After an exciting and drama-filled 2023 season, crucial days of post-season testing and the return of the historic Macau Grand Prix, the FIA Formula 3 Championship has officially completed its seasonal activities. The 2024 season may be three and a half months away, but fans are already thinking about next year’s line-ups. Here’s what we know so far about who will be driving where in 2024.

By Daniele Spadi

With many drivers making the jump to F2 — including the 2023 champion Gabriel Bortoleto and his main rivals Zak O’Sullivan, Paul Aron and Franco Colapinto — the grid will likely be the subject of a considerable reorganisation, as young talents from FRECA, GB3 and the various Formula 4 championships will be looking to make the step up to F3.

By virtue of the three post-season tests in Jerez, Barcelona and Imola, we have some additional information regarding which drivers are working with which teams after the end of the season. Moreover, the recent return of the Macau Grand Prix — which Feeder Series covered in its entirety, being trackside throughout the whole event — gave us some interesting driver pairings that could massively shake up the 2024 grid.

So far, only four drivers have been officially confirmed to be racing next year. However, a few deals look to be closed already, whereas there is still room for some last-minute moves to happen down the line. This was the case in 2023, when Luke Browning, the eventual winner of the 70th Macau Grand Prix, was officially signed by Hitech Pulse-Eight only a few hours ahead of the opening round in Bahrain. The question still stands: who is going where next year in FIA Formula 3?

Prema Racing

As per usual, Prema confirms its tradition as not only the team to beat ahead of the new season but also the first team to announce their drivers.

Sweden’s Dino Beganovic will be the only driver to be retained for next season, as both his two teammates will likely be stepping up to F2 next year. The 2022 FRECA champion is destined to be one of the favourites in 2024 and needs a strong season in order to continue on the path that leads straight to Formula 1.

Alpine junior Gabriele Minì will be alongside him for the entire season. The Italian, who appeared as one of the fastest drivers back at the start of his rookie year before dropping off in the final part of the season, will definitely be eyeing up the title in 2024, as this might be his year to shine. 

Prema will also welcome a rookie by the name of Arvid Lindblad. The Red Bull Junior driver will make the jump from Italian F4 — a series he was dominating before losing the title in the last race to Kacper Sztuka — straight to FIA Formula 3. The Brit has already driven the car during post-season testing, and he will surely be one to watch in his maiden F3 campaign.

Trident

After taking home the drivers’ title and missing out on the teams’ crown by just 19 points, Trident is gearing up for the 2024 season with an interesting line-up that few predicted after the final round in Monza a couple of months ago. 

Just like their Italian counterpart, Trident is looking to keep just one third of their 2023 drivers, and that man will be Leonardo Fornaroli. The youngster showed some good improvements throughout his first season in FIA F3 machinery, taking home three podiums and a pole position en route to 11th in the standings.

Fornaroli will need to step up as the team leader though, as his two teammates for the 2024 season are likely to be two rookies straight out of the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine.

On one hand, France’s Sami Meguetounif will be stepping up after taking three podiums with MP Motorsport. On the other hand, it will be Santiago Ramos who will line up in Bahrain in the third Trident car after impressing with RPM in FRECA. Both drivers have showed good speed not only just in Formula Regional, but also in post-season testing, a good indicator for a team that strives to be the prominent force in FIA Formula 3.

MP Motorsport

Thanks to a fantastic final round of the season, where the Dutch outfit scored two wins thanks to Franco Colapinto and Jonny Edgar’s heroic efforts, MP Motorsport stormed to third in the 2023 Formula 3 teams’ standings. After one of the best years ever for the team, however, MP is looking to completely rebrand its drivers’ line-up.

German rookie Tim Tramnitz is likely to join the Dutch team after a very competitive season in FRECA and some good initial performances in post-season testing.

