Noah Strømsted heads into the FIA F3 round in Monaco looking to rebuild momentum after a challenging start to his 2026 campaign.
The Trident driver left the opening round in Australia with almost no points after a difficult weekend on the performance side. With the championship now moving into a busy European stretch, Strømsted made it clear during a media session ahead of the Monaco GP weekend that a strong result in the Principality would be important.
Strømsted worked to stay sharp during long F3 break
Formula 3 has not raced since the Australian round, leaving drivers with a long gap before returning to competition.
For Strømsted, the break centred around simulator work with Trident. He also took part in the in-season test at the Red Bull Ring, which gave him valuable time back in the car before the calendar picks up pace again.
Speaking during the F3 Virtual Media Roundtable, with Pit Debrief in attendance, the Dane admitted the break felt unusual, as several weeks had passed since the field last raced. However, he used the time to keep working with the team and stay prepared for the next phase of the season.
“For me, it’s just been doing quite a lot of sims in Trident. Obviously, we had the test in Red Bull Ring last week or two weeks ago. I don’t remember. I’ve just been trying to keep working on the sims. For sure, the feeling is a bit weird because it’s been such a long break since we’ve been racing.”
Red Bull Ring test helped Trident address 2025 struggles
The Spielberg test proved especially useful for Trident, as the team had struggled at the Austrian venue in 2025.
Strømsted explained that the team used the running to understand the issues it faced last year, particularly in race trim and on the soft compound. With those problems still fresh in mind, Trident focused on testing different solutions and finding a stronger direction for the 2026 round in Austria.
As a result, the test gave the team an important chance to prepare not only for Monaco, but also for the wider European leg of the season.
“Yeah, I think for us, we were quite lucky that the testing happened in Red Bull Ring. As last year, we were not the best there, especially in the races we were struggling. I think it was a general thing on the soft compounds. So for us, it was a very important test to try different things and to try and understand why this was happening last year. And come up with a result for this year and how we fix it.”
Monaco marks key chance to build momentum
When asked by Pit Debrief about the momentum required to tackle Barcelona in one week, and several European rounds coming quickly after that, Strømsted said building momentum immediately would be crucial for the remaining rounds of the 2026 F3 season.
After a disappointing points return in Australia, he wants to start strongly in Monaco and put himself back into contention. The Trident driver sees this weekend as an important opportunity to recover ground and carry confidence into Barcelona.
A clean and productive Monaco round could therefore play a major role in shaping the next part of his championship.
“Yeah, I think what I did in Australia was quite bad in the performance side. I came up with almost zero points. So, for sure, it’s very important for me to start off well here and get some important points for the championship. And, yeah, to keep the momentum going, especially for Barcelona.”
Qualifying timing set to be crucial at 2026 F3 Monaco GP for Strømsted
As always in Monaco, qualifying will likely define much of the weekend.
Strømsted expects traffic management to be one of the biggest challenges. Trident sits towards the back of the pit lane, which could make it harder to find clear air during the session.
He said the team would first need to assess the car in Free Practice before focusing on qualifying execution. With limited running and a tight street circuit, finding the right track position will be essential.
“Yeah, I think we have to see in the free practice first how we go. Hopefully, we will be good in the car, we’ll be feeling good. And then, yeah, for the qualifying, I think it will be difficult for us. We’re in the back of the pit lane, so we’ll just be finding a window to go without getting too much traffic and just doing your laps alone.”
Limited running increases Monaco challenge
Strømsted also highlighted how difficult it will be to return to racing at Monaco after such a long pause.
The weekend format gives drivers only one session per day, which limits the time available to build rhythm. He said Free Practice would be about gradually improving, understanding the group, and judging how much the track evolves before qualifying.
With Monaco’s streets changing quickly across the weekend, that adaptation could prove decisive.
“Yeah, I think it will be a bit difficult getting into the race weekend again. Especially here, it’s only one session per day. So tomorrow, we’ll just be trying to build in the FP, and trying to understand the group, and how much the track is going to change overnight to the qualifying.”
Strømsted says execution matters more than chaos
The field looked close in both Melbourne and testing, and Strømsted expects small details to decide the next phase of the season.
When asked by Pit Debrief about what he believes matters most heading into the rest of the season, he believes raw pace remains necessary to fight at the front. However, he also stressed that the main challenge lies in putting the full weekend together when it matters most. That will be especially important in Monaco, where drivers get little time to prepare before qualifying. For Strømsted, every session must be clean and complete.
“I think, of course, you need to have the pace to be in the front, but then I think the main thing over the weekend is just putting everything together when it matters, which is the difficult part, especially in the qualifying, as we don’t have a lot of running before.
“So I think it’s just important to try to get everything right every session, which normally is the most difficult.”
Strømsted aims to avoid repeat of 2025 F3 Monaco mistakes at 2026 round
Strømsted endured a difficult Monaco weekend last year and failed to score points. However, he felt the pace had been promising before a mistake in qualifying hurt his chances.
He explained that his lack of experience on the soft tyre left him on the back foot when the compound became relevant. A mistake in Free Practice then made the weekend even harder.
This year, Strømsted wants to avoid those errors and deliver a complete weekend from the start. After a frustrating opening round, Monaco offers him a chance to reset and begin building the momentum he needs for the races ahead.
“Yeah, I think last year the pace was actually looking pretty good in the qualifying, I just did a silly mistake when we switched to the soft tyres, and I didn’t have any experience on those compounds before the qualifying, so I knew already before going into the quali I would be one step behind everybody because I didn’t have any running on that compound.
“So yeah, this year hopefully I won’t make any silly mistakes in the free practice and just do a good weekend all around.”
