The 2026 Formula 3 World Championship has already experienced an extensive grid reshuffle. Established drivers have been replaced by upcoming talent, while others will be given opportunities with championship-contending machinery. Let’s take a look at what’s changed.
The 2025 Formula 3 World Championship has concluded. All eyes are now fixed on the grid for the 2026 season, with over half of the drivers who competed in Monza for the season finale excluded from the Barcelona post-season test.
Meanwhile, only three drivers from last season have been promoted into Formula 2. Nikola Tsolov, Martinius Stenshorne and Noel León signed contracts with their respective teams for next year, Campos Racing for Tsolov and León and Rodin Motorsport for Stenshorne.
However, fresh faces govern next year’s grid with, amongst others, Freddie Slater returning full-time, Red Bull’s Fionn McLaughlin promoted from British Formula 4 and ART’s complete rookie line-up.
Key Driver Movements
- Ugo Ugochukwu moves from Prema Racing to Campos Racing.
- Louis Sharp moves from Rodin Motorsport to Prema Racing.
- James Wharton moves from ART Grand Prix to Prema Racing.
- Theophile Nael moves from Van Amersfoort Racing to Campos Racing.
- Brando Badoer moves from Prema Racing to Rodin Motorsport.
- Tuukka Taponen moves from ART Grand Prix to MP Motorsport.
- Bruno Del Pino moves from MP Motorsport to Van Amersfoort Racing.
- Christian Ho moves from DAMS Lucas Oil to Rodin Motorsport.
Campos Racing
Ugo Ugochukwu has made an ambitious move to Campos, following the departure of Mari Boya, Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak and Nikola Tsolov. The 18-year-old American will be joined by Theophile Nael and Ernesto Rivera at the Spanish team.
The McLaren Development driver will enter his second season in Formula 3, after a promising season in 2025. He accomplished two back-to-back sprint podiums in Spa and Budapest, finishing 16th overall in the championship.
“The team comes from winning the Teams’ title last season, so I know I’ll be in a very strong environment. I’m confident that together we can achieve great results in the upcoming season.” – Ugo Ugochukwu, Campos Racing
Rodin Motorsport and PREMA Racing
Louis Sharp is the only Rodin Motorsport driver to retain a place in F3, with Callum Voisin and Roman Bilinski currently without a seat next season. The 18-year-old New Zealander will replace Ugochukwu at Prema for the 2026 season, alongside James Wharton and rookie Enzo Deligny.
Wharton moved away from a restructured ART to Prema Racing, with the 19-year-old Australian making his second full-season appearance in F3 after a sprint race win in Spielberg in 2025.
He previously joined the team in 2022 when he competed in the UAE and Italian Formula 4. In 2023, he finished second for Prema in the Euro 4 Championship. He also produced the same outcome for the Italians a year later in Formula Regional Europe.
“We are extremely happy to welcome James back to PREMA. We really enjoyed working with him since his very first steps in motorsport. We are proud of his journey, and we truly believe in his potential.” – Rene Rosin, Prema Racing Team Principal
ART and MP Motorsport
Brando Badoer replicates Ugochukwu’s move away from Prema, while Tuukka Taponen does the same with ART. The latter has signed with MP Motorsport for next year, accompanied by rookie Mattia Colnaghi and a static Alessandro Giusti.
Bruno Del Pino went the other way, joining Van Amersfoort Racing from MP Motorsport. Elsewhere, Christian Ho joins Badoer at Rodin alongside Brazilian rookie Pedro Clerot.
Overhaul of Fresh Talent
The 2026 Formula 3 World Championship will host a plethora of young, upcoming talent, as experience has been replaced by prodigy.
Just under half the field will race in Formula 3 for the first time, alongside Freddie Slater, Jesse Carrasquedo and Michael Shin, who return after limited experience in the championship.
Formula 3 rookies for the 2026 season:
- Enzo Deligny – Prema Racing
- Matteo De Palo – Trident Motorsport
- Maciej Gladysz – ART Grand Prix
- Kanato Le – ART Grand Prix
- Ernesto Rivera – Campos Racing
- Fionn McLaughlin – Hitech TGR
- Jin Nakamura – Hitech TGR
- Mattia Colnaghi – MP Motorsport
- Hiyu Yamakoshi – Van Amersfoort Racing
- Pedro Clerot – Rodin Motorsport
- Yevan David – AIX Racing
- Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi – DAMS Lucas Oil Racinh
Freddie Slater – Câmara’s successor?
