First time behind the wheel of a Formula E car for Zak O’Sullivan, former member of the Williams Academy.
After the announcement of the first Rookie Test session of Season 11, which will take place at the next event in Jeddah on February 13, the first team announcements are starting to arrive, confirming that they will entrust their cars to rookie drivers in the category.
However, while the morning announcement of Kush Maini at Mahindra was not surprising—given that he will continue his program with the Indian team after the 2024 Rookie Test—the decision by Envision was certainly more unexpected, as they will entrust their car to Zak O’Sullivan.
The young English driver, born in 2005, will get behind the wheel of a Formula E car for the first time on a track he knows well, having raced there in 2024 with Formula 2 cars, finishing in 16th place and retiring due to a spin.
As we mentioned earlier, in 2024, O’Sullivan competed in the Formula 2 Championship with the ART team, although he was unable to complete the season due to financial issues and was replaced by Luke Browning.
Nevertheless, the English driver still showcased flashes of talent, which were evident already in 2023 when he finished the Formula 3 Championship in second place, behind the new Sauber driver Gabriel Bortoleto. Notably, he won the Monte Carlo Feature Race, thanks to a pit stop made during the penultimate lap under Virtual Safety Car conditions, and he also secured a victory in the Spa Sprint Race, in torrential rain.
Recently, O’Sullivan revealed his plans for 2025: having lost the support of the Williams Academy, in addition to participating in the Rookie Test in Jeddah, he will compete in the Super Formula Championship in Japan with the Kondo Racing team.
Zak O’Sullivan at Envision Racing in the Jeddah Rookie Test: here are the statements.
“I am very excited to go to Jeddah to test a Formula E car for the first time,” said O’Sullivan. “It will be a new challenge for me. The session itself will offer me a great opportunity to learn how to drive the car, and I will also make sure to spend as much time as possible with the team during the race week, so I can absorb as much as I can.”
Sylvain Filippi, Managing Director of Envision Racing, added: “We are excited to have Zak in the team and to drive in the first rookie session of the year. We have been very impressed with his results so far and we look forward to seeing how he adapts to Formula E and how he will integrate into our team.”
PHOTO: Zak O’Sullivan, ABB FIA Formula E, Envision Racing.
