Feeder Series Weekly Recap: Champions’ day out, and surprise signings
- DIVEBOMB Motorsport
- Oct 29
- 11 min read
Written by Liam Ploetner and Vyas Ponnuri
Welcome to Feeder Series Weekly Recap, a series bringing you all the news from the world of junior racing series. With more driver announcements this week, DIVEBOMB recaps the news from the world of Feeder Series in the last week.
Nicolás Varrone to race for Van Amersfoort Racing in F2
The F2 paddock witnessed a seismic surprise with Andretti’s IndyCar star Colton Herta linking up with Hitech TGR for his F2 debut in 2026. Only a week after that, another major name comes into the series, in the form of Argentine sports car racer Nicolas Varrone.
Varrone, who currently drives for the Proton Porsche hypercar squad in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), will move into open-wheel cars, switching to the Van Amersfoort Racing team for 2026, as he attempts to fulfil his dream of getting into F1.
The 24-year-old has been in talks for an F2 seat even before, having tested for AIX Racing back in 2024, a move famously motivated by a social media campaign from his home country.
Having taken part in the British Formula Three championship in 2019 and 2020, Varrone moved to sportscar racing, taking part in the IMSA Championship, before signing a deal to race for Corvette Racing in 2023, alongside Ben Keating and Nicky Catsburg in the World Endurance Championship.
The trio would go on to win the LMGTE Am class at Le Mans that year, and even win the overall honours that year. Varrone then received a bump up to gold ranking by the FIA, making him eligible to race the hypercars.
After moving into IMSA and the European Le Mans Series in 2024, Varrone would drive for the Proton Competition hypercar in 2025, the satellite hypercar run by Porsche.
Varrone’s ties to General Motors have been a major factor in securing this deal, with the Argentine driver looking towards the Cadillac F1 team’s entry in 2026 as a potential opportunity to put himself among the best drivers in the world.
“I’m super excited to be joining Van Amersfoort Racing for the 2026 F2 season. A very professional team with a lot of history and success. Can’t wait to get behind the wheel and start working with them. Thankful to everyone who believed in me all these years,” Varrone said, delighted to join VAR in F2 for 2026.
VAR team principal Brad Joyce too expressed his pleasure, welcoming Varrone to the Dutch squad, and looking forward to working with him in the upcoming campaign.
“We’re very pleased to welcome Nico to Van Amersfoort Racing for our 2026 FIA Formula 2 campaign. His experience and achievements in endurance racing, including his success at Le Mans, speak for themselves.
“Stepping into Formula 2 will be a new challenge, but with his talent and technical understanding, we’re confident he will adapt quickly to the environment. We’re looking forward to working with him and believe his arrival will bring great value to the team as we take on the season together.”
Rafael Câmara confirmed at Invicta in F2
For the third year in a row, the reigning Formula 3 champion will be stepping up to F2 with Invicta Racing. Rafael Câmara will follow in the footsteps of fellow Trident F3 champions Leonardo Fornaroli and countryman Gabriel Bortoleto, making the step up to the team in yellow for 2026.
The Ferrari junior was a standout in the winners' column in 2025, taking four Feature Race wins and five pole positions on his way to a dominant title win in the penultimate F3 round in Hungary. Câmara eventually ended the campaign 42 points ahead of Campos’ Nikola Tsolov in second, although Trident couldn’t hold off the Spanish team from sealing their maiden F3 constructors’ title.
The F3 title was only the latest championship in the Brazilian’s kitty, adding to his FRECA title win earlier in 2024, second in the past two Formula Regional Middle East Championship (FRMEC) campaigns, and third in the F4 UAE and the Italian F4 championships in 2022.
Sandwiched in the middle was a fifth-place finish in Câmara’s maiden FRECA campaign in 2023, outlining the talent at his disposal.
“I’m very proud to be joining Invicta Racing for my first season in Formula 2,” Câmara said, expressing his pride to become the third F2 champion to step up to Invicta Racing.
