Brad Benavides approaches the 2026 campaign in the FIA Formula 3 Championship with a perspective shaped by both setbacks and success. Now continuing with AIX Racing for a full season, Benavides arrives with clear ambition and the most experience on the 2026 F3 grid.
The 2024 Euroformula Open champion has taken anything but a conventional route through the junior ranks. From an interrupted early single-seater career to a challenging stint in Formula 2 and a mid-season return to F3 in 2025, Benavides has navigated financial hurdles and competitive resets. However, strong qualifying performances and front-row starts last year signalled renewed momentum.
Speaking during a media session attended by Pit Debrief ahead of the 2026 F3 season, Benavides reflected candidly on the journey that brought him back into contention — and the hunger that continues to drive him.
An unorthodox journey through the junior ranks
Unlike many of his contemporaries, Benavides did not progress seamlessly through the single-seater ladder. He began racing later than most and endured breaks between campaigns, often dictated by circumstance rather than performance. When asked by Pit Debrief, about how his hunger for success has evolved since his earlier stint in Formula 3, Benavides highlighted unorthodox junior career, and the structural challenges that he faced in building continuity.
“Well, I’ve had, honestly, a very unorthodox career path until now. I’ve had sort of sabbatical years in between my single-seater racing. I also started quite late. And I would say that perhaps also when I started, it wasn’t as optimised as it could have been. As you all know, racing is a very financially contingent sport. And the more money you have, clearly, the easier racing can be. So on that end, I guess my racing has been quite unorthodox and quite difficult to be where I am now.”
Experience reshapes ambition for Benavides in 2026 F3 campaign
Now 24, Benavides carries the benefit of experience across F3, F2 and championship-winning machinery in Euroformula Open. That broader exposure alters the way he views opportunity. Having ended 2025 with front-row pace and signs of consistency, he believes the ingredients for a genuine breakthrough now exist. Both post-season running last year and winter testing ahead of 2026 have reinforced that belief.
“And so given the opportunity now at my age and my past experiences, to me, obviously, it would be more than a dream if I could continue that good form, that string of good form from last year into this year. And it’s both given the post-season tests last year and the pre-season now that we’re looking quite all right. To be the mix this year, yeah, I guess it’s more than a dream.”
His statement reflected more than optimism. It showed his relief, maturity and ever-strong determination to success despite his past challenges. After years of fighting simply to remain in the sport, Benavides now finds himself in a position where fighting at the front feels realistic.
Hunger forged through adversity
Benavides’ ambition carries a different weight compared to earlier stages of his career. Where once survival defined his objectives, he now speaks openly about sustaining form and contending consistently.
Pre-season indicators suggest that AIX Racing has maintained the upward trajectory shown in the latter stages of 2025. With familiarity inside the team and clearer technical direction, Benavides enters the new campaign intent on converting promise into tangible results.
For a driver whose path has rarely followed a straight line, the prospect of fighting regularly at the sharp end represents validation. As the 2026 F3 season approaches, Benavides positions himself not simply as a participant, but as a contender determined to ensure that this chapter delivers on the potential he has long chased.
