Hiyu Yamakoshi will make his FIA Formula 3 debut at the start of the 2026 season with Van Amersfoort Racing, marking a pivotal milestone in his single-seater career—one he describes as a dream come true. With only a handful of Japanese drivers progressing to F3, this step represents both personal achievement and national significance for the 19-year-old.
Continuing a trusted partnership with Van Amersfoort Racing
Van Amersfoort Racing is a familiar environment for Yamakoshi. He first joined the Dutch outfit during the 2023 UAE Formula 4 season and has continued to develop within their programme since. As he prepares for the biggest leap of his career so far, he expressed how important that continuity will be.
“Really happy to be stepping up to F3 next year with Van Amersfoort Racing. It will be my third year working with them, which I think will be really helpful for next season, it’s a team I’m really happy working with.”
For Yamakoshi, the excitement goes beyond the team itself. His debut season will also mark his first experience racing during a Formula 1 weekend—something he has imagined since childhood.
“It’ll be my first time racing in a Championship on a Formula 1 race weekend. It’s very exciting and new for me, and it’s something I’ve dreamt about for a long time. So I’m super excited and super happy.”
Post-season testing: A crucial step towards 2026
Following the conclusion of the 2025 F3 season, drivers took part in three rounds of post-season testing at Jerez, Barcelona, and Imola. For Yamakoshi, these sessions played a vital role in preparing for his rookie year, offering his first meaningful mileage in F3 machinery.
He admitted that his first day in the car came with a few surprises—particularly the level of grip available at Jerez.
“The first test in Jerez – I was really surprised by how much grip the tyre had. Also, how much power the cars have. I opened DRS and you feel the car gaining that extra speed, which was really surprising. I don’t know how it’ll work out in the races, but even in the tests, it felt really powerful.
Beyond adapting to the power and handling, Yamakoshi quickly learned the importance of tyre management, especially warm-up—one of the defining challenges for newcomers in F3.
“It was very important though to learn for next year. The tyre warmup in particular, everyone is saying how important the tyre warmup is in F3. Making sure the tyres are up to temperature is how you make it grip, and in Qualifying it’ll be very important to understand.”
A winter reset before a big year ahead
With the 2025 season and post-season tests complete, Yamakoshi’s racing commitments have paused until the new year. He plans to return home to Japan for the winter break, using the time to rest and reconnect with family before shifting his focus fully towards 2026.
“I won’t be doing any racing over the winter, I’ll be heading back to Japan in December to see my family and friends. I’ll just reset, take some time away from racing and then it’ll be full focus for February, meeting back up with the team and then heading off to pre-season testing.”
After a well-deserved reset, Yamakoshi will begin preparations with VAR in February before travelling to Australia for Round 1. With a trusted team behind him and valuable insight gained from testing, his highly anticipated debut season promises to be an exciting new chapter in his career.
