My 2026 FIA Formula 3 Predictions
- Linus O'Howell
- 7 hours ago
- 13 min read
Race Week is officially back, and with that in mind, it’s time for my yearly tradition of releasing my FIA Formula 3 Predictions just in time for the season opener! This never goes well, but I enjoy learning about new drivers who could potentially make it all the way to Formula 1 one day (or be absolutely horrific, they’re both possible outcomes)! So, let’s delve in, shall we?!
P30: Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi
We’re starting with one heck of a name as Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi is set to make his Formula 3 debut! The 19-year-old Thai racing driver is driving for DAMS Lucas Oil in 2026, and his highest-ever Championship finish was 14th in the 2022 ADAC Formula 4 Championship! “Jem” comes from a rather wealthy Thai family, and that explains a lot to be honest, because on merit alone, Bhirombhakdi wouldn’t come close to appearing on a Grand Prix Weekend!
P29: Nicolas Lacorte
Just like last year, I’m predicting Nicola Lacorte to finish 29th overall! The 18-year-old Italian racing driver is driving for DAMS Lucas Oil in 2026, and his highest-ever Championship finish was 9th in both the 2023 Italian F4 and Euro 4 Championships! When it comes to Formula 3, Lacorte failed to score a single point in his debut season, finishing 33rd overall! Things need to go a lot better for Nicola Lacorte this time around than it did 12 months ago, but the only thing that I can see changing is the lack of Alpine backing!
P28: Gerrard Xie
After a difficult first year with Hitech, Gerrard Xie has switched to DAMS! The 19-year-old Chinese racing driver is driving for DAMS Lucas Oil in 2026, and his highest-ever Championship finish came when he won both the 2022 Formula Renault Super Challenge and F4 Chinese Championships! When it comes to Formula 3, Xie massively struggled at Hitech, scoring just 1 point all season as he ended up 29th in the standings! I’ve put Gerrard Xie to win the DAMS teammate battle based on the fact that this guy has at least won something, but I am extremely worried for the year that may be ahead for the French team!
P27: Fernando Barrichello
These Bloodlines in Brazil are seemingly endless, as Fernando Barrichello, son of former F1 Race Winner Rubens, steps up to the third tier of motorsport! The 20-year-old Brazilian racing driver is driving for AIX Racing in 2026, and his highest-ever Championship finish was third in the 2024 Euroformula Open Championship! The worry that I have with Barrichello is that his best year in Euroformula didn’t exactly see him come up against a particularly stacked field, and I actually could see him finishing last of the three AIX drivers!
P26: Brando Badoer
Can Brando Badoer turn things around after a dismal 2025 with Prema?! The 19-year-old Italian racing driver is driving for Rodin Motorsport in 2026, and his highest-ever Championship finish was 4th in the 2025 Formula Regional Middle East Championship! When it comes to Formula 3, Badoer had a bit of a horror story, with Prema’s struggles resulting in him finishing just 25th overall! My hope for Brando Badoer is that the move across to Rodin might suit him better than being at a big team like Prema, but even still, Badoer hasn’t given me any reason to expect him to perform well!
P25: Jose Garfias
After appearing for AIX in Barcelona last year, Jose Garfias is ready for a full-time seat with Prema! The 21-year-old Mexican racing driver is driving for Prema Racing in 2026, and his highest-ever Championship finish was third in the 2019 Formula Mexico Championship! In fairness to Garfias, he didn’t do too badly in Euroformula last year, finishing 4th overall, but I have to point out the fact that Jose is only in Formula 3 this year due to a sudden team switch for Enzo Deligny (we’ll get onto him later)! Because of this, it would be unfair to expect much out of Jose Garfias, and that’s why I have the young Mexican to match what Badoer managed to achieve in this car 12 months ago!
P24: Yevan David
Born in Romford, England, Yevan David is set to represent Sri Lanka proudly! The 18-year-old Sri Lankan racing driver is driving for AIX Racing in 2026, and his highest-ever Championship finish was second in last year’s Euroformula Open Championship! I’m giving David the benefit of the doubt when it comes to these predictions, based fully on his performance last year! Outside of that, Yevan’s performances haven’t been the best, but I at least see a little bit more in him than the other drivers we’ve already talked about!
P23: Kanato Le
Kanato Le is just one of a number of new Japanese drivers in the field this year! The 18-year-old Japanese racing driver is driving for ART Grand Prix in 2026, and his highest-ever Championship finish was 6th in this year’s Formula Regional Oceania Trophy! Out of all of the Japanese drivers this year, I feel like Kanato Le is the weakest! I could end up being proven wrong, but for now, I don’t expect Le to achieve much!
P22: Hiyu Yamakoshi
Hiyu Yamakoshi is hoping that he won’t be last of the three VAR drivers in his Rookie F3 campaign! The 19-year-old Japanese racing driver is driving for Van Amersfoort Racing in 2026, and his highest-ever Championship finish was third in the 2024 Italian F4 Championship! I’d say that Hiyu Yamakoshi did better in 2024 than he did in 2025, meaning it's sort of difficult to predict him any higher than this! I will say that I think it’s going to be a close fight between a couple of the VAR drivers!
P21: Bruno Del Pino
After struggling last year, Bruno Del Pino is hoping for better form with his switch to VAR! The 19-year-old Spanish racing driver is driving for Van Amersfoort Racing in 2026, and his highest-ever Championship finish came when he finished third in the 2024 Eurocup-3 Championship! When it comes to Formula 3, del Pino really struggled in his Rookie season, finishing just 23rd with MP Motorsport! It might seem a little bit surprising for me to predict Bruno Del Pino to finish higher up this year than he did last year (at a worse team), but I think he’s ever so slightly better than one of his VAR teammates!
P20: Maciej Gladysz
Maciej Gladysz is hoping for some success in his first year at this level! The 17-year-old Polish racing driver is driving for ART Grand Prix in 2026, and his highest-ever Championship finish came when he won the 2025 Eurocup-3 Spanish Winter Championship! The thing is is that Gladysz has done quite well in the past, but he was also poor in the main Eurocup-3 series last year, hence why I’ve only got him down in 20th!
P19: Brad Benavides
Brad Benavides remains in Formula 3 for another year! The 24-year-old American racing driver is driving for AIX Racing in 2026, and his highest-ever Championship finish came when he won the 2024 Euroformula Open Championship! When it comes to Formula 3, Benavides has scored 21 points across 2 seasons, with his highest Championship finish being P20 last year! Brad Benavides is a weird driver in the sense that he’s competed in Formula 3, been promoted to F2, then gone down a couple of levels to win Euroformula, before returning to F3 last year! I don’t really know what to expect from Brad, but he did well enough last year to deserve a higher place!
P18: Jin Nakamura
Backing from TGR has led to Jin Nakamura making the step up to Formula 3! The 20-year-old Japanese racing driver is driving for Hitech TGR in 2026, and his highest-ever Championship finish came when he finished second in the 2023 F4 Japanese Championship! Nakamura switched to racing outside of Asia last year, and whilst it didn’t lead to that much success, Jin is coming into his maiden F3 campaign after a strong showing in the Formula Regional Oceania Trophy (where he finished 4th)! Still, despite that, I still feel like Jin Nakamura will end up as the slowest Hitech driver (just)!
P17: Pedro Clerot
Pedro Clerot is hoping to lead the Brazilian charge! The 19-year-old Brazilian racing driver is driving for Rodin Motorsport in 2026, and his highest-ever Championship finish came when he won the 2022 F4 Brazilian Championship! Finishing 4th in FRECA last year is a positive, but I don’t view Clerot as the best Rodin driver!
P16: Michael Shin
After competing in the final three weekends of the 2023 Season, Michael Shin is finally ready for a full-time Formula 3 seat! The 21-year-old South Korean racing driver is driving for Hitech TGR in 2026, and his highest-ever Championship finish was third in last year’s Euroformula Open Championship! Since he last competed in Formula 3, Michael Shin has shown a decent amount of performance, but it’s also not like he’s won anything, hence why I’ve only got Shin to finish down in 16th place!
P15: Ernesto Rivera
Ernesto Rivera hasn’t exactly had the easiest preparation heading into his maiden Formula 3 campaign! The 17-year-old Mexican racing driver is driving for Campos Racing in 2026, and his highest-ever Championship finish was P4 in last year’s Eurocup-3 Championship! Rivera is also currently a member of the Red Bull Junior Team! You can tell that the Red Bull backing has helped Ernesto Rivera get a spot with the reigning Teams’ Champions Campos, but the problem for Rivera is the fact that an injury competing in the Formula Regional Oceania Trophy meant that he’s missed all of Pre-Season Testing, as well as this weekend’s Season Opener in Australia! To be honest, I probably should’ve put Ernesto even lower, but I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt!
