Louis Sharp is back in prime position to become the first young driver in history to win back-to-back British Formula 4 and GB3 Championship titles.
Tipped by many as a future Grand Prix star, the talented 17-year-old Kiwi produced three superb performances at a sunny Silverstone over the weekend to move back to the top of the GB3 points table in what is his rookie season contesting the UK’s premier single-seater series.
Now, with only six races remaining in the season, the top three protagonists are covered by just 13 points, and with 35 points for a victory, a thrilling finale is in prospect.
What’s more, on-form Sharp’s fine efforts at Silverstone have helped his Rodin Motorsport squad close the gap on Hitech Plus-Eight in the Team standings.
Having won last year’s F4 crown in the final race at Brands Hatch, the British-born New Zealander knows what it takes to win a championship crown, but his two closest rivals are seasoned campaigners with much more experience who are contesting their second and third GB3 seasons.
Sharp arrived back in England after three rounds staged at Grand Prix venues in Europe, which produced many highs and lows. The highlights included a stirring victory at the Hungaroring plus a pair of impressive podiums on debut at Spa-Franchorchamps.
These notable successes, though, were counterbalanced by two races in which Louis failed to score any points after being the innocent victim of rival drivers’ errors. While both aggressors were subsequently penalised by race officials for their actions, losing more than 50 points twice cost him the championship lead.
The teenager vowed to fight back after his latest setback at Zandvoort and was determined to regain his top position in the standings on the series’ second visit to superfast Silverstone.
He laid down an early marker when he was fastest outright in one of the pre-race Free Practice sessions and then backed that up when qualifying on the front row for the weekend’s first two races behind McKenzy Cresswell—the British driver who is contesting his third GB3 season and is not one of Sharp’s major title adversaries.
“It would have been nice to be on pole, but, at the end of the day, I’m ahead of the people I need to be ahead of, so I really can’t complain too much,” admitted Sharp.
“I was leading the series going into Zandvoort, and unfortunately, that DNF—while running second—really hurt my hopes, and I now must claw those lost points back. I need a good weekend, and after qualifying for both the opening races, I’m in a good position to do just that.
“Anything can happen in the races, as I know, to my cost, but I’ve got to keep it clean and keep on pushing.”
As good as his word, Sharp made a great start to the opening race on Saturday afternoon and got his nose ahead away from the line, but as he battled side-by-side with the pole-sitter on the opening lap, both were passed by the fast-starting John Bennett from fourth on the grid. Keeping it clean, Sharp slotted into a safe second place and, with it, bagged enough points to retake the series lead as desired.
“It was a good race,” the Kiwi confirmed. “I had to be careful on the opening lap as I’m fighting for the championship. In some ways, it was unfortunate not to get the win, but at the end of the day, it’s still really good points.”
Sunday’s opener was similar. Sharp made another strong start from second on the grid, again mounting a substantial first-lap challenge before settling for another profitable second-place finish, this time behind Cresswell and ahead of Bennett.
“It was another good race and another podium,” said the reigning British F4 champion.
“I was leading into turn one, so it would have been nice to win, but most importantly, I beat the people I needed to in terms of the championship, so we extended our points lead. A win would have been nice, but at this point in the season, I’ve got to be thinking about the title.”
With the top 12 qualifiers reversed for Sunday’s final showdown, Sharp lined up in a lowly 11th position behind his main title rivals. Underlining his exciting racecraft without taking any undue risks, he cut through the field to grab a solid seventh position at the chequered flag—a third imposing result at Silverstone that further secured his recaptured championship lead.
“It was another good race, more good points and a strong end to what has been a really positive and, hopefully, significant weekend,” concurred a delighted Sharp.
“After the disappointments last time at Zandvoort when I was knocked off the top spot through no fault of my own, I’m really happy to have bounced back here with two podiums. I’m back where I should be at the top of the standings at what’s a critical part of the season.
“We now go to Donington and Brands Hatch. I was strong at both tracks last season in F4, so hopefully, I can repeat the amazing success we had 12 months ago. That would be very cool.”
Words & Images: Supplied
