Rodin Motorsport have been one of the success stories of the 2026 F3 season. With three podiums and a feature race win for Brando Badoer in Monaco, the New Zealand–British team are enjoying their best spell in the series since its inception. Ahead of the next round in Barcelona, Badoer’s teammate Pedro Clerot spoke to Feeder Series and other selected media at a virtual media roundtable about what’s contributed to the team’s upturn in form.

By Martin Lloyd

It’s not as though Rodin’s recent run has been completely unexpected. In the last two seasons, Callum Voisin and Roman Bilinski have regularly competed for points and the occasional podium, clearing a hurdle with which the team had struggled in their previous incarnation as Carlin.

 In 2026, they have taken an even greater step forward. Their tally of three podiums in the first four races beats Rodin or Carlin’s tally from each of their first six seasons and puts them just one shy of their four rostrum visits across 19 races in 2025 .

Badoer’s win in Monte Carloaco was a particular milestone. The result, the team’s second F3 feature race victory, after two third-place finishes in sprint races for Badoer in Melbourne and for Clerot on Saturday in Monacoat Monte Carlo. Out of the team’s three drivers, only Christian Ho has struggled, with the Singaporean yet to score. 

“I think generally, we’ve been very close as teammates,” Clerot told Feeder Series. “A funny thing is that we actually discussed in Monaco how well the team environment is and how well we are working. That’s the most important thing. The atmosphere is one of trying to help each other and motivating the team to do well, and [it’s] even better after every round. I think it’s been paying off. All the sim sessions we’ve been doing and all the work we’ve been doing together has been really good so far.”

A key factor in the strong bond between Clerot and Badoer in particular is their shared history. The pair worked together at Van Amersfoort Racing in the 2024 season of FRegional Europe, with Badoer finishing fifth and Clerot ending the season in eighth. The fruitful reunion, Clerot explained, may bring better results soon.

As a rookie, Clerot had never raced at the first two circuits of the season. But with the Barcelona round providing a more level playing field through testing mileage and experience in other junior formulae, the Brazilian feels that he can take another step up this weekend.

“He did a really good job in Monaco, so we’re really excited. We were discussing today how we had good memories from our days as teammates in FRECA and how we are excited for the next few tracks, as we come to tracks we know more, especially for me,” he said. “I am a bit more comfortable, knowing the tracks a bit more and being in a better experienced state compared to where Australia and Monaco were my first times on both those tracks and also first time on a street track. So we’re quite confident.

“The team has been working very very well, like I said, so we’re only looking forward. We want to get better results for the team as well and score my first win.”

Another driver looking for results in Barcelona is MP Motorsport sophomore Alessandro Giusti, who sits eighth in the standings with 13 points. The Frenchman has finished on the podium at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in both F3 in 2025 and FR Europe in 2024 – though his strong results belie his preference for other circuits.

“To be honest, it’s not my favourite track,” Giusti said. “We drove [it] so much and I feel the track I like is the track you drive the least. I like the tracks like Melbourne, Monaco and so on. But I always feel good in FRECA, F3 in this track, and I’ve really been good in tyre degradation in FRECA and F3. 

“Last year in F3, we just did a good job in quali, and then we were there in the race, and with my tyre management, which was really good, we could gain some places and finish in the podium.”

With only two of the scheduled nine rounds of the season completed, the drivers’ championship battle is in its early stages ahead of the Barcelona weekend. Campos Racing’s Ugo Ugochukwu leads on 43 points, eight ahead of Van Amersfoort’s Bruno Del Pino. Trident driver Freddie Slater is a point behind the Spaniard in third, with Badoer fourth, a further six points back on 28 points. Ugochukwu’s Campos teammate, Theophile Naël, rounds out the top five on 22 points. 

In the teams’ standings, meanwhile, Campos lead on 75 points, with Van Amersfoort on 47 and Rodin in third on 44 just a point ahead of Trident. The Farnham-based outfit have never finished an F3 season higher than sixth among the teams, which they achieved last year.

Header photo credit: Dutch Photo Agency