Del Pino secures Sprint Race victory in Melbourne in chaotic opener for Formula 3 season

Written by Teagan Strachan

Credit: Formula 3 via Instagram

Formula 3 is back in Melbourne kicking off the season at the Australian Grand Prix. The lights went out at Albert Park for the first time since Monza last year following a six-month break for the series. For the opening Sprint Race of 2026, the reversed grid saw Bruno Del Pino and Enzo Deligny of Van Amersfoort Racing lock out the front row, with Del Pino securing the top step after an uncanny end to the race.

How it happened

With the sun shining on Albert Park it was all to race for for the 30-car grid. With the top 12 reversed, it was a fierce race off the start.

Straight into Turn 1 there was chaos, with the midfield seeing significant movement from initial starting positions. However, leading the field, Del Pino charged to take the lead, breaking away from the pack.

James Wharton went wide in an unfortunate start to his home race dropping him two places from 5th. Simultaneously, the midfield saw a contest four wide into Turn 3, kickstarting an exciting battle.

Come Lap 3, Mattia Colnaghi went wide, spinning off into the gravel. Whilst he was able to rejoin the track, he had dropped significantly to the back of the pack, out of points contention.

Lap 5 saw Ugo Ugochukwu make strong progress up the field, moving his way into the top 10 gaining DRS on Nicola Lacorte.

In Lap 6, Brando Badoer was noted by stewards for a possible penalty for moving before the DRS signal, shortly after being chased by Noah Strømsted in the fight for the final spot on the podium. However, Badoer maintained his position and was later voided of a penalty.

Into lap 7, with Lacorte losing pace Slater quickly found himself within the DRS zone, making the move on Lacorte, progressing up the grid. Not long after, Sunday's polesitter Théophile Naël replicated the move into Turn 11 finding himself a possible points scorer.

In Lap 8, Wharton and Sharp went wheel-to-wheel in an intense battle for 7th that ended in havoc. A rocky start into Turn 4 saw Sharp go wide, but he was able to regain his position before both PREMA drivers made contact through Turn 5 finding the wall. The incident resulted in a red flag, with both drivers unharmed.

All drivers were brought back to the pits so the track could be prepared to go racing once again, however it was not long before the stewards had declared that the race would not be resumed, ending in a premature finale for the first Sprint Race of 2026.

With only the top five earning points, Del Pino, Deligny and Badoer rounded off the podium, with Strømsted and Taito Kato taking the final points respectively.