Draft:Louis Sharp

Louis Sharp (born 11 May 2007) is a racing driver from New Zealand competing in the 2024 GB3 Championship for Rodin Motorsport. He won the 2023 F4 British Championship for Rodin Carlin.

Karting
Sharp started karting 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, two years later he won the championship in the same class, along with the Sievwright Kartsport NZ National Sprint Championship, in the Cadet class as well. In 2018, he came runner up in the Kartsport NZ National Sprint Championship in the Mini ROK class, the following year he won the championship.

Lower formulae
Sharp stepped up into single-seater racing in 2020, making his debut in the Formula First Manfeild Winter Series, he won one race and got six podiums, finishing the championship in fifth, with 375 points. He also completed in the New Zealand Formula First Championship for Track Tec Racing, as he finished the championship fifth, ending his campaign with one podium.

The next year, Sharp drove in the Yokohama South Island Formula Ford Series, getting five wins, ten podiums and two poles, finishing fifth in the championship. However he was leading the championship before getting called up by Carlin for British F4.

Formula 4
Sharp stepped up to the 2022 F4 British Championship with Carlin, partnering McLaren Junior Driver Ugo Ugochukwu and Williams Junior Driver Oliver Gray. Sharp did not participate in the first race of the season at Donington Park due to still being 14 years old, and age limit of most Formula 4 series being 15. In his first two rounds he got two podiums, one in the third race at Brands Hatch, and another in the third race at Thruxton Circuit. He got podiums in all three races at Oulton Park, as he got his first win in the series in the third race. At the fourth 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 Circuit and Snetterton Circuit until in third race at Snetterton his streak ended, when he made contact with Aiden Neate, while fighting for a top ten position.

Sharp added two more third places to his podium tally, as he came third in the first and third races at Thruxton Circuit, in Silverstone Circuit 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 in the third race he stalled on the grid and retired from the race.

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

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.

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

GB3
He was announced to drive for Kiwi-team Rodin Motorsport for the 2024 GB3 Championship, which was the main sponsor of Rodin Carlin and would later take over the team in early 2024. 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 in the first race, and got his second pole position in the next race, finishing that race on pole position.

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

Personal life
Sharp was born in the United Kingdom but spent most of his childhood in Christchurch, New Zealand, where he attended St Bede's College. He then moved back to the UK to compete in the F4 British Championship.

Complete F4 British Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Complete GB3 Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
 * Season still in progress.