Freddie Slater stood on the podium on his F3 debut for AIX Racing, finishing second in the sprint in Sakhir. He later competed with Hitech in Spa, but he couldn’t replicate his previous result.
The 17-year-old British driver only finished one point behind Louis Sharp in the championship, with the New Zealander holding a full-time contract with Rodin. Slater was subsequently acquired by Trident for 2026.
Slater’s portfolio justifies Giacomo Ricci’s decision to bring the young Brit to Formula 3.
“Freddie is an exceptionally talented driver who has consistently shown himself to be among the very best, in every category he has raced, from karting to single-seaters. It is a source of great pride for us to welcome him into the team, and we are convinced that a driver of his calibre will bring significant value to the entire organisation.” – Giacomo Ricci, Trident Team Manager
He won the Italian and UAE Formula 4 Championships in 2024 and finished second in the 2025 Formula Regional Middle East. He was also recently crowned champion of the 2025 Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine, beating his Formula 3 Trident teammate Matteo De Palo.
Embed from Getty ImagesMoreover, despite the young Brit competing in nine out of the 24 races on the 2025 GB3 calendar, he won three and finished 12th in the standings with 203 points. He won the opening two races in Silverstone but ultimately trailed 2024 F1 Academy champion Abbi Pulling by 28 points, who participated in over twice as many races.
Slater is the one to watch next year, especially after inheriting Rafael Câmara’s no.5 car. Trident are eyeing up their four consecutive drivers’ titles after Gabriel Bortoleto, Leonardo Fornaroli and Câmara previously won their respective championships.
“Trident has had a lot of success in recent years, so to be jumping into a team like this, I’m really grateful for the opportunity. Hopefully we’ll have a good season together.” – Freddie Slater, Trident
Red Bull Junior One to Watch
Hitech confirmed Red Bull Junior Fionn McLaughlin to compete alongside Michael Shin and Jin Nakamura for 2026.
They will replace Nikita Johnson, Gerrard Xie and the promoted Stenshorne. Johnson will return to the United States to compete with Cape Motorsports in the 2026 Indy NXT Championship.
The combination of a Red Bull Junior, upcoming Japanese talent, and a returning F3 driver boasts an exciting lineup for the team.
17-year-old McLaughlin joined the Red Bull Academy in 2024 after a successful career in karting. He finished 6th in the FIA Karting World Championship and won the 2025 British Formula 4 Championship. He was later acquired by Hitech in an extremely quick switch to single-seater racing.
FIONN MCLAUGHLIN IS THE 2025 WERA TOOLS BRITISH F4 CHAMPIOOOOOONNNNNNNN!!!!
— Wera Tools British F4 (@BritishF4) October 4, 2025
In his rookie season, the Red Bull Junior wraps up the #BritishF4 title with two races to spare. An incredible season – huge congratulations to him 👏 pic.twitter.com/uYeSfFieqt
“I’m incredibly proud of everything I’ve achieved this year – it’s already been a whirlwind journey from karting to single-seaters, and now stepping up to FIA Formula 3 with Hitech is a dream come true.” – Fionn McLaughlin, Hitech TGR and Red Bull Junior
The Irishman will be joined by Shin, who competed for PHM Racing by Charouz in 2023 – PHM was rebranded as AIX Racing in May 2024.
Nakamura will race alongside them, with the Japanese driver exhibiting strong results in the 2022 and 2023 Japanese F4, finishing fourth and second, respectively. He also finished fourth in the 2024 Super Formula Lights.
ART Opt for Rookie Lineup
Laurens Van Hoepen has been excluded from ART Grand Prix’s rookie lineup for next season, as he eyes a drive in Formula 2 following his audition in Baku.
Maciej Gladysz and Kanato Le will step up to replace Van Hoepen and James Wharton at ART.
Taito Kato could join the 2026 lineup after competing for the team in this year’s Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine and Formula Regional Middle East Championship. He subsequently stepped up with the team for the F3 post-season test. However, Kato has not yet been given a contract for the 2026 season.
The Japanese driver, who competes under the French flag, finished 12th in FRMEC and sits 9th in FRECA. He has over a 50-point advantage over ART compatriot Le ahead of the concluding race in Monza.
Furthermore, Kato led Gladysz in both sessions on the first day of the post-season test in Imola, as he established himself in the team.
