Zak O’Sullivan announced as BRDC Young Driver of the Year
Zak O’Sullivan, Williams Racing Academy Driver, was named winner of the BRDC Young Driver of the Year award on Sunday night. The British driver claimed the prestigious accolade after impressing in a series of evaluations, which included fitness and simulator elements and a two-day test at Silverstone.
The award, which he collect last night on his 17th birthday, tops off a memorable few days for Zak, after confirming his 2022 FIA Formula 3 campaign and joining the Williams Racing Driver Academy on Friday.
Zak was nominated for the coveted award following a stellar performance in his debut GB3 season, which saw him claim the 2021 Championship title with a 164-point margin over his nearest challenger. The young driver secured seven wins and 14 podium finishes on his way to the trophy, also claiming the most pole positions across the 24-round series.
Previous winners of the esteemed award include Williams Racing Brand Ambassador and 2009 F1 World Champion, Jenson Button, as well as former Williams drivers George Russell and David Coulthard.
Speaking after the award ceremony, Zak said “I was incredibly happy with the nomination and really enjoyed the evaluation experience in October, so to go home with the prize is the icing on the cake. It’s a massive achievement for a young driver like myself who is still developing their career. So many past Formula One drivers have won the award, so I’m very proud to be on that list.”
Sven Smeets, Williams Racing Sporting Director, added, “I want to congratulate Zak on behalf of everyone at Williams Racing on winning such a prestigious award. He is an incredibly worthy recipient, having demonstrated his capabilities across all areas and confirming his comprehensive ability. I’m delighted that the panel have recognized and acknowledged the same talent in him that we have.”
Aston Martin Press Release
Aston Martin Lagonda announced Zak O’Sullivan as the 2021 Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award winner. The 17-year-old Briton, from Cheltenham, was awarded the most prestigious honor in junior motorsport during the gala Autosport Awards ceremony held at the Grosvenor House Hotel, on London’s Park Lane, on Sunday evening.
O’Sullivan, who is the reigning GB3 champion with seven race victories during the 2021 season, earns a full test in an Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One car. He also received a check for £200,000 on the night, a full membership to the BRDC and an Arai crash helmet.
O’Sullivan joins a star-studded list of former winners that includes 2009 FIA Formula 1® world champion Jenson Button, three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti, and several Le Mans 24 Hours class winners including Aston Martin’s Darren Turner. The roll of honor also includes current F1® drivers, George Russell and Lando Norris.
To win the Award, O’Sullivan had to outshine three other outstanding finalists, FIA Formula 3 contender Jonny Edgar (17), 2021 Euroformula Open runner-up Louis Foster (18) and 2021 Italian and German F4 champion Ollie Bearman (16), in an intensive two-day shoot-out on Silverstone’s Grand Prix circuit in four 425bhp MotorSport Vision F2 cars, a Garage 59-run Aston Martin Vantage GT3 and a BBM Sport Ginetta LMP3 prototype. Moreover, the finalists were subjected to an extensive fitness test with Athletic Thinking and an in-depth simulator assessment with the Formula 1 world championship-winning Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, prior to their on-track examination.
“I went into this evening with no expectations, I was a bit nervous, and I didn’t eat much, but it is amazing to win it,” said O’Sullivan, who received the award on his 17th birthday and will step up to FIA Formula 3 in 2022.
“I had a good idea I thought I’d been quite fast at the test, especially in the F2 ‘race’ run. I’m really looking forward to the F1® test. Hopefully, after a year in F3 my neck will hold up. It’ll be great to be able to say I’ve driven an F1® car.”
The judging panel was led by 1992 World Sportscar champion and BRDC vice-president Derek Warwick. He was joined by Turner, 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning engineer Leena Gade, Garage 59 team owner Andrew Kirkaldy, Formula E race-winner Alexander Sims, commentator Ian Titchmarsh, Autosport editor Kevin Turner and engineer Mark Williams. They were joined by four-time IndyCar champion and three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti as guest judge.
This was the second time that Aston Martin Lagonda has been the title partner of the initiative alongside the world-renowned Autosport media platform and the British Racing Drivers’ Club, owner of Silverstone, the home of British motorsport and also Aston Martin’s High Performance Test Center. Johnathan Hoggard, won on the previous occasion in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic prevented the 2020 competition from taking place.
Darren Turner, Aston Martin development driver said: “It’s always a privilege to play a role in the judging process for the Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Award because I know first-hand what a difference it can make to the driver who wins it. This year’s winner fully deserves the accolade. He was very impressive every time he was in the car and his approach to the whole experience was outstanding.”
Aston Martin Lagonda CEO, Tobias Moers said: “Congratulations to Zak, who joins a long and prestigious list of British racing superstars to have won this Award. Great Britain has always played a central role in the development of motorsport talent across all disciplines and it is only right that Aston Martin, as a British ultra-luxury sportscar manufacturer and Formula 1® constructor, can participate in this process in a meaningful way through the Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Award.”