The 2026 Formula 3 season will begin at the beginning of March with the event in Australia, and one of the drivers in this year’s field will be Maciej Gładysz. The 2026 Formula 3 season preview includes lineups, the calendar, information about the main regulations and broadcasts.
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Formula 3 has existed in its current form since 2019, when the GP3 series and European Formula 3 merged. It is a junior series occupying the third step in the ladder established by the FIA; higher up are, as their names indicate: Formula 2 (2026 season preview) and Formula 1. The F3 series is organized by Liberty Media in cooperation with the FIA, which sets the regulations. F3 series events take place on the same weekends as F1; in 2026, this will be the case during ten Grands Prix.
As many as 30 drivers participate in F3 competitions; they are usually very young drivers, and there is no shortage of chaos and various surprises in the races. The drivers have the same cars, differences in pace are small (but not across the entire field, as certain drivers or teams always lag behind), so the competition is close with many overtaking maneuvers, crashes, mistakes, etc. Qualifying is definitely the most important in this series; to score well, you need to be at the front, as this gives a good position for both races. The barrier to entry into F3 is high, but not enough to prevent typical pay-drivers, who are never in short supply, from starting. It is said that a driver wanting to compete in the entire F3 season must provide their team with financial support at the level of 1 – 1.5 million euros.
Formula 3 cars in 2026
In 2026, the same cars will be used in F3 as in the previous season. This is the second generation of cars for this series; the previous one was used for six years, so changes in the coming seasons should not be expected. The car is powered by a 3.4-liter 6-cylinder Mecachrome engine with 380 HP. It is powered by 100% sustainable fuels developed by Aramco in cooperation with the FIA. The cars are designed by Dallara. The aerodynamic package was designed to facilitate overtaking. Pirelli tires with 16-inch rims are used. The cars have a DRS system. The maximum speed is 300 km/h. The cars have improved ergonomics, allowing drivers between 150 and 198 cm tall to drive. You can find a broader technical specification on the Formula 3 website here.
Formula 3 team lineups for the 2026 season
Ten teams fielding three cars each will again participate in Formula 3 in the 2026 season. The same teams as last year will compete. All teams competing in F3 in 2026 also have their teams in F2.
Campos Racing: Théophile Naël, Ugo Ugochukwu and Ernesto Rivera (Patrick Heuzenroeder)
Trident: Noah Strømsted, Freddie Slater and Matteo De Palo
MP Motorsport: Mattia Colnaghi, Tuukka Taponen and Alessandro Giusti
ART Grand Prix: Taito Kato, Maciej Gładysz and Kanato Le
Van Amersfoort Racing: Hiyu Yamakoshi, Enzo Deligny and Bruno del Pino
Rodin Motorsport: Pedro Clerot, Brando Badoer and Christian Ho
Prema Racing: Louis Sharp, James Wharton and José Garfias
Hitech: Michael Shin, Fionn McLaughlin and Jin Nakamura
AIX Racing: Brad Benavides, Yevan David and Fernando Barrichello
DAMS Lucal Oil: Nicola Lacorte, Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi and Gerrard Xie
Expect some changes in the lineups in the second half of the season. This is usually the case in junior series: someone will be a major disappointment, someone will run out of money, but a new interesting driver with significant sponsorship will appear. Ernesto Rivera from the Campos Racing team suffered an injury during the winter series and may be replaced by Patrick Heuzenroeder at the start of the season. According to the graphic presented by the series, 16/30 drivers in this year’s field are rookies.
Maciej Gładysz in Formula 3 in 2026
The 2026 season will be the fourth consecutive one where we will have a representative from Poland in Formula 3. In previous seasons, these were Piotr Wiśnicki, Kacper Sztuka, and Roman Biliński. In 2026, Maciej Gładysz will join this group, and we can have high expectations for him. The Pole signed a contract with a good team early; he should be the leader of the ART Grand Prix stable. He has completed a full cycle of tests, where he recorded good pace. As I have been repeating on the blog for a long time, Maciek’s career is very well managed; he has many sponsors, so he starts regularly, also in winter series, and often tests privately. I hope that in 2026 he will regularly score points in Formula 3 and also manage to stand on the podium. Given his young age, he does not have to focus on a single season in which he must show great results. He can afford to spend two seasons in Formula 3.
