Beauly’s Oliver Stewart will step up to the GB3 Championship this season after securing a place with Elite Motorsport.
After making his car racing debut in the F4 British Championship at the age of 15 last year, Stewart recorded his maiden victory at the high-speed Thruxton last August.
He also finished third in the Rookie Cup and tenth in the overall standings, with 20 podium appearances under his belt.
Stewart started his motorsport career at the age of nine, working his way through the karting ranks, before becoming vice champion in the IAME Junior X30 World finals in 2021.
Aiming to move up the ranks, Stewart has tested with Elite Motorsport across the UK and Europe, putting in the mileage to ensure he is up to speed in the powerful Tatuus MSV-022 GB3 car ahead of the campaign.
Stewart, who turned 16 in January, will now face a number of new circuits to tackle this season, such as current Formula 1 Grand Prix venues Spa-Francorchamps, Zandvoort, and the full Silverstone layout.
Stewart is relishing the challenge ahead of him.
He said: “I’m really excited to start the season with Elite Motorsport, as they’re a very successful team with a lot of experience.
“From my first test with them back in November at Silverstone, I was overwhelmed with just how passionate they were to succeed, and how good the car felt. I’m feeling really positive about the season ahead.”
Teenager making promising strides ahead of step up
Stewart is now working to get everything in place for his transition to the GB3 Championship – which was previously known as the British Formula 3 Championship.
He added: “The engineer who I’ve been working with throughout pre-season testing has been extremely helpful and has been allowing me to build on what I learned last year.
“Together we are progressing fast, and we go quicker every time we’re out. If we keep going the way we’re going, then there’s no reason why we can’t do really well in the first race and beyond.
“Last year in the F4 British Championship was pretty successful for me, I had a race win at Thruxton, three pole positions and a fastest lap at Brands Hatch, so overall it was a great season.
“Having had one year of experience in a car with lower downforce, which teaches you to drive with very little grip, and then moving up to a car with a lot of downforce like the GB3 car, is really going to help with boosting that learning process this year.
“It’s difficult to start the season with a specific goal in mind. However, now that I’m a second-year driver in single-seaters, I want to win as many races as possible and do well for the people that are continuously supporting me on this journey.”
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