Louis Sharp, 16, originally from Nottinghamshire, clinches Formula 4 Championship title at Brands Hatch with Rodin Cars team, following in footsteps of McLaren Formula 1 driver Lando Norris
One of motorsport’s most exciting new prospects grew up in Newark and was crowned British Formula 4 Champion over the weekend — writes Danny Davies.
Louis Sharp, 16, clinched the ROKiT British Formula 4 Championship on Sunday (October 8) at Brands Hatch, narrowly beating close rival William Macintyre after they both went into the weekend separated by a single point in the standings.
Originally from Nottingham, Louis spent the first few years of his life growing up in Newark before his family moved to New Zealand, where he found his passion for motorsport through karting.
Beginning his career in a kart hampered by second-hand tyres, Louis began to display his potential by collecting several championships in New Zealand and Australia.
Such results caught the attention of motorsport fanatic David Dicker, founder of the racing car manufacturer Rodin Cars, who are also from New Zealand.
With backing from David, Louis made the step up from Formula Ford to the ROKiT F4 British championship — the first rung on the ladder up to Formula 1 — in early 2022, racing for the established Carlin team.
Despite being the youngest driver on the grid, and missing the first 3 races of the season due to being too young to be allowed to drive, Louis finished an incredible fourth in the championship, scoring a podium on his debut and getting his first win at only his third ever race weekend.
When speaking about his first victory in the series, Louis said: “Coming into a new championship with a new car and new circuits was tough, so being able to show the hard work that I had put into the team was amazing.”
However, the best was still to come after his promising debut season, as Louis was invited to Abu Dhabi in November 2022 to take part in a pair of Formula 4 Trophy Races supporting the final Formula 1 race of the season.
A remarkable pair of drives against a collection of the best F4 drivers from around the world saw Louis win both races in Abu Dhabi, which only elevated the excitement surrounding his future even further.
When talking about that incredible weekend in Abu Dhabi, Louis said: “We only had a single practice session of 30 minutes to learn the track, as well as tyres that were very different to the ones we use here.
“Hearing the national anthem on the podium and the F1 soundtrack in the pit lane after the race was definitely a career highlight”.
Now, not even a year later and after an extremely competitive second season, Louis overcame the challenge posed by Macintyre to clinch the championship in the final race of the F4 season at Brands Hatch, finishing second in Sunday’s final race after a lights to flag win the day before.
This sees Louis join the likes of McLaren F1 driver Lando Norris in an exclusive group of winners of the series.
Louis has began to garner the attention of motorsport fans from around the world, due to his positive mentality and driving style reminiscent of many of the sports most successful drivers, and by winning the British F4 championship, he has made a significant step towards his ultimate goal — making it to Formula 1.