P14: James Wharton
James Wharton is hoping for a lot better success after a tough freshman F3 year! The 19-year-old Australian racing driver is driving for Prema Racing in 2026, and his highest-ever Championship finish came when he won the 2023 Formula 4 UAE Championship! When it comes to Formula 3, Wharton massively struggled for ART Grand Prix last year, finishing just 18th overall (despite winning in Austria)! James Wharton had a really good junior career at the Formula 4/Formula Regional level, but last year wasn’t good enough! James will be hoping that reuniting with Prema will help him turn his form around, but it’s a lot easier said than done for the young Aussie!
P13: Louis Sharp
Louis Sharp is also hoping that a switch to Prema will result in him finding his best form! The 18-year-old New Zealand racing driver is driving for Prema Racing in 2026, and his highest-ever Championship finishes came when he won the 2023 F4 British and 2024 GB3 Championships! When it comes to Formula 3, Sharp’s Rookie campaign was an absolute mess, with the expected Championship contender finishing all the way down in P26! Louis Sharp should do much better this year; he has to, but Prema were also really poor last year, so I don’t expect too much success for either of them!
P12: Christian Ho
After performing well in DAMS’ first year in F3, Christian Ho is hoping to move up the order with a switch to Rodin! The 19-year-old Singaporean racing driver is driving for Rodin Motorsport in 2026, and his highest-ever Championship finish came when he won the 2024 Eurocup-3 Championship! When it comes to Formula 3, Ho finished 22nd in his Rookie Season, scoring 17 points! I liked Christian Ho before I even saw him in Formula 3, and I think he did quite well at DAMS last year! I expect Ho to be Rodin’s top driver this season, but it still won’t be enough for him to break into the Top 10!
P11: Taito Kato
Taito Kato enters Formula 3 as part of the Honda Formula Dream Project! The 18-year-old Japanese-French racing driver is driving for ART Grand Prix in 2026, and his highest-ever Championship finish came when he won the 2024 French F4 Championship! Whilst Taito may have only finished 7th in FRECA last year, I feel like he’s a far more exciting prospect than his fellow ART teammates, and I expect him to end up as his new team’s leader!
P10: Fionn McLaughlin
The strong run of Irish juniors continue as Fionn McLaughlin is ready for FIA Formula 3! The 18-year-old Irish racing driver is driving for Hitech TGR in 2026, and his highest-ever Championship finish came when he won last year’s F4 British Championship! McLaughlin is also currently a member of the Red Bull Junior Team! Fionn McLaughlin had a very good 2025, and having Red Bull backing will always help your cause in these types of articles! However, Fionn’s performance in the Formula Regional Oceania Trophy at the start of this year wasn’t that good, meaning he probably would’ve placed even higher for me!
P9: Enzo Deligny
Enzo Deligny is very much one to watch in 2026! The 17-year-old French-Chinese racing driver is driving for Van Amersfoort Racing in 2026, and his highest-ever Championship finish was third in last year's Formula Regional European Championship! Enzo Deligny is such a fascinating driver to me as his best season yet came after he’d been dropped by Red Bull! Also, Deligny was initially set to compete for Prema this season, only for him to then leave them for VAR! I don’t ever remember something like that happening before, but clearly, Enzo must know something that we don’t!
P8: Alessandro Guisti
Alessandro Guisti is back for another year of Formula 3 racing! The 19-year-old French racing driver is driving for MP Motorsport in 2026, and his highest-ever Championship finish came when he won the 2022 French F4 Championship! Guisti is also currently a member of the Williams Driver Academy! When it comes to Formula 3, Alessandro achieved 2 Podium finishes in his Rookie season, finishing 10th overall! If you’ve followed along for long enough, you would know that I always get excited whenever there’s a Williams-backed driver to talk about! Now, whilst I’ve cooled off a little bit, I will say that I do expect Alessandro Guisti to take a step up in 2026, including winning in F3 for the first time!
P7: Matteo De Palo
Matteo De Palo is without a doubt Italy’s best chance of winning in Formula 3 again! The 18-year-old Italian racing driver is driving for Trident in 2026, and his highest-ever Championship finish was second in last year’s Formula Regional European Championship! De Palo is also currently a member of the McLaren Driver Development Programme! What I find interesting about Matteo De Palo is his junior career up to last year wasn’t that amazing, and yet he earned his way onto McLaren’s books by performing damn well in a very difficult series like FRECA! In some ways, De Palo is similar to Gabriel Bortoleto, a guy who got better as he rose up the ranks, so I could easily see Matteo finishing high up this year! However, for now, I’m still holding back a little!
