After an unfortunate Sprint Race DNF, Brando Badoer quickly returned to form to claim a dominant Feature Race victory at the 2026 F3 Monaco GP round.
The Rodin Motorsport driver started P2 after topping Group A Qualifying, but missing out on pole to Théophile Naël. At lights out, however, Badoer was the one to get a better launch off the line, immediately claiming the race lead. He managed a clean safety car restart on Lap 4 before extending his lead at the front, and comfortably crossing the chequered flag in P1 to claim his maiden F3 victory.
Speaking during the FIA F3 Monaco Feature Race press conference, attended by Pit Debrief, Badoer shared: “I’m very happy. It feels really special. Me and the boys have been working really hard to be at the top, and yet to be the first one in Monte Carlo. Yeah, it’s great.”
Navigating the F3 Monaco Feature Race
Despite already having the advantage of starting on the front row, Badoer explained the importance of having a strong launch off the line, given the narrow and difficult-to-overtake nature of the Circuit de Monaco:
“Yeah, it was a great start. I was aware that it had to happen at the start if I wanted to win the race. So yeah, I tried to do my best, even after what I learned on the Sprint yesterday. And yeah, today it worked out, I led after T1 and managed the race.”
“It’s definitely a valuable weekend also for what we have in front,” he added, looking ahead to the following F3 Barcelona round. “We have a lot of rounds before the summer break now. So yeah, to get a lot of our momentum, we need to stay grounded, work hard and try to extract the most from every round.“
Badoer on winning in Monte Carlo
This Feature Race win carries extra weight for the Italian as it marks his maiden F3 win. Reflecting on what it means to secure the full 25 points at the iconic Monaco track, he briefly shared:
“It feels great. If I had to pick a race to win this year, it would be Monaco. So yeah, I’m looking forward to other memories like this.”
However, the significance of winning in Monaco is heightened by the circuit’s unique demands. Asked by Pit Debrief what has been the biggest challenge of the weekend, Badoer highlighted the importance of delivering under pressure in Qualifying.
“Yeah, I would say the key part is qualifying, because you need to deliver a very good lap and being on the limit of the walls, of course, if you want to have a good starting position. So, I would pick that.”
Surviving the chaos
The 2026 F3 Monaco GP has seen 8 DNFs across the Sprint and Feature Races. Notably, Badoer became one of those retirements during the opening lap of the Sprint Race, where he suffered from damage in a hairpin incident beyond his control.
Having to reset his focus for the Feature Race, he praised the Rodin Motorsport team and himself for recovering quickly and running without any previous race data.
“Yeah, the Sprint Race was chaotic yesterday, of course,” he said. “I got taken out in lap one, it was unfortunate. And yeah, I mean, didn’t learn anything from the car, didn’t have any data after the Sprint yesterday because of it. But we were aware the big points were coming today and it turned out well.”
When asked whether Monaco has become more about survival than pure race strategy, he echoed the words of P3 finisher Freddie Slater, who explained that drivers naturally take risks when opportunities arise.
“Yeah, I agree with what Freddie [Slater] is saying. Of course, it’s a particular race. Even more than in the other rounds, the race is basically settled on Friday in Qualifying. Then, of course, we are racing as we want to race, but it’s different than in the other tracks, for sure. You need to be more careful and strategic.”
Staying focused in 2026
Badoer was part of the McLaren Driver Development program in 2024 and 2025; however, the partnership ended heading into 2026 after a tough F3 rookie campaign. Driving for PREMA Racing in 2025, Badoer finished the season sitting P25 in the Drivers’ Standings with 13 points.
Reflecting on whether leaving the program has influenced his mindset, Badoer concluded:
“I don’t think anything changed, to be fair. I’ve always been focusing on myself, enjoying myself. Last year, definitely things didn’t go right. I wasn’t in the best situation, and it was a tough one. Then, at the end of the season, together with McLaren, both parts, we decided to part the way. It doesn’t change anything for me. I’m always focusing on doing my job on track and delivering on track. Basically, that’s it.”
With his 2026 F3 Monaco Feature Race win, Badoer moves up to P4 in the Drivers’ Standings.
