Ones to watch: British drivers and riders to look out for in 2024
07 March 2024The 2024 season holds promise for many young, aspiring British racing drivers and riders, many of whom excelled in feeder categories and will be looking to take their next step on the motorsport ladder this year.
From Formula 2 returnees to AUTOSPORT BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award winners, and established Moto2 stars to those targeting the top spot in F1 Academy, these are the British drivers and riders to keep an eye on as their ascension to the pinnacle of two and four-wheeled motorsport continues.
Oliver Bearman
This British Formula 2 racer has been touted as a star of the future and his first season in the F1 feeder series did nothing to dispel those theories. An eye-catching rookie season yielded four wins and three pole positions for Bearman, resulting in a renewal of his PREMA Racing contract. Having been a part of the team since 2022, the 18-year-old is now fully embedded into the Italian squad and the target in 2024 will undoubtedly be a concerted title tilt.
Jamie Chadwick
For the first time in 13 years, a female driver competed in IndyCar support series Indy NXT in 2023. Jamie Chadwick’s first season of full-time stateside racing was a foundational one, acclimatising to a very different form of motorsport than she was used to. Still, the 25-year-old improved over the course of 2023, culminating with a sixth-place finish at the penultimate event of the season at Portland International Raceway. The three-time W Series champion has resigned with Andretti Autosport and with a year of experience under her belt, she’ll look to build a competitive 2024 campaign.
Jake Dixon
Jake Dixon is considered something of a mainstay in the MotoGP paddock nowadays having completed five full seasons in Moto2, but 2023 was where the Dover native really hit his stride. Breaking his duck at the Dutch TT and following it up with another win at the Catalan GP just three races later encouraged the rumour mill to start churning, linking Dixon’s auspicious form to a MotoGP ride. Although such conjecture never came to fruition, he did resign with GasGas Aspar in 2024 and has made his intentions of claiming more victories widely known.
Luke Browning
Returning to the FIA Formula 3 Championship in 2024 is Luke Browning. The Williams Academy member endured a 2023 of mixed fortunes; P15 in the Drivers’ championship was offset by second in the Sprint Race at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and the enviable accolade of Macau Grand Prix winner. Browning continues with the Hitech Pulse-Eight team for another year with hopes of garnering more podiums.
Abbi Pulling
Although Abbi Pulling couldn’t better her fourth place in the 2022 W Series standings, 2023 yielded the most podiums (seven) and pole positions (two) in a single season for the 20-year-old. Pulling’s established links with Alpine evolved into enrolment in the team’s academy programme in 2023, and with their support – as well as from Rodin Carlin – she will return to F1 Academy for the 2024 season.
Zak O’Sullivan
Joining compatriot Oliver Bearman on the FIA Formula 2 grid in 2024 is F3 graduate Zak O’Sullivan who took more victories than eventual champion Gabriel Bortoleto, including a particularly dominant Hungaroring Feature Race. Like Browning, O’Sullivan is a member of the Williams Driver Academy and is set to contest his first season of F2 with the ART Grand Prix team in 2024.
Joseph Loake
Winner of the Aston Martin Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award 2023, Joseph Loake entered the 2023 GB3 season off the back of two promising, but ultimately underwhelming seasons in British F4 and to many, was considered an underdog of the paddock. A total of four race wins and four further podiums put paid to that speculation, and he emerged as a title contender eventually finishing third overall. Loake has since been confirmed in Rodin Motorsport’s 2024 line-up for FIA Formula 3.
Callum Voisin
Also in contention for the BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award in 2023 was Callum Voisin, and although he bested Loake in the standings by claiming the 2023 GB3 championship, his full season racing in the series one year prior made a title tilt seem an inevitability. Voisin will race alongside fellow GB3 graduate Loake as part of Rodin Motorsport’s captivating FIA Formula 3 roster in 2024.
Arvid Lindblad
The youngest of the BRDC award candidates was Arvid Lindblad, and at just 16 years of age he had an impressive season taking six race wins and third overall in Italian F4 as well as a win in Euro 4 and the Macau Formula 4 race. Arvid completes a potent British Formula 3 line-up in 2024, but unlike Voisin and Loake, he’ll be racing with the team that facilitated his Italian F4 efforts, Prema Racing.
Taylor Barnard
Taylor Barnard may not have reached the heights of O’Sullivan during his 2023 F3 campaign, but late season performances at Spa-Francorchamps – where he took second in the Sprint Race and the win in the Feature Race – and Monza hinted that there was more to come from the 19-year-old. That caught the attention of McLaren’s Formula E team who duly signed Barnard as its Reserve and Development driver.
