Carlin recruit Williams junior Gray for 2023 season

16 January 2023

Carlin have announced that British Formula 4 Vice-Champion Oliver Gray will step up to Formula 3 with them for the 2023 campaign, with Williams confirming that the British racer will continue as part of their Driver Academy for another year.

Last year, the 17-year-old finished as runner-up in the F4 British Championship with Carlin, claiming an impressive 16 podiums, two wins and two pole positions in only his second season of single-seater racing.

“I’m super excited to be making the step up to F3 next season. I’m indebted to my sponsors and for the belief that Williams and Carlin have shown in me,” said Gray.

“Hopefully this will be the first year of a two-year programme in F3, so the aim this season will be to really learn as much as possible about the car, circuits and tyres, all of which will be new to me. To be able to embark on that with the team at Carlin is a dream come true and I can’t wait to get going.”

Prior to making his debut in cars, Gray enjoyed karting success in the UK and Europe. He achieved the 2019 Motorsport UK Kartmasters and British Karting Championship titles at the X30 Junior level, alongside taking the Vice Champion honours in the IAME Euro Series.

Graduating to single-seaters for the 2021 British F4 season, he took two wins and two pole positions in on his way to seventh in the Standings, as well as making a two-round appearance in Italian F4 – earning him a spot in the Williams Driver Academy.

Carlin Team Principal Trevor Carlin added: “Ollie was a complete pleasure to have in the team last season and we really believe in his potential. It’s a big step up to FIA F3, which is an incredibly competitive championship so it will be a steep learning curve. Making steady but recognisable progress with every event will be the aim, and Ollie has the attitude and talent to be able to do that.”

Gray will get his first taste of F3 action next month at the official pre-season test in Sakhir, Bahrain from 14-16 February.