Pedro Clerot believes his sixth-place finish in the 2026 FIA F3 Drivers’ Championship does not fully reflect the level he and Rodin Motorsport showed during his rookie campaign, after ending the season with a maiden victory and two podiums in Madrid.
The Brazilian produced arguably his strongest weekend of the year at the Madring, coming within 0.012s of pole in the first qualifying session before fighting for the top spot again in the second. He converted that pace into victory in Feature Race 1 and followed it with third in Sunday’s season finale.
The results took Clerot to five podiums for the season and allowed him to sign off his first F3 campaign on a high after a year in which outright pace did not always translate into the results he believed were possible.
Clerot comes within fractions of Madrid pole
Clerot established himself as a contender from qualifying, narrowly missing out on pole to Taito Kato by just 0.012s in the opening session.
His pace remained strong during the second qualifying session, where he again challenged at the front and briefly held the fastest time. Clerot was still pushing on his final attempt when he hit the barrier at the last corner, leaving him third on the grid for Sunday’s second Feature Race.
Despite the mistake, the two sessions demonstrated the speed that Clerot felt had been present throughout much of his first F3 season.
Madrid subsequently gave him the opportunity to convert that pace into the results he had been chasing.
“It was a really special, really special weekend,” Clerot said. “It is really good to finally show what we had, maybe I’d say the whole year in terms of pace.
“Obviously, I’m not going to say luck was on our side, we did the work, we put a lot there in qualifying and we had a very good start yesterday.
“We controlled the race, had really good pace, and the car was incredible. The team did an amazing job, obviously driving was on point as well this weekend, so I’m really happy to put a very strong weekend to end the year.”
Strong start sets up maiden F3 victory
Clerot started Feature Race 1 from second but did not remain there for long.
The Rodin driver launched well enough to take the lead from Kato on the run to the opening corner and controlled proceedings from that point onwards.
Even after the race was interrupted, Clerot kept his composure at the front and ultimately completed a dominant drive to earn his first F3 victory.
The result represented a breakthrough after several podium appearances earlier in the campaign without a win. More significantly, it provided Clerot with the result he felt his pace had threatened for much of the year.
Rather than arriving through an unusual strategy or late-race opportunity, the victory came from a straightforward combination of qualifying near the front, winning the start and controlling the race once ahead.
That made the manner of the result particularly satisfying as Clerot brought his first F3 season towards its conclusion.
Clerot takes cautious approach in season finale
Sunday presented a different challenge.
Starting third, Clerot found himself behind Tuukka Taponen and eventual champion Ugo Ugochukwu on a circuit where overtaking opportunities proved limited.
He remained close enough to apply pressure but resisted taking unnecessary risks, particularly with Rodin also considering its position in the Teams’ Championship.
“It’s very difficult to overtake around here,” Clerot said. “Obviously I was thinking more about the points as well. We’re fighting for the team’s championship as well, so just took it a little bit more careful today.
“But I didn’t really have the opportunity to try to go for the overtake with Ugo. I know he was risking a bit more than me by fighting the championship.
“But anyway it’s another podium, another 15 points in the bag, we showed really good pace on such a difficult track like this, and to be this competitive is very nice, so I’m very happy.”
Clerot ultimately crossed the line third behind Taponen and Ugochukwu, securing his second podium of the Madrid weekend and fifth of the season.
The result also demonstrated a different side of his racecraft from the aggressive start that had delivered victory one day earlier. With little opportunity to make a clean move and points on offer, Clerot prioritised completing the race rather than forcing an attack that could have jeopardised an otherwise excellent weekend.
Madrid provides reward after inconsistent results
The double podium ensured Clerot ended the championship sixth, although the final position left him feeling that the standings did not entirely represent what he and Rodin had been capable of producing.
His rookie campaign featured several strong individual performances before Madrid. Clerot had already reached the podium four times before the final weekend, including second in Spielberg and third at Spa-Francorchamps, but the breakthrough victory remained absent.
Madrid finally provided it.
His qualifying performances were also significant. Missing the first pole by only 0.012s before remaining in the fight for the second showed that Rodin had given Clerot a car capable of competing at the front on an unfamiliar circuit.
The Brazilian then translated that performance across both Feature Races, turning second on the grid into victory in the first before protecting third in the second.
It provided a fitting conclusion to a season in which Clerot felt the underlying level had often been stronger than the championship table suggested.
Clerot labels rookie campaign a success
While Clerot would have preferred to finish higher than sixth, five podiums and a maiden victory gave him plenty of positives to take from his first year in F3.
The Madrid performance also arrived at the ideal moment. Rather than ending the campaign reflecting on missed opportunities, Clerot left the final round having demonstrated his speed over one lap, his ability to control a race from the front and the patience required to secure points when opportunities to attack were limited.
“P6 in the championship maybe doesn’t reflect what I think we had,” said the Brazilian. “Nut anyway, five podiums this year is very special.
“It’s a very successful rookie season, some coulda, woulda, shouldas out there, but I’m just very happy to end the season like this.”
That assessment captured the contrasting elements of Clerot’s year. There were results he believed could have been stronger and opportunities that went unrealised, but Madrid ultimately provided the clearest demonstration of what he and Rodin could achieve when an entire weekend came together.
A maiden victory, another podium and front-running qualifying pace allowed Clerot to close his rookie campaign with his strongest statement of the season — and with tangible reward for the potential he believes had been present long before the championship reached Madrid.
