Wikipedia

Louis Sharp

Louis Sharp (born 11 May 2007) is a racing driver from New Zealand who last competed in the 2024 GB3 Championship for Rodin Motorsport. He is the winner of the 2024 GB3 Championship for Rodin Motorsport and the 2023 F4 British Championship for Rodin Carlin.[1]

Louis Sharp
Sharp at the Hungaroring in 2024
NationalityNew Zealand New Zealand
Born (2007-05-11) 11 May 2007 (age 17)[1]
Nottingham, United Kingdom
GB3 Championship career
Debut season2024
Current teamRodin Motorsport
Starts11 (12 entries)
Wins2
Podiums5
Poles2
Fastest laps1

Personal life

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Sharp was born in the Nottingham, United Kingdom, living in Newark for his first few early years[2] but spent most of his childhood in Christchurch, New Zealand, where he attended St Bede's College.[3] He later moved back to the UK to compete in the F4 British Championship.[3][4]

Career

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Karting

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After happening across a local karting track, Sharp's interest was piqued[5] and he started karting at age six[6] in 2014, driving in the Kartsport NZ National Schools Championship. He finished 18th in the Cadet class, the next year he finished third in the same class, and two years later he won the championship in the same class, along with the Sievwright Kartsport NZ National Sprint Championship, in the Cadet class.[1] In 2018, he finished as runner up in the Kartsport NZ National Sprint Championship in the Mini ROK class and the following year he won the championship.[7][8]

These results caught the attention of David Dicker, founder of the New Zealand based racing car manufacturer Rodin Cars. Dicker, through Rodin, continue to back Sharp through his formula racing career.[1]

Lower formulae

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Sharp stepped up into single-seater racing in 2020, making his debut in the Formula First Manfeild Winter Series. He won one race and achieved six podiums, finishing the championship in fifth with 375 points.[9] He also completed in the New Zealand Formula First Championship for Track Tec Racing, finishing the championship in fifth and ending his campaign with one podium.[10][11]

The following year, Sharp drove in the Yokohama South Island Formula Ford Series, getting five wins, ten podiums and two pole positions. finishing fifth in the championship. Sharp was leading the championship before being called up by Carlin to compete in British F4.[12][13]

Formula 4

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Sharp made another step up to the 2022 F4 British Championship with Carlin, partnering McLaren Junior Driver Ugo Ugochukwu and Williams Junior Driver Oliver Gray.[12] Sharp did not participate in the first round of the season at Donington Park due to still being 14 years old,[14] with the age limit of most Formula 4 series being set at 15.[15] In his first two rounds he got two podiums; third place in the third race at both Brands Hatch and Thruxton Circuit. He got podiums in all three races at Round 4, Oulton Park, taking his first win in the series in the third race.[16] At the fifth round at Croft Circuit he came second place in the third race, bagging another podium for his Formula 4 campaign. He was on a consistent points streak in Knockhill and Snetterton until making contact with Aiden Neate during the third race at Snetterton, while fighting for a top ten position.[17]

Sharp added two more third places to his podium tally in the first and third races at Thruxton. In Silverstone Sharp got his second win of the season in the first race, after the original race winner Oliver Gray was penalised. Sharp came third in the reverse-grid race, but stalled on the grid and consequently retired from the third race.[18]

The first race in the final round at Brands Hatch did not go well for Sharp, as while he was battling his teammate Ugo Ugochukwu for 4th position his car began to smoke and the Kiwi was forced to jump out of the car before it caught fire.[19] He had more luck during the rest of the round, coming 3rd and 2nd in the final races of the season. He finished 4th in the championship, behind his teammates, Ugochukwu and Gray despite not competing in the first round, narrowly pipping Joseph Loake to 4th in the championship standings with 272 points, just one point ahead of Loake.

Sharp made his debut in the 2023 Formula 4 UAE Championship for the Trophy Rounds only, which took place in late 2022 and served as a support race for the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Sharp drove with Carlin and won both races in an 11 car grid.[20][21]

He returned to the F4 British Championship in 2023, rejoining the newly rebranded Rodin Carlin team in hopes of winning the title, and was teammates with Australian Noah Lisle and Brit Josh Irfan.[13][15] Sharp started the season by taking victory in the first two races in the opening round at Donington Park.[22][23] After a season-long fight with William Macintyre, in which he took four more wins, he eventually became British F4 Champion.[2][24][25][26] As the British F4 Champion Sharp also won an experience in the Simulator of the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team.[27]

Motorsport News voted Sharp as (British) National Racing Driver of the Year for 2023, becoming the youngest ever driver to win the award, the first from outside Europe and the first single seater winner. He was also awarded the Henry Surtees Award, an accolade handed out by the British Racing Drivers' Club for the most outstanding performance by a member of the BRDC Rising Stars initiative.[28][29][30]

GB3

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He was announced to drive for Kiwi-team Rodin Motorsport for the 2024 GB3 Championship,[31] which was the main sponsor of Rodin Carlin and had taken over the team in early 2024.[32][33] Sharp started his campaign with a pole position at the first race of the first round at Oulton Park, he converted his maiden pole to a maiden win and got his second pole position in the next race, finishing that race in second place.[34][35][36]

Following two podiums at Spa-Francorchamps, he achieved his second win of the season at the Hungaroring and claimed two more podiums at Silverstone. Sharp got two more pole positions at the penultimate round in Donington Park which he converted to wins. He lead the championship coming into the final round at Brands Hatch, with his closest rivals being Briton John Bennett and Pole Tymek Kucharczyk. He got pole in the second race and won it, and in the final race of the season he finished in 10th place, winning the championship with 478 points.

