Feeder Series Preview: Austria

Credit: Formula 3 via X 

Written by Trisha Lynnette Nathan and Morgan Holiday

Formula 2 and Formula 3 are back in action this weekend at the Red Bull Ring in Austria. DIVEBOMB previews both series and shares all the information you’ll need to know!

Formula 3

Formula 3 heads to the Red Bull Ring this weekend after a significant shake-up in the championship standings at the series’ regular race in Barcelona.

Campos Racing’s Théophile Naël secured his first Formula 3 victory in the Feature Race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. After starting from pole position in both Melbourne and Monaco without converting it into a win, the French driver finally took victory by leading the race from start to finish in Spain.

AIX Racing will welcome Salim Hanna to its line-up for Round 4 of the 2026 season at the Red Bull Ring. Hanna will be looking to gain valuable experience and adapt quickly to the demands of Formula 3 as he takes on one of the most competitive grids in junior single-seater racing.

Van Amersfoort Racing’s Hiyu Yamakoshi finished second to claim his first Formula 3 podium, while Campos driver Ugo Ugochukwu completed the podium in third. The American remains at the top of the championship standings with 58 points.

Ugochukwu’s weekend did not begin smoothly. During the Sprint Race, he spun into the gravel at Turn 3 while battling with Enzo Deligny and failed to score points for the first time this season. However, his third-place finish in the Feature Race helped him maintain his championship lead.

The Sprint Race was won by PREMA’s James Wharton. The Australian secured an important result for the team after a difficult start to the season and will head to Austria looking to continue that momentum.

Credit: Formula 3 via X

Naël’s victory moved him up to second in the championship on 52 points, six behind Ugochukwu. Bruno Del Pino sits third on 48 points for Van Amersfoort Racing, while Freddie Slater is fourth on 47 points. The Briton received a five-second penalty in the Feature Race for leaving the track on the opening lap, dropping him to eighth in the final classification.

In the Teams’ Championship, Campos Racing lead Van Amersfoort Racing by 27 points, with 126 points to their name. PREMA remain further behind after failing to score in the Feature Race.

As the championship enters the second half of the season, several drivers will be aiming to strengthen their position in the standings. With opportunities to progress to Formula 2 becoming increasingly important, strong results at the Red Bull Ring could prove valuable for drivers hoping to impress teams and decision-makers across the paddock.

Formula 2

Credit: Formula 2

F2 comes to Austria for the sixth round of the 2026 championship after a week off following the round in Barcelona. 

Last time out, ART Grand Prix’s Kush Maini took his first win of the season in the Sprint Race, while polesitter Rafael Câmara won in Sunday’s Feature Race. The championship leader, Gabriele Minì, finished both races on the podium but still only leads Nikola Tsolov by just six points. Tsolov had originally finished second in the Feature Race but was penalised after the fact for overtaking Minì off the track and dropped down to fourth as a result.

After his Feature Race win, Câmara is now up to third place in the standings, while Alex Dunne and Noel León complete the top five, the group all within 32 points of each other. Campos Racing leads the Teams’ Championship as the only team who has scored points in every single race of the year so far.

Minì will be hoping for a strong weekend to regain some ground in the standings, while Tsolov and Câmara will be chasing a good result to propel themselves to the lead. The fight for a spot in the top 10 will also be one to watch, as just 30 points separate the drivers at the bottom of the standings from Ritomo Miyata, who currently sits 10th. All it takes is one good weekend to propel a driver up the order.

Off the back of Barcelona, the F2 grid heads to Austria, where the iconic Red Bull Ring circuit resides. This 4.326 km (2.688 mi) circuit has only 10 corners and is known for its beautiful scenery as well as the 65 metres of elevation change, one of the more dramatic circuits on the calendar.

Neither of last year’s F2 winners at Spielberg are currently on the grid, Pepe Martí the winner in the Sprint and Richard Verschoor who took the win in the Feature. But one of last year’s winners in F3 is now on the F2 grid, and Martinius Stenshorne, who won the Feature Race last year, will be looking to follow that up with a good visit to the track this year with F2.

F2 will start off with Free Practice on Friday at 11:05 local time in Austria, followed by Qualifying at 15:55. The top 10 in Qualifying will reverse their starting spots for Saturday’s Sprint Race, which will take place at 14:15 local time. Sunday’s Feature Race, with everyone starting in the order they qualified in, will begin at 10:10 local time.