Van Amersfoort Racing’s (VAR) Hiyu Yamakoshi has impressed throughout his rookie 2026 F3 season, consistently demonstrating the pace and competitiveness needed to fight at the front of the field.
Having stepped up to F3 after a season in the Formula Regional European Championship (FREC) last year, where he finished ninth in the Drivers’ Standings, the Japanese driver has made two trips to the podium this season. He claimed P2 finishes in the Feature Races at Barcelona and Spa-Francorchamps. Undeniably, the 2026 F3 season has exceeded Yamakoshi’s expectations, with the rookie proving that he has the pace to fight at the front of the field.
“I really didn’t expect to get in a pole position in Red Bull Ring. A podium was expected at some point, but not in the Feature Race.”, Yamakoshi said. “I expected I’d have some podiums in the Sprints, but actually my first podium was in Barcelona, P2. Actually, we were chasing P1 all the way.”
“It was really, really good. For me, I think I made very good progress from last year and from the past few years. Those results really have given me extra confidence going into every race weekend.”
“For me, the biggest thing for my mentality is that I realised I’m not slow. I can compete with the top drivers, the top F1 junior team drivers. I can compete with them, actually I can fight with them, actually I’m sometimes faster than them. That really makes me extra confident.
Learning the ropes with VAR
Alongside Yamakoshi at VAR are fellow rookie Enzo Deligny, who also stepped up to F3 this season, and returning driver Bruno del Pino, who joined the team after spending his rookie campaign with MP Motorsport last year.
“Obviously Enzo is a rookie, same as me, learning as much as we can from Bruno. In the first few rounds, I learned a lot from Bruno, and the team really helped me to put me in the top 10, top 12 all the time.”
“That really helped particularly with tyres. Even from F4, I had different engineers every year telling me, the one thing you need is to be really good in tyre management, which is really crucial in F3 and F2.”
However, for the 19 year-old, the move to F3 has come with the comfort of continuity, having raced with VAR in FREC last year. Yamakoshi also highlighted how well the F3 car has suited his driving style. He heads into the final two rounds of the season seventh in the Drivers’ Standings with 55 points.
“I think the familiarity is really helpful. For me, I know everybody from F4. Of course engineers are different, mechanics are different, but I know them, they know me, and they trust me. That’s the reason why I stayed with VAR in F3.”
“I think also braking, technique-wise, I can brake hard but nicely, complimenting my driving style.”
Yamakoshi motivated to “get some more podiums”
With two rounds and three Feature Races remaining as the season enters its closing stages, Yamakoshi hopes to return to the podium once again.
“I want to get some more podiums. From my mentality side, even on the race weekend, when I’m back to the hotel, I’m completely off from racing.”
“So basically for my summer break, I’ll just take a break as much as I can, chill away from racing, but not gaining any weight, don’t eat too much, obviously! But for me, the most important thing is during the break, just rest as much as I can.”
Despite a pole position and two podiums already under his belt, the Japanese driver is hungry for more. Recognising that strong qualifying results give him the best opportunity to convert his pace into strong results, Yamakoshi heads into the final two rounds of the 2026 F3 season with confidence.
“If we can have good qualifying results, we have more chances to win. So, let’s see. For me, I have really good confidence.”
