Ahead of the F3 Austrian GP, DAMS Lucas Oil has announced 17 year-old American Nikita Johnson as the replacement for a race-banned Nicola Lacorte this weekend.
Earlier this year, Johnson began his year by competing in the Formula Regional Oceania Championship, where Red Bull’s young prodigy and current F2 driver Arvid Lindblad claimed the title. The American finished close behind in P3, racking up five podiums, one race win with 305 points to finish.
2025 commitments: Full-time in GB3 and part-time in Indy NXT
Johnson has committed full-time to the GB3 Championship. After a rookie season with Velocity Racing Development by Arden in 2024—a team formed by a partnership between an American team and Red Bull Racing Team Principal Chrisitian Horner’s team—Johnson finished 11th overall with 193 points and claimed two race wins. This year, he returned to the series in hopes of a better season with Hitech TGR. Following an impressive season-opener back in April, Johnson walked away from the weekend at Silverstone with a P3 finish in Race 2. Currently, with three rounds completed, the American sits P9 in the Drivers’ Standings with two podium-finishes and 113 points to his name.
In addition, Johnson has committed to juggling his time by competing in two series’ this year. Alongside his GB3 campaign, the 17 year-old races part-time with HMD Motorsports in Indy NXT, where he has participated in the St Petersburg and Indianapolis Motor Speedway rounds. Currently, Johnson sits in P21 in the Drivers’ Standings having accumulated 55 points so far.
2025 has been a packed year for Johnson, with the American having already raced in three different championships: Formula Regional Oceania, GB3 and Indy NXT. Now, he adds a fourth as he steps up to Formula 3 for the Austrian GP.
Lacorte sits out F3 Austrian GP after receiving race ban
The European triple-header proved costly for Nicola Lacorte, as a series of penalties accumulated to a race-ban has now allowed Johnson to step in for one round. The Italian has amassed 14 penalty points, but has since reseted to 2 active points as the season enters its second-half—a tough blow in what has been a challenging rookie season.
With six of ten rounds completed, Lacorte has repeatedly found himself in trouble almost every weekend. From track-limits in Melbourne to getting black-flagged in Monaco, Lacorte’s rookie F3 campaign has plagued by mistakes. As the 18 year-old Italian sits out a round, he’ll be hoping to reset, find stronger form and bounce back as F3 heads into back-to-back rounds in Spielberg and Silverstone.
Focus is on GB3 rather than Indy NXT
Following the first round in Silverstone, Pit Debrief had the opportunity to speak to Johnson exclusively about his racing endeavours in 2025. Having committed to GB3 and Indy NXT, the American confirmed his sole focus remains on doing well in GB3, in preparation for the step up to FIA Formula 3.
Johnson said: Just to get more prep for FIA F3 because we want to go the Formula 1 route. I think that’s the most appealing right now while still keeping some tabs in the States by doing some Indy NXT races.
“Because I didn’t really get. I don’t know how to explain it, but I didn’t have any really good offers for a full season. And we always wanted to go to F1 and chase the F1 dream, so we chose to do it the other way around than what most people would do.”
With this opportunity, the Austrian GP gives Johnson a valuable chance to prove himself on an international stage and could build a strong case for a future F3 seat. After an impressive run in Formula Regional Oceania and start to his second GB3 campaign, the American is certainly a driver to watch this weekend.