After an incredible comeback in Italian F4, where he won the title in spectacular fashion after being more than 100 points behind main rival Arvid Lindblad at one point during the season, Kacper Sztuka has made quite the case for himself. The Polish young star, who has been confirmed to be joining the Red Bull Junior Team, is expected to take one of the remaining two seats at MP. 

The third car is still up for grabs. The odds seem to be in favour of Emerson Fittipaldi Jr., but drivers such as Hadrien David are still in the conversation for the final spot on the Dutch line-up.

Campos Racing

After their best ever finish in the Teams’ Championship, Campos is expected to do the same as MP Motorsport, changing all of their drivers ahead of next season.

With Pepe Martí likely to step up to F2 after his breakout year in 2023, Oliver Goethe is expected to become the Spanish team’s leader in 2024. The 2022 Euroformula Open champion showed a glimpse of his talent last season, and a second year in the series can do nothing but further improve his skills, making him an instant title threat, if the team provides him with a good enough car.

Feeder Series expects the other two seats to be given to Sebastian Montoya and Mari Boya. Both with one podium to their name in 2023, the two of them will need to make a big step up in order to confirm the team’s strong pace that the Spanish outfit showed throughout this season. This could prove to be both a blessing and a curse for Campos, as they have one of the most interesting line-ups potential-wise, yet with only one race win across the three of them.

Hitech Pulse-Eight

Hitech Pulse-Eight had by far one of the strongest driver trios on paper in 2023. However, it did not translate to the desired outcome, as the team took home just two race wins thanks to Gabriele Minì, whose seventh place in the final standings was the highest finisher of the team.

But, the British outfit was the star of the 70th Macau Grand Prix, taking a 1-2 in the qualification race and winning the entire event with Luke Browning. The 2022 GB3 champion is expected to be back with Hitech in 2024 alongside FRECA sensation Martinius Stenshorne. The Norwegian had a breakout year in Formula Regional, fighting with Italian star Andrea Kimi Antonelli throughout the season and often looking like the one to beat for the title. Despite ultimately coming short in the championship fight, Stenshorne has earned every right to be in the F3 grid next year. 

The third seat was looking to be assigned to Cian Shields, but Alex Dunne’s spectacular performance in Macau has thrown the young Irishman into the thick of things.

Jenzer Motorsport

After their best-ever season in FIA Formula 3 which saw Jenzer Motorsport going back to winning ways in Spa, the Swiss outfit is expected to go for a rather inexperienced line-up in 2024. 

Following races in both Silverstone and Budapest for Rodin Carlin this season, Max Esterson will be back full-time. Alongside him will be Charlie Wurz, son of former Formula 1 driver Alexander. The young Austrian spent this year racing in both FRECA and Euroformula Open. Feeder Series expects the third seat to go to Matias Zagazeta, who will make the step up from FRECA for his maiden FIA F3 campaign. 

Although it is a completely new line-up for Jenzer, the three of them have already taken part in post-season testing together, as well as in the Macau Grand Prix. This could potentially be a bonus point for the Swiss outfit, as the precious time needed to gel with both the car and the team itself has been more than enough for all three drivers ahead of the 2024 campaign.

Van Amersfoort Racing

After a slightly disappointing season saved by the efforts of Caio Collet — the Brazilian taking 73 of the teams’ 75 total points — Van Amersfoort Racing is looking to bounce back in 2024. 

The Dutch outfit is looking to change two thirds of its previous drivers’ line-up for next season, with Tommy Smith staying for his second consecutive season with VAR. Although the Australian failed to score points throughout his rookie campaign, he came close on a couple of occasions. Though he will need to make a step up to try and help his team secure a better position in the Teams’ Championship.

The two drivers that are expected to be partnering Smith are two very interesting names that could prove to be among the ones to watch for the 2024 season. On one side of the garage will be Sophia Floersch. The German, who successfully became the first woman to score points in FIA Formula 3 in Spa, has impressed not only in post-season testing, but also in the Macau Grand Prix, finishing the race in a strong 11th. 

