Zak’s rookie year in Formula 3 saw many strong performances. In front of his home crowd at the British Grand Prix, Zak took pole and claimed a podium spot. In Hungary’s feature race, he fought from 20th to 4th in four laps. At Zandvoort, Zak took his 2nd podium of the season. Overall, he finished 11th in the championship.
Williams continued to support Zak’s development, and he secured a seat with the PREMA Racing team for the 2023 season. It was an ideal step for Zak, with PREMA being one of the most successful lower-formula teams in recent years. Zak had a stellar season, clinching four wins that contributed to finishing 2nd overall in the 2023 championship. With teammates Paul Aron and Dino Beganovic finishing 3rd and 6th respectively, PREMA secured the Team’s Championship title.
Formula 2
At the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2023, Williams chose Zak to drive Alex Albon’s FW45 during FP1. The session saw 10 out of the 20 seats being occupied by rookie drivers, all being given their chance to shine.
It had been an incredible year for Zak. To top it all off, it was confirmed that he would graduate into Formula 2 for the 2024 season. His seat was at ART Grand Prix, who had seen success in the past with the likes of Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton.
His 2024 season so far has resulted in some success. Going into the summer break, Zak is sitting 10th in the driver’s championship. He has top 10 finishes in 8 sprint races and 4 feature races. Two of those include his sprint race victory in Belgium, and his incredible feature race win in Monaco.
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What Does The Future Hold?
Zak O’Sullivan has achieved a lot throughout his racing career, and there’s no doubt that there is still more to come. Whilst the support he receives from the Williams Racing Academy is invaluable, the cost of competing is high.
Zak has been doing all he can to attract sponsors, including launching the 500:500 project.
“I know I can get results and I have already shown what I can achieve but finding sponsorship is proving to be really difficult,” Zak says, “Vast sums of money are involved in competing and we are trying everything for me to continue in F2 and on the path to Formula 1.”
His mum, Ali, acknowledges that the costs are a difficult factor that can ultimately decide even the most talented racer’s fate.
“This is an eye-wateringly expensive sport to be involved with and there is no safety net. Years of hard work and raw talent have brought us to this point and it is heart-breaking to think Zak’s future could be decided due to circumstances off the track, rather than his achievements on it.”
Despite the financial challenges, it’s clear to see that Zak has a lot to offer on the track. The future of any racing driver is never a certain one. But, as my hometown hero, I can only hope that he achieves those dreams and breaks into the most prestigious motorsport in the world.
Do you have a racing hometown hero? Tell us in the comments!