Williams reveal their driver for last mandatory 2024 rookie practice
F1 News
Zak O'Sullivan, the runner-up in this year's F3 championship, will make his debut in an F1 session during the Abu Dhabi GP weekend. Williams will let the Brit drive Alexander Albon's FW45 during FP1.
In addition to this confirmation, fellow junior from the Williams programme Franco Colapinto will also be in action in Abu Dhabi. Colapinto will share the FW45 with O'Sullivan for a day during post-season testing in Abu Dhabi. For Colapinto, this will be his debut in an F1 car; O'Sullivan has driven an F1 car twice before, but not during an official F1 session.
O'Sullivan and Colapinto are grateful to Williams
Commenting on his rookie test, the Brit said, "I’m really excited to participate in FP1 at Abu Dhabi. I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of the FW45 for the first time and get some good mileage under my belt. In addition to that, I’m returning to the car for the post-season rookie test to further my development with the team. Huge thanks to Williams Racing for the opportunity and for putting their faith in me to drive the 2023 car.”
O'Sullivan already drove a test with Aston Martin last year. Williams gave him another test opportunity with an older car to get to the 300km mark. With that, the Brit received his licence for F1 practice. His Argentinian colleague, Colapinto, has less experience and said, "I am extremely grateful to Williams Racing for giving me the opportunity to drive an F1 car in only my first year in the Academy. I’ve been dreaming of this day since I was a kid and have been working really hard for this. To have this chance at the official young driver test is a real honour."