The season starts at Albert Park
The countdown has come to an end: the new FIA Formula 3 Championship season kicks off next weekend. Just like last year, Australia will open the championship. The series will visit the Melbourne circuit for the fourth time. The semi-permanent Albert Park track will open the 2026 season, which will see the teams compete in ten rounds, culminating in the new Madrid street circuit. Trident Motorsport enters the championship aiming for a competitive season.
After winning the Teams' title in 2022, the Milan-based team, with headquarters in Ossona, won the Drivers' title the following year with Gabriel Bortoleto, a feat it repeated in 2024 with Leonardo Fornaroli and last season with Rafael Câmara. Ahead of the new championship, Trident Motorsport is starting with an almost completely new lineup.
Defending the colors of the Milanese team will be Matteo De Palo, Freddie Slater, and Noah Strømsted. This is the latter's second year in the category with Trident Motorsport. The 18-year-old from Copenhagen finished sixth in the Drivers' standings last year, winning the Sprint Race at Spa-Francorchamps as well as achieving three podiums and four fastest laps.
For De Palo, it will be his debut in the FIA Formula 3 Championship. The 18-year-old Roman, a McLaren Junior driver, finished runner-up in the Formula Regional European by Alpine championship last year, also racing for Trident Motorsport. Also making his debut in the series is 17-year-old Freddie Slater, the reigning Formula Regional Europe champion. The Brit set the benchmark in the three-day preseason test held in Barcelona.
Giacomo Ricci, Trident Motorsport Team Manager: “A challenging season awaits us, in which we will have to give our all with an almost completely new lineup. Confirming a strong performance is always very difficult in this category. We've done a thorough preparation during the pre-season tests in Barcelona, but only the Melbourne track will provide the first verdict. That said, we have what it takes to be competitive and we want to start off on the right foot right from the first race at Albert Park.”
The engines of the FIA Formula 3 Championship cars will start on Friday at 8:50 a.m., with the 45-minute free practice session. Qualifying is scheduled for the same day at 2:00 p.m. The Sprint Race will take place on Saturday at 11:15 a.m. The Feature Race, which will conclude the weekend, will start on Sunday at 8:50 a.m. All track activity will be broadcast in full on Sky F1. All times are in local time (GMT +10).