Another Formula 3 silly season has passed us by again, and we are now only one month away from the season opener in Melbourne.
This silly season has completely shaken up the F3 grid, with rookies taking up over half the field. Some may not be fresh-off-the-block rookies, like Michael Shin and Freddie Slater, who have both driven in Formula 3 on at least one outing. But all of these drivers will be hoping to make their mark in 2026. So let us introduce you to those making the leap to Formula 3 for the first time.
Campos Racing
Ernesto Rivera: The young Mexican driver is coming into his rookie season off the back of a very successful two years of single-seater racing. His most successful competitions were in the 2024 Spanish F4 (5th) and 2025 Eurocup 3 (4th). His rapid progress in his early karting days and in single-seaters has earned him a spot in the Red Bull Junior Team.
Trident
Freddie Slater: Over the last four years, the young British driver has seen the top step of various single-seater championships, including in FREC, Italian F4 and more. Slater will definitely be hoping to get to grips with the car as soon as possible. Slater has competed in two rounds of the 2025 F3 season, achieving a podium on his debut in the Sakhir Sprint. He has also recently been announced as an Audi Development driver as the Audi F1 team prepares to enter F1 in 2026.
Matteo De Palo: This young Italian may have lost out on the FREC title in 2025 to his new teammate Slater, but that should not diminish his incredible run of form over the last few years in single-seater racing. His 2025 run in FREC, Formula Regional Middle East Championship and the Macau Grand Prix earned him a coveted spot in the McLaren Driver Development Programme. Hopefully, having Slater as his teammate will push the two of them and Trident to the top of the 2026 F3 standings.
MP Motorsport
Mattia Colnaghi: Argentinian support will be coming out in full force once again for MP Motorsport as Colnaghi follows in Franco Colapinto’s footsteps at the Dutch team. The young driver has had incredible success over the last few years. Most recently, he has claimed the championship in the 2025 Eurocup-3 season and the 2024 F4 Spanish Championship. He joins many other successful feeder series drivers as a member of the Red Bull Junior Team for the 2026 season.
ART Grand Prix
Taito Kato: After a successful 2025 FRECA season (7th) with the French team, the Japanese driver will be continuing with the team for his rookie F3 season. Before 2025, Kato won the 2024 French F4 Championship title with an impressive five victories and six further podiums.
Maciej Gladysz: It has been a relatively short single-seater career for the young Polish driver, having only transitioned from karting in 2024. He made a strong start after finishing third in the 2024 Formula Winter Series and Spanish F4 Championship. In 2025, he won the Eurocup-3 Spanish Winter Championship and finished 10th in Eurocup-3.
Kanato Le: Much like his teammate Kato, Le is continuing his single-seater journey with ART in his rookie F3 season. He has had success in various categories over the last few years. In 2024, he competed in the Formula Regional Middle East and European Championship. He then returned for second campaigns in 2025 with ART Grand Prix, finishing eighth and 14th respectively.
Van Amersfoort Racing
Hiyu Yamakoshi: Yamakoshi made the step up to single-seater racing in 2023 off the back of a successful run of form in karting. He finished third in the 2024 Italian F4 Championship with VAR. The Japanese driver then stayed with the team for the 2025 FREC season, finishing ninth. He has clearly found a home with VAR, and there is no question why he has chosen to stick with the team for his rookie F3 season.
Enzo Deligny: The young Frenchman has had a successful junior career, winning multiple times in various F4 championships. In 2025, he finished third in FREC and the Macau Grand Prix. And in an unexpected turn of events, Deligny made the switch from Prema to VAR for his rookie F3 season after Jesse Carrasquedo Jr had to withdraw from the team for 2026.
Rodin Motorsport
Pedro Clerot: The young Brazilian has had a successful start to his single-seater racing career, finishing second in the Brazilian F4 championship in 2022. He has continued with his successful run of form, finishing sixth inthe 2023 Spanish F4 and fourth in his second FREC campaign in 2025.
Hitech TGR
Jin Nakamura: This young Japanese driver has been building his experience across various avenues in motorsport of the last few years. He finished second in the 2023 Japanese F4 Championship and was part of a team that won the 2024 Super Taikyu Series in Endurance Racing. Last year, he competed in FREC, finishing 10th, whilst also competing in the LMP3 division in the Le Mans Cup.
Fionn McLaughlin: In only his second year of single-seater racing, McLaughlin will be making his debut in Formula 3 with Hitech. He is continuing with the team that helped him reach the British F4 title and third in the Formula Winter Series in 2025. His rapid upward trajectory in single-seater racing has also earned him a spot in the Red Bull Junior Team for 2026.
Michael Shin: Whilst Shin might not be a newcomer to the world of Formula 3, it has been a few years since his last endeavour in the series. His last venture in the series was with PHM Racing in 2023, where he participated in 6 sixes for the team. Over the last few years, Shin has built up his experience in various categories and will be looking to use his experience to make a strong impression in his first full season in F3.
AIX Racing
Yevan David: By making the leap to Formula 3 in 2026, David becomes the first Sri-Lankan driver to rise the ranks of motorsport. He made the step up to single-seater racing in 2024, competing in various categories. His 2025 season proved to be strong after achieving six victories and 14 podiums on his way to finishing as the runner-up in the Euroformula Open Championship.
Fernando Barrichello: After competing in the final round of Formula 3 in 2025 with AIX, Barrichello will be making his full-season debut with the team. His single-seater career started in 2022 at the Brazilian F4 Championship, where he finished seventh. He returned in 2023 and finished fifth. In 2024, he finished third in the Euroformula Open Championship, returning in 2025 and finishing seventh.
DAMS Lucas Oil
Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi: The young Thai driver made his single-seater debut in 2022, racing in various categories to build up experience. He participated in various championships in 2022 before moving up to Euro 4 in 2023. He then made the step up to FREC in 2024 and returned for a second season in 2025.
Before the F3 season starts, get to know more about the drivers when they head to Barcelona for Pre-season Testing in February.
Cover Image Credit: Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited