PlanetF1.com 2026 PF1 Podium – Formula 2 & Formula 3
The 2026 Formula 2 and Formula 3 championships are underway, and this year, PlanetF1.com is introducing a PF1 podium to celebrate standout performances.
How It Works
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3 points: Driver who impresses us the most over a weekend
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2 points: Runner-up
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1 point: Third place
At the end of the year, the driver with the most points wins our Best and Fairest Award. In case of a tie, the on-track points will decide the victor.
Formula 2: Melbourne Highlights
3 Points – Nikola Tsolov
Red Bull-backed Nikola Tsolov earns the first three-point haul of F2 2026.
After a tough Sprint Race and qualifying – including collisions and bad luck – Tsolov bounced back in the Feature Race to take a confident win in the Campos car.
“I’m feeling super happy, very satisfied… To come away from a bad day into a really good day is what I was aiming for. I stayed resilient and this is the biggest win for me, more than just the result.”
This victory shows Tsolov’s resilience and promise in his full-time F2 campaign.
2 Points – Ritomo Miyata
Hitech’s Ritomo Miyata claims two points for an outstanding weekend.
Despite his teammate Colton Herta getting most of the attention, Miyata rose from 13th to 5th, twice, demonstrating remarkable consistency and overtaking skill.
1 Point – Laurens van Hoepen
Trident’s Laurens van Hoepen completes the podium, taking his maiden F2 podium in what is his first full-time season.
This also marks Trident’s first podium since 2024, a momentous weekend for the team.
Stay tuned as the PF1 podium series continues throughout 2026 to see who will emerge as our Best and Fairest in F2 and F3.
Van Hoepen shines in Melbourne F2
After claiming two points for seventh in the Sprint Race, Laurens van Hoepen then stormed from 11th to finish P3 in the Feature Race, taking the final point on offer in Melbourne.
Melbourne F2 points
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Nikola Tsolov, Campos – 3
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Ritomo Miyata, Hitech – 2
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Laurens van Hoepen, Trident – 1
On the Road to Formula 1
Freddie Slater: Joining Audi F1 academy was the ‘right choice’
Bondarev makes history
The Williams-backed driver secured the UAE4 title, a reward for the team’s faith in him.
Formula 3: Ugo Ugochukwu claims first F3 victory
2025 wasn’t the season Ugo Ugochukwu, formerly a McLaren junior, had hoped for, but the American showed signs of growth late in the year. Now without F1 backing, he wasted no time opening his F3 victory account.
F3 can be unforgiving: one lost position can quickly become two or three. After dropping a spot to Freddie Slater at the Feature Race start, Ugochukwu regained P2 on the second lap, overtook Théophile Naël, and surged on to claim the win.
Reflecting on the race, he said:
“It was a good race overall. I lost out at Turn 1 and fell to P3, but I felt strong early on. I went for the moves, took the lead, and managed my race from there in clean air. Tyre management was crucial—graining can cost a lot of lap time, so I stayed on top of everything. Towards the end, my engineer kept me updated on the times. Fred was getting faster, so I had to maintain pace while looking after the tyres. Overall, it’s been a perfect start to the season. From Friday, I felt good on this track and we executed everything really well.”
Ugochukwu takes all three points in Melbourne.
Bruno del Pino turns heads
The F3 Sprint Race ended prematurely after Prema teammates James Wharton and Louis Sharp collided. Thankfully, both walked away unhurt. With the race not restarted, Bruno del Pino took the win ahead of Van Amersfoort teammate Enzo Delingy.
That was del Pino’s maiden F3 victory, and he impressed again in the Feature Race, climbing from 11th on the grid to finish fourth.
Two points go to del Pino.
Freddie Slater signals intent
Audi-backed Freddie Slater, an early title favourite, made Ugochukwu fight for victory. He briefly took the lead at the start, challenged Naël, responded to Ugochukwu’s re-pass, and later handled pressure from Trident teammate Noah Strømsted. Passing Naël again, he secured P2.
Slater takes the final Melbourne F3 point.
Melbourne F3 points
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Ugo Ugochukwu, Campos – 3
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Bruno del Pino, Van Amersfoort – 2
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Freddie Slater, Trident – 1
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