“The team knows how to do it:” Trident’s tenacious trio on their 2026 Formula 3 title hopes

Written by Jasmin Low, edited by Rohan Brown

TRIDENT enter the 2026 season having delivered three consecutive Drivers’ Championships | Credit: Formula 3

With the slate wiped clean and the 2026 Formula 3 season fast-approaching, 30 drivers are set to fight for the ultimate glory of becoming F3 champion over the course of a 10-round calendar. 

Trident, with their competitive driver lineup featuring Noah Strømsted, Matteo De Palo and Freddie Slater will be expected to hit the ground running at the season opener in Melbourne, having delivered the Drivers’ Championship for the past three years, and placing second overall in last year’s Teams’ Championship. 

In 2025, the Italian team put on a dominant display in the opening round, with the eventual champion Rafa Câmara topping Free Practice and Qualifying before claiming a rain-soaked Feature Race victory on his debut weekend. 

However the teams and drivers both know that they are playing the long game, with consistency being the key to success. 

Trident delivered strong results at the most recent pre-season test in Barcelona, with Slater going fastest on the first two days, before Strømsted delivered the second-fastest lap time on the third and final day. Combined with the team’s recent history of exceptional results, remaining at the top of the order in 2026 will be a source of motivation throughout the season. 

18-year-old [Noah] Strømsted, who is sticking with TRIDENT for his second season in the championship, heads into 2026 as the most experienced of the bunch. 

“I think the team is just doing a very good job every weekend, every test. I mean, all the people are the same from last year, so everything is very similar.” Shared the Danish driver, who is looking to build on this sixth-placed championship finish from 2025. 

Strømsted, who won the Sprint Race in Spa, also contributed to TRIDENT’s second-placed championship finish in 2025. 

Strømsted is looking to go bigger and better in his 2026 F3 campaign | Credit: Formula 3

Now an established member within the team, the returning driver is confident that this year he’ll be in the fight for the ultimate honours:

“I was there last year as well when Rafa (Câmara) won the championship. The team knows how to do it. I mean, they have won now for, for 3 years in a row, so I'm quite confident going into the season that we're gonna be able to fight for the championship.” 

Making his F3 debut in Melbourne is 18-year-old Matteo De Palo, who was recently named a member of the McLaren Driver Development Programme. The Italian placed second in the 2025 Formula Regional European Championship (FREC), and is remaining with TRIDENT as he makes the step up to F3. 

De Palo is staying with TRIDENT as he makes the move from FREC to F3 | Credit: Formula 3

“For sure, staying with TRIDENT, they give us three drivers a lot of confidence. We know we have a good package. The team is always on point and every time we go out, we always have a really competitive car.” De Palo commented, nodding to TRIDENT’s history of consistently delivering a competitive setup. 

“It makes me very confident every time I go out on track and yeah, it's all about me to make the job. So now in Melbourne, I think we will have a great chance to demonstrate all the work we did so far.”

The connection between TRIDENT and McLaren has strengthened in the wake of their impressive results in the category, with Matteo signed alongside dual F3 and F2 champion Leonardo Fornaroli, who won his F3 title with the team. 

TRIDENT alumnus Gabriel Bortoleto was also picked up by the papaya squad following his championship win with the team. The Brazilian, who claimed back-to-back F3 and F2 championships, went on to sign with Sauber (now Audi) Formula One team. 

Also with early ties to Audi is title favourite Freddie Slater, who was announced as Audi F1 Team’s first junior driver. The British driver’s single seater career accolades include winning both the Italian Formula 4 and F4 UAE Championships in 2024, before going on to place second in Formula Regional Middle East and take the FREC crown in 2025. 

The 17-year-old has been off to a flying start in 2026, having competed in the Formula Regional Oceania Championship and rounding out the championship in second place. 

Slater spoke highly of the team’s previous successes, acknowledging their commitment to continual improvement: 

“Like Noah and Matteo said, the team did an amazing job. Obviously, the last couple of years, they've had awesome results. But the thing is, everybody catches up and everybody gets better, so we can't sit back and relax, and that's what I really like about TRIDENT, is they've not done that.”

An early taste of success in F3 machinery came for Slater in 2025, competing in the second round in Bahrain for AIX racing, and delivering a podium finish in the Sprint Race. A second opportunity came for Slater in Spa-Francorchamps, this time with Hitech. 

Slater placed second in the Sprint Race on his debut weekend | Credit: Formula 3

Whilst yet to represent TRIDENT in the category, his prior experience will place him in good stead for when the time comes to represent the team in 2026 for his full-time debut. Slater explained how he and TRIDENT seem to be the perfect pairing: 

“Even with all the success they've had, they just keep on pushing, we're always trying to find one percent more. That suits me as well as a driver because I'm pretty similar like that. So, it's very cool the way they keep on pushing and yeah, we're going to need to to try and win.”