Williams Racing have announced that British driver born in Cheltenham, Zak O’Sullivan will make his debut in F1 during FP1 of the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
The Briton was racing this season in Formula 3 at Prema Racing, and finished in 2nd place behind Gabriel Bortolato in the F3 Drivers’ Championship.
O’Sullivan joined the Williams Drivers’ Academy in 2022, and it has been already announced that he will drive for ART Grand Prix in Formula 2 for the upcoming 2024 season.
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Why at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix?
O’Sullivan is not the first driver to be announced for the FP1 session of the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. It has been previously confirmed that Isack Hadjar and Jake Dennis will drive for Red Bull that given session.
Since 2022, each team have to give two drivers a chance to compete in a free practice session, and both official drivers have to sit out a single session.
There are multiple reasons for O’Sullivan to drive during FP1 in Abu Dhabi. First, out of the two remaining races in the calendar, no official driver would be giving up a session at track that is making its debut, Las Vegas.
Secondly, as this session in Abu Dhabi is held during the day, and it will be a night race, there is little data to gain, and the session is less important for teams compared to other weekends throughout the year.
