GLOUCESTERSHIRE driving sensation Zak O'Sullivan will move a step closer to his Formula 1 dream this weekend when he makes his Formula 2 debut in Bahrain this weekend.
The 19-year-old, from Withington, near Cheltenham, joins the championship ahead of its most eagerly-anticipated season for many years, with a new-for-2024 car and a fiercely-competitive field.
O'Sullivan, who is part of the iconic Williams F1 team’s driver academy, gets his F2 chance after finishing as vice-champion in Formula 3 in 2023 with a record-equalling four wins.
He is stepping up to Formula 2 with renowned junior team ART Grand Prix, which counts the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and George Russell among its past champions.
The usual F2 weekend format has been brought forward a day, meaning O'Sullivan will head into qualifying on Thursday ahead of the sprint race on Friday and Saturday’s feature race, just before the Formula One Grand Prix. All sessions are live on Sky Sports.
"It’s been a long winter of preparation both on and off-track and I can’t wait to get going in Formula 2," said the youngster.
"The new 2024 chassis has been designed to be a much-closer cousin to the Formula One cars we all have ambitions of racing. I know it will be a huge challenge to achieve that goal, but I’ll be meeting that challenge head-on.
"I was encouraged by the progress we made in testing but as we all know, testing is one thing and racing is another. I’ll be looking to make the strongest possible start this weekend and bring home as many points as possible."
Looking ahead, race fans can hear directly from O'Sullivan about his journey towards Formula 1 when he is interviewed by F1 TV’s Laura Winter at a live event on Monday, April 8.
‘Strive to Survive - The Road to F1’ takes place at Dunkertons Cider Shop, in Charlton Kings, from 6.30pm and all funds raised will go directly towards O'Sullivan's F2 season.
He has also launched the 500:500 Business Club and is looking for 500 local companies willing to get on board and help him get one step nearer to his F1 goal.
He said he had been blown away by the generosity of people who have already signed up to support him.
"I’ve been truly bowled over by the generosity of businesses and individuals from Gloucestershire and further afield who have put their hands into their pockets to support me," O'Sullivan added.
"I’ll be doing everything I can to repay their support on the track this weekend."
The 500:500 club costs £500 per business or individual, for which they will have their business featured on Zak’s website, private members mailing list and social media platforms.
Any interested business should email ali@zakosullivan.com.
For more information on Zak, follow him on Instagram at www.instagram.com/zak.osullivan or visit www.zakosullivan.com.
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