PREMA have announced the signing of 2022 Formula 3 driver Zak O’Sullivan as their final driver for the 2023 season.
Seventeen-year-old British driver Zak O’Sullivan has announced that he will be switching teams from Carlin Racing to PREMA Powerteam following his debut season in Formula 3. O’Sullivan is the seventh driver to be announced for the 2023 Formula 3 Championship.
2022 Formula 3 season
After winning the 2021 GB3 Championship, O’Sullivan participated in F3’s post-season test for Carlin Racing, the team that took him to the 2021 championship. Later that year he was announced as part of their Formula 3 team alongside Brad Benavides and Enzo Trulli.
Before the 2022 season started, O’Sullivan signed with the Williams Drivers Academy. He scored his first points at the opening Sprint Race in Bahrain and would go on to grab two podiums throughout the season. He finished eleventh in the championship ahead of both teammates who finished sixteenth and thirty-fourth respectively.
In September 2022, O’Sullivan took part in the Formula 3 post-season testing once again after he was unable to join Formula 2 for unknown reasons. He joined PREMA alongside Dino Beganovic and Paul Aron and together the three set alight the timing screens. All three drivers have been now been confirmed as PREMA drivers for the 2023 season.
🚨 @ZakOSullivan switches to @PREMA_Team
The British racer joins the Italian outfit for his second season in Formula 3! 🙌#F3 #RoadToF1 pic.twitter.com/x1i7Asxu1L
— Formula 3 (@Formula3) November 16, 2022
Following the announcement, Zak O’Sullivan stated:
“I am really excited to be joining PREMA for the 2023 FIA Formula 3 season. It will be a new environment for me, but PREMA’s history says all we need to know, so hopefully, we can have a good year together. The first impressions in testing were good, and the pace was pretty strong. I was still learning the car as there are a few differences, getting to know all the team and the engineers, and learning some Italian as well!”
PREMA’s Team Principal, Rene Rosin, added:
“We are particularly looking forward to working with Zak. We are impressed by what he achieved in his maiden FIA F3 season and his career so far. He will bring in his experience, which is something we always really value, and he already did an outstanding job in post-season testing. That will boost our preparations for 2023, and we are confident we will see Zak thrive in our environment. We are equally delighted to work with the Williams Driver Academy, and we are grateful for the trust they have put into us.”
O’Sullivan took part in the Aston Martin F1 test in October, courtesy of Autosport Awards by winning the 2021 ‘Young Driver of the Year Award’. With O’Sullivan already outperforming his car in Carlin and having tested an F1 car already, will he be a championship contender for next season?
2023 Driver Lineup
O’Sullivan is the first returning driver of the season and the second driver to be announced this week.
- ART Grand Prix: Gregoire Saucy & TBD & TBD
- Hitech Grand Prix: Gabriele Mini & TBD & TBD
- MP Motorsport: Mari Boya & TBD & TBD
- PREMA Powertrain: Paul Aron, Dino Beganovic & Zak O’Sullivan
- Trident Racing: Gabriel Bortoleto, TBD & TBD