Several very interesting drivers will compete in Formula 3 in 2026, including drivers associated with the junior programs of F1 teams. The list of drivers with potential for a major career in motorsport is extensive. It seems to me that Freddie Slater, who already has many successes to his credit and recently joined the Audi junior program, could have the biggest career. Slater aims for an F1 debut in 2028 in the colors of the German team. Overall, I advise paying attention to the drivers of the Campos, Trident, and MP Motorsport teams, as that is where the most interesting names are, also linked to F1 teams.
2026 Formula 3 season calendar
In 2026, the Formula 3 calendar will again consist of ten racing weekends. The only change is the debut of the new Madring track in Spain, which will take the place of the event at the Imola circuit in Italy. During each F3 weekend, two races will take place, so the calendar counts a total of 20 events. Drivers will compete on three continents; the vast majority of races will take place in Europe. The Monaco weekend begins on Thursday.
By clicking on the name of the track in the table, you can learn about its characteristics.
| Date | Track | Country / City |
|---|---|---|
| 06.03-08.03 | Albert Park Circuit | Australia |
| 10.04-12.04 | Bahrain International Circuit | Bahrain |
| 04.06-07.06 | Circuit de Monaco | Monaco |
| 12.06-14.06 | Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya | Barcelona |
| 26.06-28.06 | Red Bull Ring | Austria |
| 03.07-05.07 | Silverstone Circuit | Great Britain |
| 17.07-19.07 | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps | Belgium |
| 24.07-26.07 | Hungaroring | Hungary |
| 04.09-06.09 | Autodromo Nazionale Monza | Italy |
| 11.09-13.09 | Madring | Madrid |
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F3 race weekend format in 2026
In 2026, Formula 3 will use the well-known and proven weekend format during which two races take place. It is a format very similar to Formula 2, but Formula 3 races are shorter, and there is also no obligation to perform a tire change in the main race. In Formula 3 in 2026, every Friday will feature a 45-minute practice session and a 30-minute qualifying session. On Saturday, a sprint race lasting 40 minutes + one lap will take place. On Sunday morning, the main race lasting 45 minutes + one lap will take place.
The results of Friday’s qualifying directly determine the order on the starting grid for the main Sunday race. The starting order for Saturday’s sprint race is also determined based on the results of Friday’s qualifying, but with the positions of the top twelve drivers reversed. The remaining starting positions are according to the qualifying results. Each driver has four sets of Pirelli slick tires at their disposal for the entire race weekend.
Scoring in Formula 3 in 2026
The scoring rules in Formula 3 have not been modified before the 2026 season and are as follows:
Two points are awarded to the driver who starts the main race from Pole Position.
In the sprint race, drivers from the top ten positions earn points according to the key: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1.
In the main Sunday race, more points are up for grabs, also for the top ten drivers: 25, 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, and 1.
During each race, one point is awarded to the driver who sets the fastest lap, and such a driver must finish the race in the top ten.
A driver can score a maximum of 39 points during one race weekend.
Formula 3 broadcasts in 2026
Formula 3 broadcasts in 2026 will be available in Polish on Eleven Sports or on the F1 TV streaming service in English. All sessions will be broadcast live in both places. I will soon update the commentary lineup for Eleven Sports. In F1 TV, the main commentators will be Chris McCarthy and Alex Brundle. In F1 TV, recordings of press conferences are an addition.
F1 team junior programs in 2026
Junior (development) programs are run by most Formula 1 teams; I will systematically discuss their lineups for the 2026 season. On the blog, you will find a detailed discussion of the McLaren program (details), Mercedes (details), and Williams (details). Currently, 11 teams compete in F1, which have nine junior programs. Red Bull has a joint program for two teams. In recent weeks, Haas launched its program in cooperation with Toyota, and Audi also launched a new program. The only team without a classic development program is Cadillac, but this team does not currently need one. However, they support Colton Herta, who is preparing for his F1 debut.
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