Formula 2 Graduates
Nikola Tsolov, Noel León and Martinius Stenshorne signed contracts for their respective teams in Formula 2 for the 2026 season. The former pair will replace Josep Maria Martí and Arvid Lindblad at Campos Racing, while Stenshorne will compete with Rodin Motorsport.
Tsolov was the first of the trio to be announced, after an impressive season in Formula 3. The 18-year-old Red Bull Junior was second best to the champion Rafael Câmara, managing two wins throughout the season. He won the Sakhir Sprint Race and the Monaco Feature Race.
Adrián Campos Jr, Campos Racing Team Principal, spoke highly of the Bulgarian, as he emphasised how proud he was to continue with Tsolov. He won the Spanish Formula 4 title for Campos in 2022, before joining ART Grand Prix in Formula 3 the following year. He ultimately returned to the Spanish team in 2025.
“In the two seasons he has raced with us, he has been a champion and a runner-up, which are clear credentials of his outstanding talent. A Formula 2 car is, of course, another level, but despite his youth he already has a wealth of single-seater experience, displays great maturity, and we are confident he will also make his mark in FIA Formula 2.” – Adrián Campos Jr, Campos Racing Team Principal
Stenshorne’s confirmation with Rodin Motorsport followed, with the McLaren Development driver stepping up to F2 for 2026. The 19-year-old Norwegian won twice in 2025, winning the Monaco Sprint Race and the Austrian Feature Race.
BREAKING: Martinius Stenshorne steps up to #F2 full-time for 2026!
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) October 1, 2025
The Norwegian driver joins @RodinMotorsport for his rookie season 👊#RoadToF1 pic.twitter.com/cROgDa8vDp
After competing alongside fellow F3 prospect Laurens Van Hoepen in Baku, Stenshorne was unable to exhibit his full potential. Despite a double DNF, his performance was enough to earn himself a promotion to F2.
“Confirming Martinius as our first FIA Formula 2 driver for 2026 is an exciting step for the team. He’s shown speed and maturity throughout his junior career and his debut in Baku gave a clear indication of the potential he brings.” – Benn Huntingford, Rodin Motorsport Sporting Director
León is the most recent graduate to be announced. The 20-year-old accompanies Tsolov at Campos, despite finishing 17th in the standings. This was lower than what he achieved at the end of the 2024 F3 season, with the Mexican finishing 10th.
However, Adrián Campos Jr. credits León’s junior single-seater titles, including the 2023 Euroformula Open and 2021 United States Formula 4 championships, as justification for his promotion.
Who will join Tsolov and Stenshorne in F2?
Drivers are gradually being announced for next year’s Formula 2 World Championship. This could leave some of those excluded from the 2026 Formula 3 picture without a seat.
Potential Contenders
Rafael Câmara is expected to be announced, with every F3 champion featuring in the competition the following year.
Laurens Van Hoepen competed alongside Martinius Stenshorne for Trident Motorsport in Baku, in place of the departed Max Esterson and Sami Meguetounif.
The 20-year-old Dutchman had an underwhelming weekend, finishing 17th in both the sprint and the feature races. Whether the team will retain the Dutch driver for the rest of the season and beyond is unconfirmed.
Charlie Wurz, Tim Tramnitz, Callum Voisin and Roman Bilinski are the other big names without a seat for next season.
With driver announcements gradually coming to light towards the latter stages of the Formula 2 season, their fate for the 2026 Formula 3 World Championship will ultimately be decided in the coming weeks.
Campos Graduates?
Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak and his ex-Campos teammate Mari Boya have both been excluded from the Formula 3 grid, but could both make the step up to Formula 2 for 2026.
However, both Campos seats are currently occupied for next year, consisting of Noel León and their former teammate Nikola Tsolov. The pair will ultimately have to look elsewhere for a seat if they want any chance of promotion.
19-year-old Inthraphuvasak became the first Thai driver to win a Formula 3 race, taking the top step three times in 2025. He won two sprint races, in Silverstone and Budapest, and won the final feature race of the season in Monza.
Boya, on the other hand, only won one race in 2025, with the 21-year-old winning the Silverstone feature race.
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The grid for the 2026 Formula 3 World Championship has been completely reshuffled with an overhaul of emerging talent, accompanied by the exclusion and transfer of experienced drivers. Next year will be a very exciting year in F3.
Formula 3 returns in Melbourne, Australia on March 6th 2026.
Feature Image: Formula Motorsport Limited