Oleksandr Bondarev is a rising star within the Williams F1 Team Driver Academy, currently racing in the E4 Championship and the Italian F4 Championship with Prema Racing.
Oleksandr has been karting since the age of five. His first major title came at the Ukrainian Karting Championship, becoming the series' youngest champion in its history at only 7 years old. The following year, Oleksandr entered his first international championship including the WSK Final Cup 60 Mini class and the CEE Rotax Max Challenge, which he won.
In 2021, he competed in the CIK-FIA Academy Trophy, securing a podium and a third overall result in the highly competitive championship.
The following year, he joined the Ricky Flynn Motorsport team, best known for supporting numerous Formula 1 drivers in their karting careers. He went on to win the 2022 WSK OKJ Super Master Series, achieving podiums at all four races and wins at three.
Later in the year, Oleksandr began the CIK-FIA OKJ European Championship season before he was involved in a serious karting accident in the second round, ending his season prematurely. His stationary kart was hit head-on in Zuera, Spain, causing him to sustain a compound fracture in his leg which required ten surgeries and multiple months of rehabilitation. Oleksandr made a full recovery by Autumn 2022.
In the first full season after his injury, Oleksandr was crowned 2023 CIK-FIA Karting European Champion, becoming the first Ukrainian driver in the history of karting to win the championship. Throughout the season, he stood on the podium a total of four times, including two wins. He joined the Williams F1 Team Driver Academy in September of the same year.
In 2024, Oleksandr had a stellar final year in karting, winning the WSK Champions Cup (OK) and placing second in the WSK Super Master Series. He then made his first steps into single seaters, competing in the Italian F4 Championship with Prema Racing.
In 2025, Oleksandr competed in his first full season in single seaters, racing in the F4 Middle East Championship, Formula Trophy, E4 and the Italian F4 Championship with Prema Racing. He built in confidence throughout the year, securing a win in Imola and a podium in Misano as part of his Italian F4 season.
In 2026, he will be challenging for the FIA Italian Formula 4 championship title with Prema Racing while remaining a key part of the Williams F1 Team Driver Academy.