Trident secures a strong second-place finish with rookie Freddie Slater
The Feature Race, which closed out the first weekend of the 2026 FIA Formula 3 Championship, held at Melbourne's semi-permanent Albert Park circuit, saw Trident Motorsport secure its first podium of the season thanks to rookie Freddie Slater. Both Noah Strømsted, suffering a late penalty, and Matteo De Palo, forced to fight his way up the order, finished out of the points.
In the longer race of the Australian weekend, the Trident Motorsport drivers proved to be competitive. Starting from third on the grid, Slater immediately managed to pass an opponent and move up to second.
The close battle, however, saw the seventeen-year-old Englishman lose second place on the third lap. The Audi Junior driver did not lose heart and quickly closed the gap on the leaders. The safety car intervention, which occurred between laps 9 and 11, didn't help the Trident Motorsport driver, who had to protect his position at the restart. Having regained his pace and brought his tires up to temperature, Slater returned to competitive lap times. The Englishman from Stratford-upon-Avon then launched an attack, forcefully taking second place. Unfortunately, a second safety car intervention halted Slater's comeback, and he had to settle for second place.
Strømsted's Feature Race was more eventful. The 18-year-old from Copenhagen was snatched at the start, losing ninth place. The Trident Motorsport driver got back on track and began a vigorous recovery to sixth place. After the first safety car intervention, Strømsted attempted to climb further up the standings to the podium, but contact with an opponent cost him a ten-second penalty, dropping to twenty-fourth.
The Dane finished behind Matteo De Palo. Forced to start from the back of the grid, the eighteen-year-old Roman lived a recovery race. The McLaren Junior driver managed to work his way up to nineteenth place, but, unfortunately, contact with an opponent caused him to spin and finish the Feature Race in twenty-third place. The category will now take a five-week break.
Giacomo Ricci, Trident Motorsport Team Manager: “It was a very close and fragmented Feature Race due to the two safety cars. Freddie Slater demonstrated excellent race vision and a clear-headedness that allowed him to take second place on his debut day in the category. Noah Strømsted also had a good race, but unfortunately was penalized towards the end by a collision. Matteo De Palo's exit in qualifying forced him to start last, but the Roman rookie showed great determination in making up positions. The promise is good for the rest of the season.”
Freddie Slater, Trident Motorsport Driver: “It was a positive weekend. It was my first time racing on this circuit, and second place in the Feature Race is a truly special result. I thank the team for the great support they provided me, both on and off the car. Now we must focus on the next round.”