“Over the past few years, this team has become the top target for any driver who wants to race in F2 and has shown time and again that it knows how to develop young drivers.
“To follow Gabriel Bortoleto and Leonardo Fornaroli in making this step as Formula 3 Champion is a huge honour. After an incredible season in F3 this year, I feel ready for the next challenge, and I can’t wait to get started with the team.”
Invicta Racing’s team principal, James Robinson, also expressed his delight to have Câmara on board for 2026.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Rafael to Invicta Racing for 2026. At every stage of his career to date, he’s shown pace, consistency, and maturity, delivering outstanding results that really speak for themselves.
“To have the reigning Formula 3 champion join the team for a third consecutive season underlines our commitment to providing the very best young talent with a platform to perform at the highest level, and we’re very excited to see what Rafael can achieve next season.”
Câmara will join fellow South American racer Joshua Dürksen at the team for 2026, marking the formation of a potent driver line-up that would emerge as a fan favourite in the upcoming F2 campaign.
Pepe Martí set to miss Qatar, Abu Dhabi weekends to prepare for Formula E debut with Cupra Kiro
Having been announced as Cupra Kiro’s latest Formula E signing, Spanish F2 racer Pepe Martí is set to miss the Qatar round on the F2 calendar as well, in a bid to focus on preparing for Formula E’s Season 12.
Martí is currently taking part in Formula E’s pre-season test on home turf in Valencia, and is already slated to miss the Abu Dhabi round to take part in the opening Formula E weekend in São Paulo. Fellow F2 junior Zane Maloney also faced the same case in 2024, missing the Abu Dhabi weekend in F2 to take part in the São Paulo E-Prix.
The Qatar round on the F2 calendar is scheduled to take place between November 28 and 30, just one weekend before Formula E’s Brazilian round. The transition is certainly a tough one to make for several drivers moving from F2 to Formula E, as they will have to get up to speed with the Gen3 Evo Formula E car.
Martí hasn’t troubled the timesheets in testing, but has set a total of 175 laps across the three days of testing. He will have two more sessions of pre-season testing to get his eye in and gain knowledge of his Cupra Kiro Formula E car, before pre-season testing concludes for Formula E’s full-time racers on Thursday.
Additionally, Martí will require plenty of simulator work to get accustomed to the São Paulo street circuit, having never raced at the track before.
While this hasn’t been officially announced yet, Campos would have to prepare for another driver to take their seat, with Red Bull junior Nikola Tsolov expected to step up at the Spanish team if the need arises.
Jak Crawford confirmed as Aston Martin’s ‘Third Driver’ for 2026
DAMS F2 racer Jak Crawford is set to become a full-time reserve at Aston Martin for 2026, after being confirmed as the team’s ‘Third Driver’ for next year. The American driver currently sits second in the standings in his F2 campaign, having taken victories in Imola, Monaco, Silverstone and at F2’s most recent round in Azerbaijan.
The American driver has been a part of the Aston Martin Young Driver Development Programme, alongside fellow juniors Felipe Drugovich and Mari Boya, while Stoffel Vandoorne had also been an official reserve for the British team in the F1 season.
However, after Drugovich was officially confirmed as an Andretti driver in Formula E for 2026, and Vandoorne officially opted to become a reserve at Jaguar’s Formula E operation next year, Crawford has become the senior-most figure on the sidelines for the team.
The promotion has also been evidenced by the British outfit’s investment in Crawford’s talent, providing him with a maiden Free Practice 1 outing in Mexico City to boost his credentials.
He would be eligible for more Free Practice appearances in 2026, having started less than two Grands Prix, and remains available to step in anytime during the season, should the existing duo of Fernando Alonso or Lance Stroll be unavailable for various reasons.
“I’m incredibly proud to be confirmed as the Third Driver for 2026,” Crawford said, speaking on his announcement. “It’s a huge moment in my journey with Aston Martin Aramco and a big motivation to keep learning and contributing.
