Noah Strømsted returns to the scene of his first-ever FIA Formula 3 (F3) victory this weekend as the 2026 season heads to Spa-Francorchamps for Round 6.
The TRIDENT driver claimed his maiden F3 win at the Belgian circuit last year, taking victory in the Sprint Race ahead of Ugo Ugochukwu.
Now, with the 2026 F3 championship returning to the iconic Spa-Francorchamps circuit, Strømsted is hoping to build on his recent run of form and deliver another strong weekend in the Belgian hills.
“It feels good to be back,” Strømsted said ahead of the weekend. “Of course, I have good memories from last year, winning my first race here in F3. So I’m excited to race here again.”
The 7.004-kilometre circuit presents a unique challenge for the FIA F3 field, with its long lap and combination of high-speed corners, technical sections and significant elevation changes.
For Strømsted, the circuit’s unique characteristics make it one of the most difficult venues on the calendar to master.
“It’s quite a long lap, it’s a track like no other,” he explained. “I think it’s quite a difficult overall weekend to perform well, and of course qualifying is very important.
“The slipstream around here is very important as well, and then the races with the DRS and the slipstream will be quite hard to manage also.”
Adapting to Spa’s changing conditions
The weather could also play a major role throughout the weekend, with the notoriously changeable conditions at Spa capable of transforming the circuit from one session to the next.
Strømsted knows that the ability to adapt quickly could be crucial, particularly at a circuit where the weather can differ significantly between sections of the track.
“Of course, with rain it changes a lot,” said Strømsted. “Especially in Spa, you never really know until you’re driving because it can change so quickly. So I think it’s just being able to adapt quickly and be on top of things.”
While Free Practice will provide the drivers with an opportunity to build their understanding of the circuit, Strømsted does not expect the session to provide a perfect indication of what to expect later in the weekend.
The FIA Formula 3 field will use the Hard compound tyre in Free Practice before switching to the Medium tyre for Qualifying, creating a significant change in grip levels.
“I think most of the time it’s important to have a good Free Practice for a good place to start,” he said. “Then from there you can build and understand a bit more going into the qualifying.
“Normally there’s a big change of grip in the track itself, especially here where we have the Hard compound tyre for Free Practice and then the Medium for the qualifying.
“But it’s difficult to take anything from the Free Practice into the races. I think the grip levels in the track will be very different from Friday to Sunday. But of course, we’ll have a bit more running on the Hard, so maybe we can try to understand a bit from that.”
Strømsted looking to maintain recent momentum
The return to Spa comes at a positive time for Strømsted, who has enjoyed a strong run of results across the previous two rounds of the championship.
The TRIDENT driver finished inside the top five in all four races at Spielberg and Silverstone, including a Feature Race victory at the Red Bull Ring.
With that momentum behind him, Strømsted is hoping to continue the progress he has made over the last two rounds.
“I think the last two weekends have been quite good,” he said. “I’ll just try to keep the momentum and keep the things I’ve been doing the last two weekends.”
However, Strømsted knows that continuing that form at Spa will require a strong performance from the very beginning of the weekend.
Qualifying is expected to be particularly important at the Belgian circuit, where the long lap and slipstream effect can have a significant impact on the starting order.
“I think you need a good qualifying, like always you have to be in the front positions,” he continued. “From there, it is about tyre management.
“It’s about how you manage the race with overtaking and how much you save your tyres for the last part of the race. It will be a bit like in Austria, I believe.”
With a previous F3 victory already secured at Spa-Francorchamps, Strømsted will be hoping his return to the circuit can once again produce a strong result.
Following his recent run of four consecutive top-five finishes, the TRIDENT driver arrives in Belgium with momentum on his side. Now, he will look to convert that form into another successful weekend at the scene of his maiden F3 victory.
