2026 Prema Racing FIA F3 signing Louis Sharp will limber up for his most important season to date in motorsport with a title challenge on home soil in the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship.
The 18-year-old will join mtec Motorsport for the four-round international championship, which concludes with the New Zealand Grand Prix.
Sharp is a genuine rising star and arguably one of New Zealand’s hottest single-seater prospects, and will compete in FIA F3 in 2026.
Born in Nottingham, UK, he grew up in Christchurch, and it wasn’t long before he made his mark in domestic NZ motorsport.
He began karting at just six years old, quickly rising through the ranks to become the country’s best age-group karter by 12. In a country famed for producing more than its fair share of motorsport talent, Louis secured more national titles and series wins than any driver before him, or since.
His single-seater debut came in 2020 in New Zealand’s Formula First Championship, a competitive championship that over the years had produced notable names such as Scott Dixon, Shane van Gisbergen, and, of course, Liam Lawson, amongst a host of former champions.
After winning races in that, he made the move to New Zealand’s Formula Ford Championship, followed in 2021 by winning races and leading the championship before a call-up by Carlin Motorsport to compete in British Formula 4.
Despite missing the opening rounds due to age restrictions, he finished fourth overall in 2022, with two race wins and twelve podium finishes. He also added the UAE F4 Trophy Championship title to his list of achievements in the same year.
He returned successfully to British F4 in 2023, taking the championship title, before going on to win the GB3 Championship in 2024. In 2025, Louis stepped up to the FIA Formula 3 Championship for his rookie season, where he showed enough speed to secure a seat with Prema for 2026.
“I am honoured to be joining mtec Motorsport in the upcoming Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy season, and must thank the Tony Quinn Foundation for its support,” he said.
“This championship has been on my bucket list since I first started karting, so to be aligning myself with both Tony Quinn and mtec is a dream come true and a great opportunity for me to draw from the knowledge and experience they both hold.”
Fans will be able to easily follow Louis and the championship. Qualifying will be livestreamed on TOYOTA GAZOO Racing New Zealand’s YouTube channel. Races will also be on that channel and on SkySport domestically in New Zealand. Races will also be streamed live on the Motorsport.TV platform.
Header Image: Supplied
