The next Liam Lawson? The Kiwi dominating F4 with F1 aspirations

Sharp is racing in British Formula 4, the equivalent of the old familiar Formula Ford proving ground, and takes a slender one-point lead into the Brands Hatch three-race finale on October 8/9 over British rival (and, as it turns out, mate) Will Macintyre.

“Although New Zealand is a small country and we might not have a lot of racing drivers, the ones we do have tend to make their mark,” says Sharp, who bases himself with UK relatives in Richmond, Surrey. He’s not wrong: think Lawson, but also IndyCar legend Scott Dixon, rising stars Scott McLaughlin and Marcus Armstrong, then Formula E title contenders and now Jaguar team-mates Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy.

Then there are the huge and obvious heroes from the distant past to aspire to: Bruce McLaren, Chris Amon, Denny Hulme, Howden Ganley… there must be something in the earth down there in NZ that’s nurtured such a rich harvest over so many decades.

So we assume Sharp can draw directly from Lawson’s experience? “Yeah, I know Liam fairly well,” he says. “Being backed by Rodin helps and last year we were both racing for Carlin when I first came over to the UK. He’s a lovely guy and he’s been up the same ladder I’m trying to climb through F4, Formula 3 and Formula 2.”

We should never underestimate the bravery and commitment it takes for sports men and women at such tender ages to leave all they know and travel so far to chase their ambitions. It’s a common tale, but we mustn’t take it for granted. “Coming from the other side of the world does make it a massive adjustment,” says Sharp. “I do have family and friends here, but obviously most are back in New Zealand. But it’s something I needed to do. My goal is to get to F1 and you’ve got to be in Europe or the UK if you want to make that dream happen.”

He’s even given up his education to chase that dream. “The biggest thing was giving up school. When I first came over last year I was still doing online schooling, but what we quickly found was that it was so busy with travelling, testing, training and then racing it was just too hard to keep up with school work. I’ve had to sacrifice that, which is tough. But I can always go back to school if I have to. To make it to F1 you only have one shot, you have to maximise everything and give it all you can.”

The F4 season and his duel with Macintyre has been just the sort of experience all F1 drivers who do make it look back on with pride. Give him a few years and Sharp will reflect on 2023 with a warm glow of nostalgia — especially if Brands goes to plan next weekend.

“It’s been a good year, my first full season in the championship, although doing nine of the ten rounds last year meant I was able to get acclimatised to being in a different country and racing against all these different people on different tracks,” says Sharp. “Stepping into this year my mindset was ‘I want to win the championship’. I’m leading, but it’s really close. It will be tough at Brands because Will has shown a lot of pace over the whole season and he’s been really consistent as well. There’s nothing to lose now, it’s the last round of the year. I’ll give it everything I can and hopefully we can make it happen.”

Fortunes have swung between the pair all year. Sharp has five wins to Macintyre’s two, but Will’s eight second places are a clear sign of the consistency Louis mentions. There has been barely anything between the Carlin and Hitech drivers – as the points table attests.

2023 British Formula 4 championship standings

What’s also pleasing is their friendship off-track. That isn’t always the case at this level… “Will is obviously very good and off the track we do get on well, we are mates,” says Sharp. “Saying that, as soon as my helmet is on I don’t think of him as a mate, I just want to beat him – as much as I want to beat everyone else. You can’t have friends on the track, you have to treat everyone as your enemy.”

Whatever happens at Brands, both Sharp and Macintyre can take a great deal from their season in British F4. Both have made the list of 10 finalists for the Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver Award (Sharp qualifies because he was actually born in the UK before moving to New Zealand at a very young age). So what’s next for Louis? Staying within the Carlin family makes sense. “There’s a bit to think about,” Sharp admits. “I don’t believe I’ll be in F4 next year — at least I hope not! My main focus is on wrapping up this championship and if I can do that it should open up some opportunities. There’s already a bit of talk and a rough idea, but I’ll worry about that after the season.

“The climb is about making the right steps. Everyone is on a different path and what works for one person might not work for another. And with budget and a limited amount of seats it’s what works best for you.”

What Sharp can say for certain is he doesn’t have a plan B. “I’m 100% all in,” he says. “You have to throw everything at it, otherwise it won’t happen. Obviously it doesn’t work out for a lot of people, but for those it does, it’s pretty special.

“I can’t think of anything else I’d rather do. I want to be an F1 driver, or at least a professional racing driver. If that doesn’t happen…well, it has to. I have to make it happen.”

Lawson knows and is still scrapping for his chance. Within a few years and at this rate, another hotshot Kiwi could be right on his shoulder.