FIA Formula 3

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Sharp joined Rodin Carlin for the final post-season test of the 2023 FIA Formula 3 Championship at Imola.[37][38]

Karting record

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Karting career summary

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Season Series Team Position
2014 Kartsport NZ National Schools Championship – Cadet class 18th
2015 Kartsport NZ National Sprint Championship – Cadet class 4th
Kartsport NZ National Schools Championship – Cadet class 3rd
2016 Giltrap Group Kartsport NZ Sprint Championship – Cadet class 12th
Kartsport NZ National Schools Championship – Cadet class 4th
2017 Sievwright Kartsport NZ National Sprint Championship – Cadet class 1st
NZ Top Half Series – Cadet class
Kartsport Auckland City of Sails – Cadet Rok class 4th
Kartsport NZ National Schools Championship – Cadet class 1st
2018 Kartsport NZ National Sprint Championship – Mini ROK class 2nd
Kartsport NZ National Schools Championship presented by Napier Boys High School – Vortex Mini Rok 9th
2019 Kartsport NZ National Sprint Championship – Mini ROK class 1st
ROK Cup Superfinal – Mini ROK Av Racing
Kartsport NZ National Schools Championship – Vortex Mini Rok 11th

Racing record

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Racing career summary

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Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
2020 Formula First Manfeild Winter Series Sabre Motorsport 6 1 0 0 6 375 5th
2020–21 NZ Formula First Championship Track Tec Racing 23 0 0 2 1 993 6th
2021–22 Yokohama South Island Formula 1600 Series 11 5 2 5 10 747 5th
2022 F4 British Championship Carlin 27 2 0 1 12 272 4th
Formula 4 UAE Championship – Trophy Round 2 2 0 2 2 N/A 1st
2023 F4 British Championship Rodin Carlin 30 6 4 4 14 384 1st
2024 GB3 Championship Rodin Motorsport 23 5 5 1 10 478 1st

Complete F4 British Championship results

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 DC Points
2022 Carlin DON
1
 DON
2
 DON
3
 BHI
1
10 		BHI
2
6 		BHI
3
3 		THR1
1
13 		THR1
2
9 		THR1
3
3 		OUL
1
2 		OUL
2
25 		OUL
3
1 		CRO
1
4 		CRO
2
6 		CRO
3
2 		KNO
1
4 		KNO
2
6 		KNO
3
4 		SNE
1
7 		SNE
2
4 		SNE
3
17 		THR2
1
3 		THR2
2
71 		THR2
3
3 		SIL
1
1 		SIL
2
33 		SIL
3
Ret 		BHGP
1
Ret 		BHGP
2
31 		BHGP
3
2 		4th 272
2023 Rodin Carlin DPN
1
1 		DPN
2
110 		DPN
3
6 		BHI
1
Ret 		BHI
2
43 		BHI
3
4 		SNE
1
C 		SNE
2
136 		SNE
3
3 		THR
1
3 		THR
2
127 		THR
3
3 		OUL
1
4 		OUL
2
19 		OUL
3
6 		SIL
1
12 		SIL
2
37 		SIL
3
9 		CRO
1
1 		CRO
2
163 		CRO
3
1 		KNO
1
2 		KNO
2
151 		KNO
3
7 		DPGP
1
1 		DPGP
2
3 		DPGP
3
610 		DPGP
4
3 		BHGP
1
1 		BHGP
2
118 		BHGP
3
2 		1st 384

Complete GB3 Championship results

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 DC Points
2024 Rodin Motorsport OUL
1
1 		OUL
2
2 		OUL
3
57 		SIL1
1
4 		SIL1
2
5 		SIL1
3
C 		SPA
1
3 		SPA
2
3 		SPA
3
Ret 		HUN
1
7 		HUN
2
1 		HUN
3
4 		ZAN
1
4 		ZAN
2
Ret 		ZAN
3
72 		SIL2
1
2 		SIL2
2
2 		SIL2
3
74 		DON
1
1 		DON
2
1 		DON
3
66 		BRH
1
7 		BRH
2
1 		BRH
3
10 		1st 478

