Pedro Clerot is preparing for the biggest challenge of his career as he takes on the 2026 FIA Formula 3 Championship with Rodin Motorsport. Despite being the only rookie of the three-man Rodin Motorsport F3 team, Clerot is optimistic about the season ahead, eager to apply the lessons learned during his previous campaigns.
Clerot maximising every opportunity to prepare for the season ahead
Clerot has spent much of the winter break preparing for the new season by dedicating countless hours to both the simulator and the gym. He has also been traveling extensively between Portugal and the UK to get closer to his new team, spending quality time with his engineer and the wider team. This hands-on approach to preparation has been incredibly beneficial.
“Since the last three post-season tests there has been a lot of hours spent on the sim, lots of hours in the gym as well. It’s been mostly about that,” he said to Formula 3. “I’ve been travelling a lot between Portugal and the UK, just really trying to prepare myself with the team. We spent a lot of time together during the winter break, which was really, really good.”
The work has been productive. Clerot and his team spent valuable time reviewing data from the post-season tests, which has helped identify areas of strength and those requiring improvement.
“We got a chance to look over the data that we gathered over the three tests, and we could see what we did right, what we could improve and what we could work on. It’s been nice. I’m excited for the season to start, I cannot wait. I’m getting bored already of not driving.”
A career-best challenge ahead
The 2026 FIA F3 season marks the biggest leap in Clerot’s career to date. Having progressed through various ranks of motorsport, including Brazilian F4 and the Formula Regional European Championship, he sees this step as crucial for his development.
“It’s the biggest step of my career so far, so I’m really, really excited and really looking forward to it,” he commented. Clerot acknowledges that F3 is a challenging championship, but he is eager to embrace the tough competition and learn from it.
“I know it’s a very challenging championship and the level is, I would say, probably the highest it’s been in the last few years. Over the tests, we could really see how much the drivers could make a difference and how much you need to be on top of everything. So, I’m really excited.”
Clerot reflects on the legacy of Rodin Motorsport ahead of 2026 F3 debut
One of the key motivating factors for Clerot joining Rodin Motorsport is the team’s strong track record of developing future Formula 1 drivers. With names like Christian Ho and Brando Badoer alongside him, Clerot knows he will be learning from some of the best in the business.
“I’m really excited for the opportunity to work with a team that has such a strong legacy,” said Clerot. “All the background that the team has, all these drivers they have worked with that have made it into F1 and as professional drivers, they worked with the people I’m working with right now. The knowledge that the team has and is now passing on to me, and I’m learning so much with them.”
The level of experience at Rodin Motorsport is something that adds a lot of value to his own development as a driver. The Brazilian is already feeling the benefit of his time with the team.
Clerot on pre-season testing and gearing up for his 2026 F3 campaign with Rodin Motorsport
As the pre-season test in Barcelona approaches, Clerot is keen to get back into the rhythm of driving. He feels that the most important thing for the test is to familiarise himself with the car once again and assess the team’s progress since the post-season tests.
“The first thing is just being back in the car, you know? It’s a big test. So, we’re going to see how everything feels, what we’re looking like and then from there, we have our test plans that we want to do.”
While he is keeping some of the details of their plans under wraps, Clerot is confident that the team is prepared to address areas where they were lacking in previous tests.
“We want to test some stuff out that we couldn’t do last year, maybe we could try to do something new. So, we have a good plan and setup. I won’t give too many details, but we have some really good stuff already from last year, and things that are already in place.”
As for his personal development, Clerot is aware that there are areas he needs to work on to refine his driving.
“We’re focused on working on the other parts where we saw we were lacking a little bit. Also, driving-wise, I have a couple of things I need to work on and develop. So, it’ll be good to have these three days before Melbourne, for sure.”
Building towards 2026
Looking ahead to the start of the season, Clerot feels prepared and optimistic about the work he has put in so far. With a solid foundation already in place, he is eager to continue making strides in his development.
“I’m excited to get going in 2026 with Rodin after a positive post-season test,” said Clerot. “It’s a really big step in my career, it’s very special.”
