Zak O'Sullivan, a promising young British racer, leaves Formula 2 after financial difficulties curtailed his season with ART Grand Prix. He secures a full-time drive with Kondo Racing in Super Formula for the 2025 season. O'Sullivan shares his experience comparing the two racing series and the challenges of adapting to Super Formula's higher downforce and unique Yokohama tyres.
Zak O’Sullivan’s junior career makes for impressive reading. The Briton finished in the top two of every full campaign in which he has raced, save for one. His first of two Formula 3 seasons in 2022 also marked his only year without a victory. Although stepping up to Formula 2 in 2024 had proven difficult before financial difficulties curtailed his season with ART Grand Prix, O’Sullivan had still managed to register two wins.
His Monaco feature race triumph was made possible through a perfectly timed late-race incident – narrowly managing to enter the pitlane before the virtual safety car was displayed – and barely any racing was done in Spa's rain-shortened sprint race, in which O'Sullivan converted pole. But he didn't make mistakes, and put together a strong drive to fourth in the Spa feature race to underline his pace that weekend. That said, ART was not quite the force it had been in 2023 when champion Theo Pourchaire and rookie Victor Martins combined to deliver the teams' title. With the competitive order shaken up by the introduction of the new Dallara F2 2024 chassis, expected title favourite Martins only won once and was never in the title hunt. O'Sullivan was actually ahead of the Frenchman in the standings prior to Monza, which proved his final outing with ART before exiting F2. Forced to look further afield for racing options, O’Sullivan embarked on Super Formula’s post-season Suzuka test with Kondo Racing on a day reserved for rookies. It led to a full-time deal for 2025, lining up alongside reigning Super GT champion Kenta Yamashita. He joins 2019 Japanese Formula 3 champion Sacha Fenestraz (TOM'S), fresh from a stint with Nissan in Formula E, and former World Endurance Championship racer Oliver Rasmussen (Impul) among the 'gaijin' contingent. “It’s very different,” 2021 GB3 champion O’Sullivan tells Motorsport.com when comparing the F2 and Super Formula paddocks. “I think it just comes down to the fact that obviously, in Japan, this is their premier racing series, it’s their version of F1. So of course, there is a lot more attention than we get in F2. “But I was a bit surprised even for a test how busy the paddocks were. There were pitlane walks for fans and even the grandstands were filling up, so it’s really cool. Of course, it’s always really nice to have support.” Victory in Monaco was a high point of a tough rookie season in F2 where finances bit Photo by: Formula Motorsport Ltd In one image, O’Sullivan could be seen taking a moment to himself between transporters. But that wasn't only a factor of the fan interest, since he reveals “I got the call-up for the test a day or two before, so I arrived really late to the track”. In 2024 the worlds of F2 and Super Formula became somewhat intertwined, with Pourchaire heading to Japan while recently-crowned Super Formula and Super GT champion Ritomo Miyata moved in the opposite direction. While Pourchaire’s time with Impul came to an end after one weekend, when McLaren called him up to fill an IndyCar seat, Miyata found his first F2 campaign tough going. The Rodin driver finished 19th overall – three places behind O’Sullivan – with a brace of fifths in Melbourne his best results. Conceding he maybe should have asked Miyata for advice before hopping into Super Formula's Dallara SF24 for the first time, O’Sullivan explains that it is “very intuitive to drive” and immediately recognises “there’s a lot more downforce than what I was used to in F2”. 'There’s no real tyre-saving in the race, so you can push quite hard' Zak O’Sullivan “The performance level is a lot closer to F1,” says O’Sullivan, who got to sample a Formula 1 car as his prize for winning the 2021 Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award and appeared for Williams at the 2023 young driver test in Abu Dhabi. “Power steering in the car as well is a nice addition!” he adds. “It didn’t take too long. The car is confidence-inspiring. Of course, there are always areas in your first test you don’t quite get on top of, but I enjoyed the test and it was good fun to drive.” On the tyres, having to get used to Yokohama rubber rather than the Pirelli compounds with which he had spent the previous four years, O’Sullivan adds: “Most Pirellis do , unfortunately, but we get used to them and you learn to drive around the limitations. “The main difference in Super Formula is that you’re down to a 13-inch wheel rim, which changes the dynamics of the car a lot, makes it more predictable and you have a slower buildup to maximum grip. O'Sullivan has enjoyed getting to grips with the higher downforce afforded in Super Formula Photo by: Masahide Kamio “The main dynamic of the tyre is that it has got a very stiff sidewall to cope with the G-force of the cars, so it makes the grip quite binary – either on or off, which takes a while to get used to. But it’s durable, there’s no real tyre-saving in the race, so you can push quite har
Zak O'sullivan Super Formula Formula 2 Kondo Racing Yokohama Tyres Dallara SF24 Japanese Motorsport
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Zak Brown Calls For Full-Time Stewards in Formula 1McLaren CEO Zak Brown believes Formula 1 needs full-time stewards to address inconsistencies in race regulation enforcement.
Read more »
Zak Brown: IndyCar Should Take Notes From Formula 1Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing, believes IndyCar can learn from Formula 1's success. He suggests IndyCar should embrace the global racing series' strengths in broadcasting, digital presence, and event scheduling.
Read more »
Emmerdale Fans Think Hospital Patient Henry Is Related to Zak DingleEmmerdale viewers are convinced a hospital patient named Henry is connected to a Dales legend. During a special episode focused on Jacob Gallagher's medical placement, fans noticed parallels between Henry and the late Zak Dingle, particularly in his appearance and interactions with Cain Dingle. The speculation arises after a recent flash forward depicted an emotional Cain at a graveside.
Read more »
Emmerdale Fans Think They've Found Zak Dingle's Long-Lost SonEmmerdale viewers have been buzzing with theories about the identity of Zak Dingle's missing son, Nathan. Could he be a familiar face in the Dales?
Read more »
Emmerdale Fans Think They've Found Zak Dingle's Missing SonViewers of Emmerdale believe they've solved the mystery of Zak Dingle's long-lost son, Nathan, and think he could be a well-known character in the village.
Read more »
Ringo Starr's son Zak Starkey cancels London performance after shock health diagnosisFormer Beatle Ringo Starr celebrates his 82nd birthday with his annual event held at midday to spread his message of peace and love.
Read more »