Nicola Lacorte heads to Silverstone with renewed confidence after DAMS Lucas Oil demonstrated its progress during the previous 2026 F3 round in Austria.
The Italian driver scored his first points of the season at the Red Bull Ring after showing competitive pace throughout the weekend. He now wants to build on that breakthrough at one of the fastest and most demanding circuits on the calendar.
During a pre-event media event attended by Pit Debrief, Lacorte stated that he believes his previous Silverstone experience, improved qualifying approach and growing understanding with DAMS can place him near the front. However, he also expects tyre management to influence the weekend as Fo3 switches from the soft compound used in Austria to the hard tyre in Britain.
Lacorte embraces Silverstone’s high-speed challenge ahead of 2026 F3 return
Silverstone tests a driver’s commitment through several high-speed sections, including Copse and the Maggotts-Becketts complex. Drivers must trust the car’s aerodynamic grip while making precise inputs at speeds that punish hesitation. Although some competitors appear naturally comfortable in these conditions, Lacorte believes drivers can develop their high-speed confidence.
“Now for me, I believe that high speed is something that a driver can learn, so [not] something you’re born with,” Lacorte said, in response to a question by Pit Debrief.
Lacorte feels particularly comfortable at fast circuits. Furthermore, DAMS’ recent progress has strengthened his belief that he can challenge the leading Formula 3 teams this weekend.
“Personally, I’m very confident for Silverstone, especially for high speed. And with the work done so far with the team, I think we arrived at a pretty competitive level. So, I’m looking forward to fight at the top.”
Silverstone should provide a clear measure of that confidence. Its long, fast corners expose weaknesses in aerodynamic balance, while changing wind conditions can alter the car’s behaviour from one lap to the next.
Previous experience provides an important advantage
F3 gives drivers limited practice time before qualifying. Therefore, previous circuit knowledge can significantly improve how quickly they begin the weekend.
Lacorte raced at Silverstone during his rookie season and already understands the layout, braking references and general rhythm of the circuit.
“Yeah, experience pays a lot in F3, as you get very little track time. So, it’s good to arrive on track with already some experience, especially in tracks like Silverstone.
That familiarity should allow Lacorte to spend less time learning the circuit and more time refining the car with DAMS.
The team has also made significant progress since its first F3 campaign in 2025, giving Lacorte a stronger technical foundation than he had during his previous Silverstone appearance.
“For sure, we made a big step, me and the team, from last year to now. It’s something quite normal, honestly.
The combination of circuit knowledge and a more competitive car has changed Lacorte’s expectations. Rather than approaching the weekend primarily as another learning opportunity, he now wants to fight for points in both races.
Austria performance raises expectations for Lacorte ahead of 2026 F3 Silverstone Round
DAMS showed competitive race pace throughout the Austrian weekend, allowing Lacorte to secure his first points of the campaign. That result confirmed the progress that the team had displayed at several earlier events without converting it into a complete result.
“But, now I feel very confident. The car feels very good. We come from a strong weekend [in Austria] with a good pace overall.
Lacorte now wants to reproduce that pace at Silverstone. However, he recognises that qualifying remains the area in which he must make the largest improvement.
“So yeah, looking forward to fighting in races, and to extract more in Quali [in terms of] the pace we have.
A stronger grid position would allow Lacorte to use DAMS’ race pace without first needing to recover through the field.
Although Silverstone offers more overtaking opportunities than several other circuits, qualifying will still shape the weekend. Drivers who start near the front can control their tyres and avoid incidents within the midfield.
Lacorte reflects on the importance of Qualifying
Lacorte focused heavily on Qualifying during the winter after recognising its importance throughout his first F3 season. A single session determines the starting order for both the Sprint and Feature Races. As a result, one mistake can compromise almost the entire weekend.
“For me, as I said, a step from first season to second season in championships like F3, I have to really make the difference,” Lacorte said in response to a question by Pit Debrief.
Lacorte therefore used the off-season to improve how quickly he reaches the limit and how effectively he executes his fastest lap.
“One thing I worked on a lot in the winter is how to extract the most in Quali, which makes the biggest part of the weekend, the biggest part of the performance, as Quali [determines] the starting grid for both Sprint and Feature.
Drivers must prepare their tyres, find space within a crowded field and judge changing track conditions. They must then combine every element during one decisive lap.
“So, I would say maximising the track time we get in F3 and, you know, to put everything together in Quali.”
