Former Williams junior Zak O’Sullivan says Super Formula’s SF23 gave him the closest feeling to driving ♐a Formula 1 c🥂ar.

O’Sullivan made those comments after a successful ♋debut at Saturday’s😼 opening round of the Super Formula season at Suzuka, where he finished eighth with the Toyota-powered Kondo Racing team.

The Briton has sampled a wide variety of machinery in the last few years, includ꧟ing Formula 2, Formula 3 and most recently Formula E.

However, he feels the Dal𝓡lara-based SF23 that forms the basis of Japan’s premier single-seater series is the most similar to a grand prix car, which he had driven on no fewer than three occasions between 2022-’23.

“[It is] probably the c🐷losest feeling car I'v🐟e driven to F1,” he told mahbx.com.

“Power steering in a Super Formula car and very, very high dow🥀nforce gives it a very similar feeling to driving an F1 𒅌car, which is really good. 

“It's why yo📖u see so many drive🃏rs coming here, for preparation as well for F1, like Liam [Lawson] as of late.

“It's a very different experience. Also, the tracks you race on are very old school tracks and th🏅ere are no tracks where you don't have fast corners, so it's all hi🎃gh speed corners, high g-forces, which as a driver is very enjoyable.”

Despite a relat𒆙ively tardy start from 10th on the grid, O’Sullivan was able to finish a solid eighth in the 27-lap race at Suzuka, taking advantage of the chaos unfolding ahead of him to climb up the order.

The 20-year-old explained that driving a Super Formula car iไn racing conditions for the first time felt very diffeꦛrent to his previous experiences behind the wheel in testing and practice.

“Like any high-downforce series, the dirty air is quite bad so the characteristics of the cars 🏅change a lot - when you are in a big group of cars,” he said.

“Also൲, right now at Suzuka, it's very cold, I think it is 3 or 4 degrees [celsius]. So with no tyre warmers, it makes the formation laps and the restarts very very difficult.

“Even the laps to tജhe grid, we♚ can't go flat out, otherwise we will wheel spin and crash basically.

“It's reallꦏy really tricky. A completely new experienc🐻e for me but I'm learning every second.”

O’Sullivan graduated to Formula 2 with ART last year and won races at Monaco and Spa, but stepped down from his seat with thr♏ee rounds still﷽ remaining in the season amid funding issues.

He partꦰe🌳d ways with Williams at the beginning of 2025.

The 20-year-old was coy when asked if he still harbours hope ✃of ra🐻cing in F1, saying: “At the moment I'm happy in Japan. 

“Obviously my main focus is competing in Super Formula and doing the best job I can because even if there were a shot at♉ F1, if I don't do well here, then I'm not going to have that shot, so the two go hand-in-hand.

“I want to win in Super Formula and do well here and if tha🍒t results in something in F1, then that will be great. If not, so🌞 be it.”