“Everything is just to an extreme, not just the driving but the technology around it too,” said Zak O’Sullivan when asked about the difference between driving a Formula 1 car and Formula 3 car.
Nowadays it’s become easier for young racing drivers to find an opportunity to test for cars in categories above, but when it comes to testing F1 cars, it’s a luxury and sometimes you have to win an award just for this chance.
A few weeks ago on a cold winter day at Silverstone, the 17-year-old was presented an opportunity to drive the Aston Martin AMR21 thanks to the Autosport BRDC Award.
O’Sullivan relished the moment and stormed around the track, completing 32 laps, but it was all down to winning the award ahead of fellow F3 driver Oliver Bearman.
The Cheltenham-born PREMA Racing driver joins good company as winners of the award, and it only paves a strong path for the Williams Academy driver, as success for previous winners is something easily on show.
Over 10 previous winners have been involved within Formula 1 teams during their career and winning the award at such a young age has carved a path to glory.
McLaren’s Lando Norris and Mercedes’ George Russell both won the award within the last 10 years, but when looking further, former-F1 World Champion Jenson Button and race winner David Coulthard also were recipients of the award.
The high-profile names on the list will give O’Sullivan a large amount of hope, but it is still big shoes to fill, especially when looking at those not in Formula 1, however it won’t faze the Brit.
When asked about the experience with Aston Martin, he exclaimed his excitement: “It was amazing. I feel like everyone says that, but it was incredible! I know that driving an F1 car is a special opportunity, and so to be in the group of people who have done is an honour.
“It’s certainly a lot quicker and more powerful! I had a very sore next afterwards too because of that g-force!”
When looking into it more, it’s taken five and a half years on average for those to enter F1 after winning the Autosport BRDC Award, so it’s unlikely that we’ll be seeing the Williams Academy driver in F1 before the 2027 season.
This shouldn’t take away from the clear fact that he is on the rise and after a stellar rookie season, his performances were praised with a move to PREMA and he was also handed another award, claiming the Dallara Award for Best Comeback of the Year in Hungary.
However, when looking at young British drivers in F3 last season, Oliver Bearman has stolen the limelight, securing a move up a category to Formula 2, after finishing third overall last year.
O’Sullivan will undoubtedly be continuing his work on the simulator ahead of the season, but keep an eye on the Brit this season in the cockpit of a category powerhouse.
