Name: RECAP: Watch our Academy Drivers' Q&A at the Melbourne Fan Zone
Uploaded: 2024-03-19T02:42:02.875Z
Description: See what Zak O'Sullivan, Franco Colapinto, and Luke Browning had to say ahead of their F2 & F3 action in Australia.

See what Zak O'Sullivan, Franco Colapinto, and Luke Browning had to say ahead of their F2 & F3 action in Australia.

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Luke is one of the rising stars of British motorsport having already seen success on the track in his junior career. The British driver took his first steps into motorsport at an early age in karting, before graduating into cars in 2016 with an entry into the Junior Saloon Car Championship where he claimed one win and three podium finishes.

In 2017, Luke made the move to the Ginetta Junior Championship. In his first season he secured his first rookie win and also scored his maiden pole position at Silverstone. Returning to the series for a second season in 2018 saw Luke claim eight wins and a grand total of 18 podium finishes leading to an impressive third place finish in the Championship.

Following his impressive seasons in the Ginetta Junior Championship, Luke moved up to single-seaters in 2019 as he switched to British F4. He finished 6th in the driver standings for his first season with two wins and nine podiums. Luke was crowned British F4 Champion in his second season after delivering consistent competitive performances that resulted in seven wins, 16 podiums and only finishing outside of the top six twice all year.

Luke then turned his attention to the European racing scene in 2021 by competing in the ADAC F4 series.

Luke had a successful 2022 season claiming the GB3 Championship with Hitech GP with five race victories and eight further podiums. The British racer also won one of the most prestigious accolades in motorsport, collecting the 2022 Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award. In doing so, Luke joined an impressive list of previous victors including 2021 winner and fellow Williams Racing Academy driver, Zak O’Sullivan, along with our Brand Ambassador and 2009 Formula 1 World Champion, Jenson Button.

Luke was announced as a Williams Racing Academy Driver at the end of April 2023. As part of his role, he works closely with Williams Racing to help develop his talents through a personalised simulator program at the factory in Grove and opportunities to embed with the team trackside during Grands Prix.

In 2023, Luke competed for Hitech Pulse-Eight in the FIA Formula 3 Championship, finishing 15th overall including a second-place finish in the Barcelona Sprint Race. Following the close of the season, Luke raced in the famous Macau Grand Prix, claiming pole, fastest lap, and victory in Sunday’s main race.

Continuing with the Hitech Pulse-Eight team for the FIA Formula 3 2024 Championship, Luke had a very successful season and was in contention for the championship until the final race in Monza. He achieved two wins in Bahrain and Austria, as well as a further podium in Monaco. He also secured two pole positions and two fastest laps.

Following the conclusion of the Formula 3 championship, Luke made the jump to Formula 2 for the remaining races of the 2024 season, joining ART Grand Prix from Baku onwards. Luke will continue to be supported by the Williams Racing Drivers Academy as he climbs the motorsport ladder.

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Luke Browning

Franco Colapinto started karting at the age of nine. He won the Argentinian Championship in 2016 and again in 2018. In 2018 Franco begun his European single seat journey, entering the final round of the FIA Spanish F4 season, taking a win and a second place. Franco was scouted by Fernando Alonso's team FA Racing by Drivex, signing him up for the 2019 season.

In 2019, Franco achieved eleven victories, 13 podiums and 10 pole positions, being crowned the Spanish F4 champion. Following this, Franco started his 2020 season by securing his second single seater title after taking the rookie championship win in the 2020 Castrol Toyota Racing Series, adding another race win, a pole position and eight further podium finishes to his tally.

For the second leg of the 2020 season Franco Colapinto returned to Europe to compete in the Formula Renault Euro cup with MP Motorsport, taking two race wins and nine podiums to finish third in the championship as the highest ranked rookie

In 2021, Franco raced in Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine with MP Motorsport where he achieved two Grand Slams and a further victory and podium finish.

For the 2022 season, Franco moved up to FIA F3 with Van Amersfoort Racing chasing his childhood dream to reach the pinnacle of motor racing, Formula 1. The Argentinian immediately made his mark by taking pole position in his first ever FIA F3 Qualifying and went on to win 2 races and 5 podiums in his rookie year.

In January 2023, Franco joined the Williams Racing Driver Academy Programme and went on to compete in the FIA Formula 3 Championship. He had a successful sophomore season, securing two sprint race wins at Silverstone and Monza, and finished the season taking fourth place in the standings.

In October 2023, it was announced that Franco would be graduating to FIA Formula 2 in 2024 with MP Motorsport. Franco made his F2 debut with the team at the final round of the 2023 season in Abu Dhabi, performing well in preparation for the next stage in his career as part of the Williams Racing Driver Academy.

From the 2024 Italian Grand Prix until the remainder of the 2024 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season, Franco will race with Williams. He becomes the 49th Grand Prix driver for Williams Racing*, is the first Argentine driver in F1 for 23 years and the second Argentine to drive for the British outfit, following his countryman Carlos Reutemann.

2024 FIA Formula 2 Championship, MP Motorsport

2023 FIA Formula 3 Championship, MP Motorsport, 4th overall: 2 wins, 5 podiums

2022 FIA Formula 3 Championship, Van Amersfoort Racing

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Franco Colapinto

Zak began karting at the age of nine. Two years later, in 2016, Zak claimed the rookie championship in British Super One and won the British GP Kartmasters Championship, before moving into European karting in 2017. A season in the CIK European OKJ Championship and the WSK European Championship resulted in 10th and 9th places respectively. The British driver demonstrated his progress the following season, bettering his 2017 effort to place 6th overall in the WSK European Championship.

In 2019, Zak made a successful debut in the Ginetta Junior Championship, claiming three wins to become Rookie Champion and placing second overall. The following year, Zak’s maiden season in single seaters saw him finish as vice-champion in the 2020 F4 British Championship. His impressive campaign saw him claim nine wins and 19 podiums, missing out on the title by only four points.

In 2021, Zak entered the GB3 Championship, and an extraordinary debut season saw him crowned Champion, having secured six wins and 13 podium finishes. With 18 top ten finishes to his name, Zak’s notable consistency throughout the season saw him win by an impressive margin of 164 points over his nearest championship rival.

In 2021, Zak was selected as a finalist for the renowned Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award (AMABA), which he was later crowned the winner of for 2021.

In 2022, Zak completed his first rookie season in the FIA F3 Championship with Carlin, impressing with several strong performances, including pole position and a podium in front of home crowds at the British GP. In the same year, Zak was announced as a Williams Racing Academy Driver, joining Williams ahead of the new season.

In 2023, Zak joined PREMA Racing for the 2023 FIA Formula 3 Championship. He had a stellar year, achieving 4 wins, 1 pole, and 5 podiums. Closing the season as runner-up, Zak secured the most race wins of any driver in the championship.

Zak graduated to FIA Formula 2 for the 2024 season, going on to win two feature races at Monaco and Spa. His season with ART Grand Prix ended prematurely following the Monza race weekend, however he will continue within the Williams Racing Driver Academy, further developing his skills and preparing for the next step in his motorsport career.

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Zak O’Sullivan

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RECAP: Watch our Academy Drivers' Q&A at the Melbourne Fan Zone

See what Zak O'Sullivan, Franco Colapinto, and Luke Browning had to say ahead of their F2 & F3 action in Australia

RECAP: Watch our Academy Drivers' Q&A at the Melbourne Fan Zone

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RECAP: Watch our Academy Drivers' Q&A at the Melbourne Fan Zone