The third seat is looking to be taken by reigning Euroformula Open champion Noel Leon, as the former Red Bull Junior driver tries to make his way to the pinnacle of single-seater racing and prove his doubters wrong.

ART Grand Prix

Fresh off their stellar 2022 season where they won the drivers’ title with Victor Martins, ART was left greatly disappointed by their 2023 efforts. With Grégoire Saucy trying to fly their flag in the first half of the season, the team collapsed in the latter stages,  scoring just 11 points in the final nine races. 

With Saucy gearing up to race in the World Endurance Championship and Kaylen Frederick testing in both Indy NXT and Super Formula lights, Nikola Tsolov is looking to be the only driver to be retained by the French outfit. Although the team was not happy with the Bulgarian’s performances throughout the season and a fallout was looking to be almost inevitable, it seems like Tsolov will get a second chance in Formula 3 with ART.

The French team is also expected to sign Australia’s Christian Mansell. After a solid rookie season at Campos where he took two podiums and multiple points finishes on his way to 12th in the final standings, Mansell has started working with ART since post-season testing and has continued his path with the French outfit in Macau as well.

The same goes for Laurens van Hoepen, with the Dutch driver looking to step up to F3 by staying with the same team he raced with during the 2023 FRECA season.

PHM Racing

PHM made their debut in FIA Formula 3 last season, scoring all six of their points in the feature race at Spa-Francorchamps thanks to Sophia Floersch’s historic drive. With big changes to their personnel in 2024, however, the German team is looking to make huge strides forward next year, and they will have one of the revelations of 2023 behind the wheel of one of their cars. 

In fact, Taylor Barnard will be switching from Jenzer to PHM, going back to the team he has grown with throughout his whole career in single seaters. With three podiums and a fourth place in the final four races of the season, the Brit climbed all the way to tenth in the 2023 Drivers’ Championship. If PHM can provide him a good car, he will for sure be one of the dark horses of the 2024 season.

Alongside Barnard, Feeder Series expects Joshua Dufek to be racing full-time for the first time in the series. After a guest appearance with Campos at the final round in Monza, the Swiss has been testing with the German team throughout post-season testing. Dufek, who raced in both FRECA and Euroformula Open this year, could be an exciting talent to watch out for if he can find his footing quickly. 

The third car is expected to be given to Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak. The driver from Thailand finished the first-ever Eurocup-3 season in sixth, taking home two pole positions and four podiums with Campos, and after being announced for the 2024 FRMEC season with the German outfit, he is also likely to debut in FIA Formula 3 at the start of next season.

Rodin Carlin

With only two points to their name in 2023, Rodin Carlin is determined to turn things around next season. The team struggled throughout the whole season, scoring points in the sprint race at Silverstone thanks to Ido Cohen’s ninth place, a pretty significant step down compared to 2022, when the team ended up seventh in the teams’ standings thanks to Zak O’Sullivan’s brilliant rookie campaign. 

The British outfit’s line-up for next year is the most difficult to predict at this point, but Feeder Series is expecting reigning GB3 champion Callum Voisin to stay with the team he won the title with and graduate to F3.

The Brit has taken part in post-season testing with Rodin Carlin alongside Louis Sharp, who is also expected to make the jump to FIA Formula 3. The driver from New Zealand also raced with the team in British F4 this season, winning it all after a tough battle with William Macintyre. 

As of right now, the third seat is very tough to predict, as many drivers are looking at the chance to race with the British team in 2024. McKenzy Cresswell is one of the main candidates, making his F3 debut in 2023 with PHM racing around both the Red Bull Ring and Silverstone. Francesco Simonazzi is also looking to permanently race in FIA Formula 3 next year. The Italian, who had a strong Euroformula Open campaign this season, has already raced with Rodin Carlin in the final two rounds of the 2023 campaign, beating his teammates and finishing in an impressive P11 the feature race in Monza.

Header photo credit: FIA Formula 3