Formula 3 announces a €1 million Prize Fund for top five finishers moving to Formula 2

Written by Liam Ploetner

Formula 3 announced today that they will be giving a €1 million prize fund to the top five drivers from F3 who will compete in Formula 2 the following year from the 2025 season onwards. 

Credit: Formula 3

The prize money will be split in such a way that the champion receives € 300,000 for their step up to Formula 2, with second place receiving € 250,000 and third place in the standings receiving € 200,000 for their next Formula 2 campaign. 

The fourth and fifth-placed drivers in the standings will receive € 150,000 and € 100,000 respectively. However, the prize money will only be valid if the driver steps up to F2 in their upcoming year of racing. Otherwise, the allocation will go to the next highest-placed driver in the standings, provided they too step up to Formula 2 in the following season. 

This fund also adds on to the existing € 300,000 prize money provided by Pirelli to the Formula 3 champion, aiding their step up to F2 in the following year. 

According to F3’s latest press release, it mentions that the prize pool will be allocated from the end of the 2025 Formula 3 season.

This means the likes of Trident’s Rafael Câmara, the Campos duo of Nikola Tsolov and Mari Boya, MP Motorsport’s Tim Tramnitz and Hitech TGR’s Martinius Stenshorne will claim the prize, provided they compete in F2 in 2026. If a driver in the top five doesn’t take part in F2, then it goes to the next driver who steps up to the championship in the following year.

The prize money will come as a massive boost for drivers currently not backed by a Formula 1 team, or not in the purview of a junior team or a driver academy run by these F1 teams, injecting a significant boost of funding for their upcoming F2 campaigns. 

The prize money will also further increase the competitiveness in a hungry 30-car F3 grid, with every driver now even more eager to finish in the top five and secure the funding to further their racing career.  

Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicalli stated that the prize fund would give drivers more of a reward for having a strong season:

“The Formula 3 one-million-euro prize fund is an important initiative that will further incentivise drivers and provide them with a very valuable and well-deserved reward for their success in the championship. 

“The FIA Formula 3 Championship continues to be a vital part of the pyramid system, which provides the drivers with the essential technical, physical, and mental training to rise through the championships on their journey to the highest level of our sport. We all look forward to the 2026 season and watching the incredible talent on track.”

Formula 3 CEO Bruno Michel also spoke about the announcement, saying:

“I am pleased to announce this million-euro fund, which will benefit the five highest-placed Formula 3 drivers, alongside the substantial prize offered by our partner, Pirelli, which goes to the Champion. It is vital to support emerging talent on their road to Formula 1.

"Formula 3 is a fantastic training ground for these young racers to hone their skills to move up the pyramid, and this additional financial reward will help them to go even further in their efforts towards the pinnacle of motorsport.”