Racing only getting 'more expensive' - O'Sullivan

Zak O'Sullivan is racing in Japan's Super Formula series in 2025

Racing driver Zak O'Sullivan says it will take something "bigger" from the FIA to make Formula 1 more affordable for young drivers to break through into the sport.

The 19-year-old was forced to leave the Formula 2 campaign early in 2024 due to funding issues, despite winning a feature race in Monaco and the sprint race in Spa-Francorchamps.

O'Sullivan was part of Williams' academy for the past two years and also drove an FW45 Formula 1 car during a practice session at the Abu Dhabi GP in November 2023.

"It's always been a problem in the sport but it's only getting more expensive," O'Sullivan told BBC Sport.

"Every year I've done racing even if you do the same championship twice, the next year it ends up being more expensive because people are just charging more and more.

"Obviously, I kind of fell foul of it but it's easy for me to sit here and say something needs to be changed but in reality the teams are just trying to keep themselves afloat as well.

"It would take something far bigger, something from the governing body, to change it. Until that happens, the situation won't change."

O'Sullivan won an F2 feature race on the Monte Carlo circuit in Monaco last season

O'Sullivan, from Cheltenham in Gloucestershire, won the British Formula 4 championship in 2020 and GB3 Championship a year later.

During two years racing Formula 3 he won four races and finished second in the overall championship, before moving up to F2 in 2024, progressing through the junior ranks.

All young drivers, he said, know they are expected to fund huge costs if they want to compete in the sport.

"There are some measures in place to help out with that funding but at the end of the day it comes from family money and if you can't afford it, you can't afford it," O'Sullivan added.

"Unfortunately for me we knew it was going to be a very tricky year financially but it came to a head in August. We lasted a while but not long enough.

"It's the way the sport is and we really tried hard to get as many people on board as we could to try to fill the gaps but unfortunately it wasn't enough."

In 2025, O'Sullivan will be taking on a new challenge, competing in Japan's Super Formula series for the Toyota-backed Kondo Racing team.

The 12-race series takes place over seven weekends from March to November.

O'Sullivan said they are the "closest" cars he can race to an F1 car - Liam Lawson who is set to race with Red Bull in F1 this season, finished second overall in the 2023 Super Formula championship.

"For them it's their F1 in Japan - it's very very popular with the fans, purely Japanese based so there's only seven races all on Japanese circuits, all Japanese teams and drivers bar two – so it's a big culture shock for me," O'Sullivan said.

"I've got a lot of learning to do, I've got to work on my communication in Japanese, I'm really looking forward to it."

O'Sullivan's experience through the junior system might not have turned out quite as linear in moving him up the ranks from F3, to F2 and the sport's pinnacle of F1.

However his ambition remains to make it to Formula 1. "Obviously, I'm still pushing for that," he said.

"This is a good start for me, there's potential for a career in Japan if I do a good job this year but hopefully some more doors will open and I can keep my foot in as many doors as I can to give myself some opportunities."