Carlin Racing has announced their second driver for the 2023 season as Williams Academy Driver Ollie Gray graduates to F3.
Seventeen-year-old British driver Ollie Gray will be making his debut in the 2023 Formula 3 season alongside Hunter Yeany for Carlin. The youngster spent 2022 competing in the British F4 Championship with the team finishing second. Gray is the 19th driver to be announced for the upcoming season.
The 2022 Season
Gray made his single-seater debut in the 2021 British Championship with Fortec Motorsport. His graduation came following a successful karting career as he won the 2019 Motorsport UK Kartmasters and British Karting Championships.
In 2022, he remained in the series but switched to Carlin. During the season, Gray picked up two wins and 16 podiums to finish second behind Alex Dunne by 69 points. Alongside Ugo Ugochukwu and Louis Sharp, the three took Carlin to the Team Championship by 153 points over Hitech Grand Prix.
Gray’s graduation into Formula 3 comes as a surprise to many as he did not participate in the Formula 3 post-season test in September. In March 2022, Gray joined the Williams Racing Academy and will be the third member racing in F3 this year alongside Zak O’Sullivan and recently signed member Franco Colapinto.
BREAKING: Ollie Gray joins F3 with @CarlinRacing!
Another @WilliamsRacing Academy driver confirmed for the 2023 grid 💪#F3 #RoadToF1 pic.twitter.com/vTioh6JRE8
— Formula 3 (@Formula3) January 16, 2023
Following the announcement, Gray stated:
“I’m really excited to be stepping up to F3 with Carlin Racing in 2023, and to be continuing my partnership with Williams Racing as an Academy Driver.“It’s going to be a big challenge but I’m really looking forward to it and to work with the team, who I get along with really well.“Thanks again to Williams Racing and Carlin and I look forward to some good results in 2023.”
“Ollie was a complete pleasure to have in the team last season and we really believe in his potential. It’s a big step up to FIA F3, which is an incredibly competitive championship so it will be a steep learning curve. Making steady but recognisable progress with every event will be the aim, and Ollie has the attitude and talent to be able to do that.”
2023 Driver Lineup
- ART Grand Prix: Gregoire Saucy & Nikola Tsolov & Kaylen Frederick
- Campos Racing: Christian Mansell & TBD & TBD
- Carlin Racing: Hunter Yeany & Ollie Gray & TBD
- Hitech Grand Prix: Gabriele Mini & TBD & TBD
- MP Motorsport: Mari Boya & Jonny Edgar & Franco Colapinto
- PREMA Powertrain: Paul Aron, Dino Beganovic & Zak O’Sullivan
- Trident Racing: Gabriel Bortoleto, Oliver Goethe & Leonardo Fornaroli
- Vans Amersfoort Racing: Tommy Smith & Rafael Villagomez & Caio Collet
