Badoer’s 2025 FIA F3 season with PREMA Racing proved deeply disappointing for the McLaren Development driver. Despite racing for one of the feeder series’ most successful teams, the Italian managed just 13 points across 20 races. He finished 24th in the championship.
A disastrous opening half
Badoer’s 2025 F3 season began catastrophically at Melbourne. Badoer caused a red flag in Qualifying after spinning at Turn 2. This resulted in his fastest lap time being deleted. He finished P20 in the Sprint Race and P26 in the Feature Race. It set an unfortunate tone for the months ahead.
Bahrain offered no improvement. Contact with his teammate, Ugo Ugochukwu left him P22 in the Sprint, before finishing P21 in the Feature Race. Imola provided his best Qualifying result of the opening rounds with P15. However, he could only convert this to P16 and P19 finishes.
Monaco proved costly when Badoer crashed at Sainte Devote during Qualifying, leaving him P24 on the grid. The Feature Race ended on Lap 22 when Nicola Marinangeli spun him into the wall at Portier. It was his first DNF of the season.
Spain brought his second retirement following contact with Nicola Lacorte in the Feature Race. After five rounds, Badoer had zero points and sat 31st in the standings.
A late season turnaround
The second half of Badoer’s 2025 F3 season finally brought results. At Silverstone, despite receiving a post-Sprint Race penalty, he showed improved pace. The real breakthrough came at Spa-Francorchamps. He scored his first points of the season with P9 in the Sprint Race, collecting 2 crucial points.
Budapest proved to be his strongest weekend. Badoer finished P7 in the Feature Race and P6 in the Sprint Race. This earned him 5 and 6 points respectively. These back-to-back results demonstrated the talent that had convinced McLaren to sign him to their junior program.
Unfortunately, the Monza finale couldn’t add to his tally. He left the season with 13 points total.
Team context and 2026 move
As a PREMA driver, expectations were understandably high. However, Badoer’s 2025 F3 season mirrored the Italian squad’s uncharacteristic struggles. They finished 7th in the Teams’ Championship. For 2026, Badoer has secured a move to Rodin Motorsport. He became their first confirmed signing for the upcoming Formula 3 season.
Final Verdict
Badoer’s 2025 F3 season fell dramatically short of expectations. Just 13 points and P24 in the championship represents a significant disappointment. While his late season performances at Spa and Budapest showed promise, they arrived far too late to save his 2025 campaign.
His move to Rodin Motorsport represents a crucial opportunity. He must prove his rookie campaign was merely a learning experience rather than a true reflection of his abilities.