* Season still in progress.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Louis Sharp | Motorsport Racing Driver". Rodin Cars. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Young talent clinches Formula 4 Championship title". Newark Advertiser. 11 October 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  3. ^ a b Alvey, Daniel (6 October 2023). "Teenager F4 driver revs up for race of his life". Otago Daily Times Online News. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  4. ^ Smith, Damien (28 September 2023). "The next Liam Lawson? The Kiwi dominating F4 with F1 aspirations". Motor Sport Magazine. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  5. ^ "Louis Sharp - a young man in a hurry". motorsportplus.co. 25 January 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  6. ^ "Louis Sharp to contest NZ Formula First Series". motorsport.org.nz. 1 September 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  7. ^ Carrell, Benjamin (6 March 2020). "One to watch in the future". Talk Motorsport. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  8. ^ Supplied (3 October 2019). "Kiwi karting champion, age 12, makes European debut". Talk Motorsport. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  9. ^ Peters, Jordie (2 August 2020). "Louis Sharp wins first race in the same car as Liam Lawson". Talk Motorsport. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  10. ^ Supplied (1 September 2020). "Louis Sharp to contest NZ Formula First Series". Talk Motorsport. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  11. ^ Carrell, Benjamin (21 April 2021). "Podium for Sharp at NZ Formula First Championship finale". Talk Motorsport. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  12. ^ a b "Carlin adds FF1600 racer Louis Sharp to British F4 line-up – Formula Scout". 8 March 2022.
  13. ^ a b Wood, Ida (8 December 2022). "Louis Sharp continues with Carlin for a second year in British F4". Formula Scout. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  14. ^ "F4 driver profile Louis Sharp". fiaformula4.com. December 2023. Archived from the original on 19 September 2024. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  15. ^ a b "Sharp remains with Carlin for 2023 F4 British Championship assault". Rodin Motorsport (Press release). 8 December 2022.
  16. ^ Wood, Ida (12 June 2022). "Kiwi youngster Louis Sharp wins in British F4 at Oulton Park". Formula Scout.
  17. ^ Waring, Bethanie (14 August 2022). "Dunne wins with faultless Snetterton drive". Formula Scout.
  18. ^ Waring, Bethanie (25 September 2022). "Gray wins safety car-disrupted third British F4 race at Silverstone". Formula Scout.
  19. ^ Waring, Bethanie (8 October 2022). "Loake wins Brands Hatch opener, Dunne crowned British F4 champion". Formula Scout.
  20. ^ Wood, Ida (20 November 2022). "Carlin's Louis Sharp wins the F4 support races at the Abu Dhabi GP". Formula Scout.
  21. ^ Brabner, George (9 December 2022). "Sharp ends 2022 with F4 UAE Trophy Race sweep: 'It couldn't have gone much better'". Feeder Series. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  22. ^ Rickert, Andrew (23 April 2023). "Louis Sharp wins British Formula 4 season opener". RACEWEEK. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  23. ^ Waring, Bethonie (23 April 2023). "Sharp comes from back of reversed grid to win again in British F4". Formula Scout. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  24. ^ McNamara, Rebecca (9 October 2023). "Louis Sharp emulates Lando Norris to win F4 title". Motorsport UK. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  25. ^ Jordie (8 October 2023). "Louis Sharp crowned British F4 champion at Brands Hatch". motorsport.org.nz. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  26. ^ Mackley, Stefan (8 October 2023). "Sharp edges Macintyre to secure British F4 title". www.autosport.com. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  27. ^ "Louis Sharp takes advantage of Mercedes F1 sim experience". Talk Motorsport (Press release). 17 October 2023. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  28. ^ Kermeen, Mat (10 February 2024). "Teenage star Louis Sharp following the Liam Lawson and Rodin track to F1". stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  29. ^ "Louis Sharp voted Motorsport News National Racing Driver of the Year". motorsport.org.nz. 30 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  30. ^ "Louis Sharp presented with the Henry Surtees Award". motorsport.org.nz. 7 December 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  31. ^ "Louis Sharp takes another step towards Formula 1 dream". motorsport.org.nz. 23 January 2024. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  32. ^ Wood, Ida (19 January 2024). "British F4 champion Louis Sharp steps up to GB3 with Rodin Motorsport". Formula Scout. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  33. ^ Wood, Ida (9 January 2024). "Carlin rebrands to Rodin Motorsport as it loses its co-founder". Formula Scout. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  34. ^ "GB3 Qualifying: Sharp scythes to pole at Oulton Park". GB3. 30 March 2024.
  35. ^ "GB3 Race 1: Sharp straight to the point with victory in Oulton Park opener". GB3. 30 March 2024.
  36. ^ "Race two starts at 09.30 – Sharp on pole". GB3. 1 April 2024.
  37. ^ "Formula 3 concludes 2023 campaign with post-season testing in Imola". fiaformula3.com. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
  38. ^ Allen, Peter (22 October 2023). "F4 champions Sztuka and Sharp join final post-season F3 test". Formula Scout. Retrieved 10 November 2023.
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