“Over the past two seasons, I’ve learned so much from being in the Formula 1 environment, both at the factory and trackside. I’ll be doing everything I can to support the team and continue developing as a driver.”
Aston Martin Team Principal Andy Cowell also added on, building on Crawford’s position at the team:
“It is great to see Jak progress to become our Third Driver for 2026. Over the past two years, he has shown his value as a key member of our driver squad and built up a valuable bank of experience and test mileage.
Jak has impressed in the simulator, having completed regular sessions at the AMR Technology Campus to support our race operations and car development. Jak’s performances in Formula 2 have also been outstanding, and we are excited to continue supporting his growth as he takes on a bigger role.”
This new role means Crawford might not return to F2 in 2026, with DAMS already having confirmed Ferrari junior Dino Beganovic for the upcoming season, while the second seat at the team is yet to be confirmed.
Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi confirmed at DAMS in F3
DAMS have announced their first driver on the roster for 2026, with Thai driver Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi stepping up to the French outfit in their second Formula 3 campaign.
Bhirombhakdi competed in the recently-concluded FRECA season for Trident, in his second season in the series. However, he couldn’t score any podiums across either campaign.
The Thai driver has also competed in Italian F4, ADAC F4 Championship and the F4 UAE Championship in his junior career, along the way.
He also took part in the trio of F3 post-season tests for DAMS in Jerez, Barcelona and Imola, getting accustomed to the F3 car, and posting a highest finish of tenth in the Jerez test on Day 2.
Bhirombhakdi, referred to by his short name ‘Jem’, expressed his delight to join the team, looking forward to the upcoming campaign.
“I’m really excited to be joining DAMS Lucas Oil for the FIA F3 next year,” said Bhirombhakdi. “I want to thank the team for giving me this opportunity and can’t wait to get started.”
DAMS Lucas Oil Team Owner Charles Pic also added on Bhirombhakdi joining the team.
“We are very pleased to welcome Jem to the DAMS Lucas Oil family. He’s shown great potential and a strong work ethic for his age. We look forward to supporting his progression as he takes on the challenges of FIA Formula 3 next season,” Pic said.
DAMS have not announced their line-up for 2026 just yet, and are set to not retain two of their previous F3 drivers from 2025. Christian Ho has moved to Rodin Motorsport alongside Brando Badoer and Pedro Clerot, while Matías Zagazeta is set to head into sports car racing after his second F3 campaign ended.
Nicola Lacorte hasn’t been confirmed anywhere else yet, although rumours state he could be on for a second F3 campaign with DAMS in 2026.
FRECA Monza Recap: Slater champion, Gowda rookie champ
The Formula Regional Championship by Alpine had its final round at the “Temple of Speed” in Monza. Coming into the final round, there were a few different storylines.
The championship was still to be decided, with Prema Racing’s Freddie Slater, Trident Motorsport’s Matteo de Palo and R-ace GP’s Enzo Deligny still in the title fight.
Slater led on 263 points, with de Palo just four points back and Deligny on 233 points.
It wasn’t just the drivers’ championship being decided, as R-ace GP and Prema Racing were fighting to win the constructors’ championship, while the Rookie Cup was also still to be decided.
In the Rookie Cup, Dion Gowda was looking strong to win it, as he had 32 points compared to the other rookies taking part at Monza not having any points on the board. Gowda needed to have a rookie not score 33 points in the final round or for him to score 18 points over the two races. He could have it secured after race one if he finished 8th or higher.
Not only this, but the final race of the season would be FRECA’s 100th race.
For the opening race, ART’s Evan Giltaire started on pole with Slater second, Pedro Clerot in third for Van Amersfoort Racing, Taito Kato would be fourth for ART followed by Trident’s Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi and Slater’s teammate Rashid Al Dhaheri.
Deligny and de Palo were heavily disadvantaged against Slater as they qualified poorly for the opening race, being in seventh and ninth.
Race One was thirty minutes plus a lap.
