Who's next? Upcoming British talent to watch out for

With the F1 grid featuring more British drivers than any other nation, and the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix bringing newcomer Ollie Bearman to the attention of the Formula 1 world, focus is high on other upcoming British talent and their potential futures racing at the pinnacle of motorsport.

F1 Academy - Abbi Pulling // Jessica Edgar

F1 Academy, now in its second season and the spiritual successor to W Series is a female-only single seater racing championship founded by Formula 1 to provide better opportunities for women to excel in their careers and showcase driving talent to a wider audience. This year’s driver line-up consists of two drivers sporting the Union Jack on their race suits - Abbi Pulling and Jessica Edgar.

Edgar’s career started, as many do, in karting from 2010. The now 19-year-old then worked her way through the ranks of karting to compete in GB4 in 2022, grabbing points in every round and finishing seventh in the standings with a podium finish to her name. With the introduction of F1 Academy in 2023, Edgar took the step up to the new single seater series with an opening race podium result at Spielberg, followed by further third place finishes in Monza and Austin. Rounding out her series with a victory, Jessica was retained by Rodin motorsport for 2024, and currently ranks 7th in the standings with 12 points.

With an impressive and fast-moving career to date, we’re excited to see how BRDC Rising Star Jessica Edgar progresses in the second season of F1 Academy and what’s in store down the line.

Another growing British talent within the ranks of F1 Academy is the Alpine-sponsored sensation Abbi Pulling. Having taken victory at the opening weekend of 2024 in Race 2, Pulling currently ranks P1 in the championship and has an impressive history to back her up. Starting in karts, Pulling quickly rose through to compete in the Ginetta Junior Championship and Ginetta GT5 challenge in 2018 and 2019. In 2020, her career took another turn as she started competing in F4 and later in the W Series during the 2021 campaign. Securing P4 in the standings the following year, Pulling all but guaranteed her spot for the 2023 F1 Academy season, where she delivered an outstanding seven podiums and a top five finish across the year.

With her Alpine backing and impressive start to the new season, Abbi Pulling is definitely a driver you need to stay on the lookout for as the 21-year-old progresses in her career.

F3 - Arvid Lindblad // Luke Browning // Cian Shields // Callum Voisin // Joseph Loake

The F3 grid for 2024 is looking packed with upcoming young British talent. With 5 of the 30 drivers currently sporting the Union Jack, there’s plenty to keep an eye on for upcoming talent as the junior series heads into 2024.

Arvid Lindblad’s debut year in F3 this year puts him in good stead to showcase his talent to the world. With a career starting in 2015 with karting, Lindblad moved up to single seaters with an Italian F4 debut in 2022, before taking a full-time seat with PREMA Racing for 2023. Finishing third in the standings last year, the young Brit looks set to make a decent impression as he enters Formula 3. In fact, he already has, winning the opening Sprint Race of the year in Bahrain and finishing P2 in the Australian Sprint.

Luke Browning, a William Racing Driver Academy member, is another young Brit you need to be keeping an eye on. Working his way through the ranks, Browning already holds British F4, GB3 championship victories to his name, as well as several race victories in the many series he’s competed in during his young career. Now entering his second season in F3, the young driver is looking to impress as he has his sights on a future in Formula 1.

Another driver making their debut in F3 this year, Briton Cain Shields began his karting career in 2016 before making the step up to single seaters for 2022. With one race victory and two podium finishes in his rookie season, the young driver moved to the Euroformula Open Championship where he finished P2 for the year, claiming four wins and ten podium finishes. With a seat in F3 for this year, the driver looks set to impress as he climbs the ladder.

Starting his racing career in karts and the Ginetta Junior Championship in 2021, young Brit Callum Voisin has his eyes set on a future seat in Formula 1. With a further two seasons of GB3 under his belt with Rodin Carlin, the Voisin secured the title last year, taking two wins and 11 podiums during the campaign. He now steps up to F3, and one step closer to a seat in the top championship.
A career beginning in the BRSCC Fiesta Junior Championship, Joseph Loake took the title in 2020 before making the switch to single seaters for F4 in 2022. With a 5th place finish in the British Championship, Loake continued his journey to compete in GB3 last year, where he placed third. Making his debut in F3 for 2024, Loake’s impressive past performance puts him in good stead to make an impression as he takes his place on the grid.

F2 - Zak O’Sullivan // Oliver Bearman

The main feeder series into Formula 1, F2 is where most look to see who will be joining the future grid at the top. Two Brits currently compete in the series, with both seen to be future drivers for Formula 1.

Oliver Bearman is a name you probably know by now, following his F1 debut a few weeks ago at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix while covering for Carlos Sainz. An impressive showing from the young Ferrari Academy-backed Brit from Chelmsford has all but guaranteed he’ll be on the hit list for teams in the next few years. Starting his career in karting, Bearman has progressed at an impressive rate through the ranks on his journey to the top.

With his career in F4 leading to a 100-point lead over his nearest competitor in Italian F4 in 2021, and a further title in ADAC F4 the same year, the next natural step up for Bearman was a seat in Formula 3. A close-fought championship in the 2022 F3 season resulted in a third-place finish overall for the year but lagging just seven points from the top spot. With eight podiums and a win from the 18 events, the Brit was ready to be called up to the next level, taking an F2 seat for the 2023 season. Bearman’s first season in F2 was another impressive showing from the driver. With 4 wins, 5 podiums, 2 pole positions, and 2 fastest laps, he helped Prema secure second in the teams’ championship.

With Oliver’s 2024 already off to a stellar start with his role in Formula 1 as Ferrari and Haas reserve driver already coming into play, the young Brit will be continuing his Formula 2 campaign for this year, but with one thing abundantly clear - it’s only a matter of time before the driver takes a full-time seat in Formula 1.

See also: Oliver Bearman: A Pivotal Year

Zak O’Sullivan is another Briton currently competing in the feeder series, with his eyes set on a jump to F1 within the next few years. Starting his career in, as you can imagine, karting. Graduating to cars with the Ginetta Junior Championship in 2019 with Douglas Motorsport, he scored an impressive five podiums in the first ten races of the season, before improving further with a shift to R Racing mid-season. Three race wins and a nine-race podium streak made him the top performing rookie of the year. Into 2020, O’Sullivan took another step up to British F4.

A year of on-track battles saw Zak finish P2 in the championship, trailing the top spot by just four points at the end of the season. Success in F4 led to him taking on the GB3 Championship for 2021, which left him with a title to his name, as well as a finalist for the BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award.

An impressive performance in his junior career, Williams announced in February 2022 that Zak would be a member of the Williams Driver Academy moving forward, bringing the young Brit one step closer to a Formula 1 race seat. The driver got his first taste of F1 machinery at a test with Aston Martin at Silverstone, driving their F1 car around the iconic circuit.

Two years of F3 racing saw O’Sullivan take second spot in the championship - enough to get him a race seat in F2 for 2024 with ART Grand Prix. With a fast rise through the ranks of racing, and Williams Driver Academy backing, the stage looks set for O’Sullivan to take the reins of a Formula 1 car in the near future.

See also: Zak O’Sullivan on his achievements so far and his Formula 1 goal