2021 GB3 champion Zak O’Sullivan was back behind the wheel of the Williams FW45 car in the post-season Abu Dhabi F1 test at the Yas Marina Circuit today (Tuesday), with the 18-year-old getting his latest taste of F1 machinery.
After his debut appearance in an officially timed session on Friday, O’Sullivan put his extra experience to good use by posting a best lap of 1m25.842s, over 1.6 seconds quicker than his best effort from his FP1 appearance.
That was good enough to place him 17th in the final test results, with 25 drivers participating throughout the day. O’Sullivan completed 50 laps during the afternoon session for the team, with fellow F3 contender Franco Colapinto in the car during the morning.
Until he was knocked back a few positions late on, O’Sullivan had been the quickest Williams driver of the day, with the team also using race drivers Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant. The latter ultimately ended the test in ninth place, while Colapinto and Albon were 21st and 25th respectively.
O’Sullivan was less than 1.5 seconds away from the quickest time of the test, set by Alpine’s Esteban Ocon, and only half a second away from Sargeant’s time. After joining the Williams Academy in early 2022, he now moves up to FIA F2 with ART Grand Prix in 2024.
Fellow 2021 GB3 alumni Oliver Bearman was also in action during the test, having completed two FP1 sessions with Haas in the final stages of this season. Bearman posted the 16th quickest time, 0.06s quicker than O'Sullivan.