P6: Mattia Colnaghi
Mattia Colnaghi enters Formula 3 aiming for immediate success! The 17-year-old Italian-Argentine racing driver is driving for MP Motorsport in 2026, and his highest-ever Championship finishes came when he won both the 2024 F4 Spanish and 2025 Eurocup-3 Championships! Colnaghi is also currently a member of the Red Bull Junior Team! Mattia Colnaghi looks like an exciting young talent; to come into Formula 3 with multiple Championship victories is a strong start, and I expect to see him adapt well this year! Also, Mattia could easily finish higher than this; that wouldn’t surprise me at all!
P5: Noah Stromsted
Noah Stromsted is hoping for more than just 1 win in his second season of F3! The 18-year-old Danish racing driver is driving for Trident in 2026, and his highest-ever Championship finish was second in the 2021 F4 Danish Championship! When it comes to Formula 3, Stromsted achieved 1 win in his maiden season, finishing 6th in the standings! Since the end of last season, Noah Stromsted has been dropped by Mercedes, but despite that, I still think it’s worth mentioning that he’s the top driver remaining from last year’s field! However, I can’t put Noah any higher than P5 as I feel like there are better drivers again this year!
P4: Tuukka Taponen
It feels like Tuukka Taponen has to win Formula 3 this year if he’s to keep his Formula 1 dreams alive! The 19-year-old Finnish racing driver is driving for MP Motorsport in 2026, and his highest-ever Championship finish came when he won the 2024 Formula Regional Middle East Championship! Taponen is also currently a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy! When it comes to Formula 3, Tuukka could only manage P9 in his Rookie Season, but he did come out on top in the ART head-to-head battle! I do feel like the move to MP Motorsport will help Tuukka Taponen rise up the grid; this guy has an awful lot of talent, but I’m still not sure that it’s going to be enough for him to win the Championship outright!
P3: Theophile Nael
After a brilliant 2025, Theophile Nael has fully earned a move to Campos! The 18-year-old French racing driver is driving for Campos Racing in 2026, and his highest-ever Championship finish came when he won the 2023 F4 Spanish Championship! Theophile also won last year’s Macau Grand Prix! When it comes to Formula 3, Nael had a record-breaking year with Van Amersfoort Racing, finishing all the way up in P8! It’s no surprise that Theophile Nael has moved to the reigning Teams’ Champions; he did incredibly well last year, and he is definitely a contender for this year’s Formula 3 Title! However, I’m also learning my lesson from when I went fully in with Noel Leon last year, so we’ll stick with P3 for now!
P2: Ugo Ugochukwu
Out of the top 2, I’m going to say that Ugo Ugochukwu will just miss out on this year’s Formula 3 Title! The 18-year-old American racing driver is driving for Campos Racing in 2026, and his highest-ever Championship finishes came when he won the 2023 Euro 4 Championship and this year’s Formula Regional Oceania Trophy! Ugo is also a former winner of the Macau Grand Prix! When it comes to Formula 3, Prema’s terrible performance meant Ugochukwu slumbered to just P16 in the standings, although he did beat both of his teammates! Ugo Ugochukwu has been backed by McLaren for his entire junior career, so to see him not with McLaren anymore feels a bit strange! However, it’s clearly not hurt Ugo, with the young American already winning 1 Title in 2026, and he could well add a second in the summer!
P1: Freddie Slater
Whilst I do think it’s going to be incredibly tight, I sort of had to go with Freddie Slater to end 2026 as the newest FIA Formula 3 Champion! The 17-year-old British racing driver is driving for Trident in 2026, and his highest-ever Championship finishes came when he won the 2022 Ginetta Junior Winter Series, the 2023 Ginetta Junior Championship, the 2024 UAE and Italian Formula 4 Championships, as well as last year’s Formula Regional European Championship! Slater is also currently a member of the Audi Driver Development Programme! Freddie Slater has been on the radar of a lot of people, me included, for years, meaning the expectations for this kid are sky high! It’s worth mentioning that Slater did miss out on the Formula Regional Oceania Trophy Title to Ugo Ugochukwu earlier this year, but still, Freddie and Trident feel like a pretty formidable combo!
Comments