Williams Formula 1 junior Zak O’Sullivan says he is considering Super Formula as an alternative for 2025 after losing his seat in Formula 2 midway through this year.
O’Sullivan was a surprise late addition to the entry for this week’s post-season test at Suzuka, joining Kondo Racing for the final day reserved for rookies on Friday.
It follows his split with the ART Grand Prix team in F2 in the wake of September’s Monza round, with fellow Williams junior Luke Browning taking his place for Baku onwards.
The 2021 Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Award winner, ended up 16th in the final standings with wins to his name in the Monaco feature race and Spa sprint.
Speaking to Autosport, O’Sullivan said that financial issues were at the root of his split with ART and didn’t rule out the possibility of a full-time Super Formula seat.
The Toyota-powered Kondo team has a potential vacancy alongside Kenta Yamashita for 2025 with Kazuto Kotaka looking virtually certain to leave the team.
“It’s no secret that F2 is not the cheapest championship,” said O’Sullivan. “All of us try and fund it as best we can, Williams was helping me as well, but sometimes it’s not enough.
“The performance on track didn’t help that cause either. It’s one of those things, I’m not the first driver to drop out of F2 and I won’t be the last.”
On the prospect of a full-time move to Japan, he added: “It’s a side step from F2, but it’s a very competitive championship, which is attractive for drivers coming from Europe.
“I really enjoyed today, but there are a few other things on the table, so let’s see.”
In his first Super Formula outing, O’Sullivan registered the eighth-fastest time among the 12 drivers in action on Friday, 1.619s adrift of pacesetter Igor Fraga, who drove on all three days of the test for Nakajima Racing.
The 19-year-old said he was satisfied with his progress during the day and is convinced he would have ended up higher on the leaderboard had the afternoon session not been curtailed by a crash for Yuui Tsutsumi as most drivers were on their final runs.
“It was quite a short day in terms of on-track running,” reflected O’Sullivan. “The morning session was just about getting used to the car and testing its limits, being a very different car to F2 and harder to find the limits, a lot faster in the corners.
“In the afternoon, we had two sets of tyres at the end. The last run was looking good until the red flag. But the main thing was to learn as much as possible and find the limits of the car.
“I think the last lap was in the ballpark. But I was more concerned about the feeling of the car, and I was getting there towards the end of the day.”
On the subject of his future at Williams, O’Sullivan revealed his contract with the Grove squad ends this month and expressed uncertainty about a renewal.
“Like any contract, the renewal date is at the end of the year, so I’ll find out soon,” he said.
“I’ve enjoyed my time there, I joined the team when I was 16 so I have a close relationship with them. It would be a shame to leave but I’ve enjoyed my time.”