It was a dream race for Slater, as De Palo and Deligny both had misfortune during the race, having opening lap incidents. With the constructors, R-ace GP looked like they were on to win it halfway through despite Slater being second as Akshay Bohra, Deligny’s R-ace GP teammate, was fifth.
After several Safety Car periods, a brilliant battle between the top four of Giltaire, Slater, Clerot and Kato ensued. Meanwhile, Deligny had moved up to 11th and de Palo was 16th with six and a half minutes plus a lap left. Al Dhahari now joined the fight for the win, while Gowda was set to win the Rookie Cup as he was in sixth.
Deligny set a blistering pace with a fastest lap and continued his progress, being ninth now with under five minutes left. De Palo had got up to 14th in the order.
The constructors battle had a big change, as Bohra had dropped down to 19th, but Deligny was back in the points. Slater was second and Al Dhahari was fifth yet R-ace GP still looked good in the fight.
As it stood, Slater would not be champion. If he managed to win the race, he would secure it as De Palo was lower than seventh. With two and a half minutes to go, the Brit, already confirmed with Trident in F3 next year, took the lead at the Curva Parabolica from Giltaire.
De Palo needed to make five places in just two minutes plus a lap, and he wasn’t able to do so. He finished 11th, with Deligny ninth.
Slater was confirmed champion in what was a brilliant display from a driver who has been brilliant in 2025.
Gowda won the Rookie Cup by finishing in seventh. Previous winners of the Rookie Cup include Noah Strømsted, Martinius Stenshorne, Leonardo Fornaroli and current F1 driver Isack Hadjar.
The constructors’ battle went to Sunday however, with Prema still having an outside chance of beating R-ace GP.
Race Two was also 30 minutes + one lap.
This race once again saw a superb performance from Slater, winning behind the Safety Car after a crash with CL Motorsport’s Enea Frey, Gowda, VAR’s Hiyu Yamakoshi and Deligny.
Slater started on pole ahead of de Palo and Giltaire. Clerot started down in ninth, while Deligny was just 20th. This meant Clerot had a real chance of finishing third in the standings. If the Brazilian finished sixth or higher and Deligny failed to score, the VAR driver would finish ahead of Deligny by two points.
R-ace GP secured the constructors title ahead of Prema Racing in what was the 100th race for the FRECA series, as Jin Nakamura’s sixth place finish and Bohra’s 10th place finish secured the championship for the French outfit, defeating Prema on their home turf. It also helped that Prema’s Jack Beeton didn’t take part in the second race and Al Dhaheri had a spin at the Variante della Roggia which dropped him to the back of the pack.
After the opening lap, Slater still led de Palo and Giltaire, while Clerot was ninth still and Deligny was 16th.
The Frenchman slowly moved his way up the order, passing local favourite, RPM’s Giovanni Maschio, four minutes in before dispatching Bohra two minutes later.
At the front the order remained the same, while Deligny continued his momentum, passing G4’s Edu Robinson to now be in 13th, only four positions behind Clerot, who was stuck battling with Gowda and Nakamura for seventh. The Brazilian got ahead of the Rookie Cup champion eventually and Deligny got ahead of CL’s Michael Belov for 11th after he and Belov passed Trident’s Ruiqi Liu.
Deligny began closing a two second gap down to 10th-placed Yamakoshi, who by now had joined the battle for sixth which featured debutant RPM driver Jan Przyrowski, Nakamura, Clerot and Gowda.
Up ahead in fourth, Sainteloc Racing’s Nikita Bedrin went off which brought out the Safety Car.
As things stood, Deligny would stay third. The Safety Car ended and with eight minutes plus a lap left, anyone could be in play.
The top ten remained almost exactly the same. The only difference was Yamakoshi passing Gowda for eighth.
Then the accident at turn one happened. Gowda, Yamakoshi, Deligny and Frey all came to blows. Clerot was seventh however, and the race didn’t restart, so Deligny held on to third in the standings on countback.
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