Silverstone adds another complication through its length. A mistake early in the lap can waste a complete qualifying attempt, while traffic can affect a driver across several consecutive corners.
Difficult rookie season builds foundations
DAMS entered Formula 3 in 2025 and faced a challenging first campaign as the team adapted to the championship. Lacorte also needed time to understand the car, tyres and weekend format. Although the results rarely reflected their potential, the difficult season gave both driver and team valuable experience.
“Last year was not an easy one, as everyone can see. But for me, it was very important to get my laps in, just get my experience. Of course, the team was also lacking some experience.
Those accumulated laps helped Lacorte develop a clearer understanding of what he needs from the car. Meanwhile, DAMS strengthened its technical knowledge and began its second season from a much stronger position.
DAMS makes clear second-year progress
The improvement became visible immediately during the opening round in Australia. Lacorte qualified inside the top five and demonstrated competitive pace throughout the weekend. However, small mistakes later prevented him from maximising the car at Monaco and Barcelona.
“So the step from last year to this year is clearly very big. Already in Australia, we managed to qualify [in the] top five and we’d shown a good pace for the whole week and also in the races.
The early performance showed that DAMS had moved closer to the front. Nevertheless, Lacorte accepts responsibility for the qualifying errors that limited some of his subsequent weekends.
“We missed some performance in Quali in Monaco and Barcelona, but that came mainly from me, from little mistakes I made.
Despite those errors, Lacorte remained confident in the car’s underlying pace. Teammate Gerrard Xie also demonstrated that DAMS could compete within the points when the team executed the weekend cleanly.
“The car was always very competitive to be in the top 12 and play for big points, as we’ve shown with Gerrard as well.
That performance gave Lacorte confidence that improved execution, rather than a major change in outright pace, would produce stronger results.
Austria confirms the team’s true pace
The Red Bull Ring finally allowed Lacorte and DAMS to convert their potential into points. For Lacorte, the result did not represent a sudden improvement. Instead, it confirmed the competitiveness that the team had carried through much of the season.
“So yeah, I think Austria was just a way to prove our actual pace.
The result also strengthened his confidence in DAMS’ wider Formula 3 project. The French team has enjoyed significant success across several junior categories, and Lacorte believes it has begun to demonstrate that pedigree in its second F3 season.
“And I think it’s just the start of something really good that is coming from both me and the team, as I believe a lot in DAMS. They’re a really important team. They have a big history and they’re showing what they’re made of also in this season, bouncing back from last year.”
Silverstone now gives DAMS an opportunity to prove that Austria marked the beginning of consistent progress rather than an isolated result.
Austria provides tyre-management lessons
High temperatures and the soft compound made degradation one of the main challenges at the Red Bull Ring.
Drivers needed to balance early attacks against protecting their tyres for the closing laps. Lacorte believes DAMS understood that trade-off and managed the conditions effectively.
“Yeah, Austria was quite a challenging one. Degradation was a big point. I think we managed pretty well to understand it and to perform in these conditions.
That experience should help the team at Silverstone, although the British round will create a different challenge.
Hard compound changes degradation demands
F3 will use the hard tyre at Silverstone rather than the soft compound used in Austria. The harder specification should behave differently, particularly through Silverstone’s long high-speed corners. Those sections place substantial lateral load through the tyres and can create degradation even when the compound offers greater durability.
“Of course, it’s a different compound [to this week]. So, we’re going from soft to hard. It will be a different kind of degradation.
Lacorte did not reveal the team’s detailed technical expectations. However, he expects drivers to manage their tyres throughout both races.
“I don’t want to go too deep into technical stuff, but for sure there will be the management will have a big role in this race as well in a different way.
Drivers who push too aggressively through the opening laps could lose performance later. Conversely, anyone who conserves excessively may fall out of the slipstream and become vulnerable to attacks.
Race management remains central to 026 F3 Silverstone hopes for Lacorte and DAMS
Lacorte must therefore balance speed with tyre protection across the weekend. A strong Qualifying result would make that task easier because he could control his pace from a more favourable position rather than using his tyres to recover through the midfield.
“So race management will be very important as well. Yeah, I think me and the team are quite ready for it. So confident for our races.”
Austria proved that Lacorte and DAMS can compete inside the points when they execute a complete weekend.
Silverstone now offers the pair an opportunity to take another step. Lacorte already trusts his high-speed ability and the performance of the car, but qualifying execution and tyre management will determine whether he can turn that confidence into another strong result.
