Sharp fired up for back-to-back titles bid

Fast-rising star Louis Sharp’s dreams of emulating the great Ayrton Senna by winning back-to-back British junior formulae titles move one step closer to reality this weekend at Donington Park.
 
Senna is one of the very few drivers to have won consecutive British championship crowns on his way to F1 – a standout feat the highly promising young British-born New Zealander is now trying to match. 
 
Sharp won the coveted British F4 title last year and now, having stepped up a level on the motorsport ladder with the same Rodin Motorsport team, is leading the GB3 championship with just two rounds and a critical six races left on the 2024 calendar. Three of these are at Donington, and then the final three likely title deciders are at Brands Hatch at the end of September. 
 
“I’m feeling really good about the remaining two rounds,” confirmed the 17-year-old.

“Donington and Brands have both been good tracks for the team, so they are feeling confident, and they were also strong tracks for me in F4 as they are where I closed out last year’s championship last year. Now, I’m hoping to do the same in GB3, and I don’t see any reason why I can’t. Being back on familiar tracks after three mid-season rounds on new-to-me F1 circuits in Europe is definitely a benefit.”
 
That said, Sharp won impressively on his debut at the Hungaroring and posted a pair of podiums at Spa-Francorchamps to remain on track for the title.

In fact, but for the subsequently penalised mistakes of rival drivers costing him two possible race wins, Sharp would be even further ahead in the standings.
 
“Of course, the bad luck I had in Europe is frustrating, but that’s a part of racing, and such stuff happens,” he accepted. “It’s now up to me to forget about what might have been and to concentrate on the next races ahead. It would have been nice to have 50 or 60 more points in the bag, but this is my first season in GB3, and I am leading, so I’m focusing on the positives.”
 
Talking of positives, Sharp further underlined his prodigious potential by accepting a last-minute offer to take part in a recent Euroformula test at Monza. 
 
Many of the sport’s top rising F2 and F3 stars, including F1-bound Ollie Bearman and F3 title contender Luke Browning, used the single-day test to experience the recent changes to the circuit ahead of that weekend’s Italian Grand Prix meeting.

Despite having never driven either the Euroformula car or the circuit before, the eye-catching young Kiwi caused a major stir and underlined his position as one of the sport’s hottest young prospects when topping the time sheets in both morning and afternoon sessions.
 
“It was a good opportunity to learn a new car and a new track, more so as I’m sure I’ll be racing at Monza in the next few years,” he reported after raising more than a few eyebrows. “Obviously, it was a good day, too, as I was quickest in both the morning and afternoon. It was really cool to be up against those on the current F2 and F3 grids – even more so as I was quicker than them. It was definitely a very beneficial experience and gives me great confidence for what will, hopefully, come next year.”
 
Since the last GB3 round, Sharp was fastest at an official GB3 test day at Donington, clocking the fastest ever lap time around the circuit’s full Grand Prix layout and also has been shortlisted for this year’s prestigious Silverstone Autosport BRDC Award. 
 
The annual accolade aims to find and assist the best junior British racing driver, Sharp qualifying as he was born in the UK.

The prize for this year’s winner includes £200,000 plus a money-can’t-buy F1 test with the Aston Martin Aramco Formula One Team. The winner will be announced at the Autosport Awards in January.
 
Should he seal the season with the GB3 title, he will be one of the favourites to lift what is the biggest and most illustrious prize in junior motorsport and a real endorsement of young talent. Lando Norris, George Russell and Jenson Button are past winners.

Words & Images: Supplied