Yevan David heads into the FIA Formula 3 (F3) Championship’s Spa-Francorchamps Round with renewed confidence after claiming his maiden podium at Silverstone.
The AIX Racing driver made history at the previous round by becoming the first Sri Lankan driver to stand on the FIA Formula 3 podium, delivering a breakthrough result for both himself and his team.
Now, as the championship heads to the iconic Belgian circuit for Round 6, David is hoping to carry that momentum into the second half of his rookie campaign.
Ahead of the Spa-Francorchamps weekend in the F3 Virtual Media Roundtable, Pit Debrief asked David whether there was anything about the championship that he had underestimated before the season began.
“I wouldn’t say I underestimated too much,” David explained. “I know it was going to be a lot of back-to-back races. This is the third doubleheader that we’re going into, but I guess I was a bit surprised with the amount of information that we have to take in.
“Definitely, it’s a lot of information going into every weekend about practice, about quali, about the races, and now with a new track at the end of the year, we have a lot of preparation for that as well.
“I think it’s also the second year of this generation of FIA Formula 3, so we’re still learning a lot as a team, as engineers, mechanics, drivers, so I’d say that information since post-season testing last year has not stopped, and with these back-to-back races, it’s a lot as well.
“We’re learning things about the tracks evolving during the day as well, from practice to quali, so it’s definitely a lot, but it’s always going to be like that in your rookie season, but so far, it’s been very enjoyable.”
Silverstone podium provides AIX Racing boost
David’s Silverstone podium arrived at an important moment for AIX Racing.
The team has endured a difficult campaign, particularly after losing Brad Benavides to injury after he had been the team’s only points scorer at the time.
However, David’s breakthrough result provided a much-needed boost for the team as it entered the second half of the season.
“Yeah, I think it’s been an overall boost in momentum and morale,” David said. “We still are now entering the second half of the season, but it’s happened just before a doubleheader as well, so we can definitely carry that momentum.
“I think more than anything, the morale in the team has been much more belief, much more motivation that we can definitely execute. It was always there, we just needed to kind of put it together, and that’s what happened in Silverstone.
“So yeah, I think as a point of view, I will take that leadership role and kind of guide the team as a lead driver, but in a way that I’m still taking all the information from the engineers, taking all the information from the three drivers.
“I think in the end, it is a team sport as much as it is an individual sport. So having that lead driver role is important, but also making sure that everyone is taking in the information and absorbing like a sponge.
“But yeah, I’m very excited for the rest of the season. I think it’s definitely been a huge boost in momentum.”
For David, the result was not the product of a completely different approach. Instead, it was the reward for finally putting together the execution he had been searching for throughout the opening rounds of the season.
David keeping his feet on the ground after breakthrough podium
The challenge now is to ensure that the Silverstone result becomes a foundation for the rest of his rookie campaign rather than an isolated high point.
Coming off his first podium in the championship and the first FIA Formula 3 podium for Sri Lanka, David was asked what he was doing to carry that momentum into the F3 Spa-Francorchamps Round.
“To be honest, even going into the Silverstone weekend, I kept saying to myself, I mean, nothing much changed in terms of my mentality and mindset,” he said.
“It’s been pretty similar these last few rounds in terms of just executing on every weekend, especially in qualifying, but that’s what happened in Silverstone, just in a better way, definitely better quality of execution.
“So I’d say going into Spa, it’s not much of a mindset mentality or procedure change. It’s more of just like a slight confidence boost in the F3 car.
“I have confidence in myself and the team, but to actually execute and show it in this championship was a huge boost.
“So in terms of the way we’re approaching this weekend, it’s like any other. We’re just keeping our feet on the ground, not getting complacent, and trying to have a good end before the summer break here in Spa and Hungary.”
Weather conditions this weekend
The weather could add another layer of complexity to the weekend, with rain potentially affecting Friday’s running before dry conditions return for the races.
While the question was posed to David, he acknowledged the unique challenge that changing conditions can create at Spa-Francorchamps.
“I think the rain always mixes things up, and it’s very interesting. I love driving in the wet as well. Driving in the wet in Spa would be such an experience. It looks like we only have forecasts for Friday, so it is going to make practice and qualifying difficult.
“We’re going to be looking at more wet lines in terms of a quali lap rather than where to offset for dirty air and spray and overtaking like in the race. We don’t know yet if it’s going to be fully wet for practice or quali, but there is a chance.
“When there’s a chance in Spa, it’s probably a pretty high chance of raining at one point. It’s going to be interesting. We have to just basically take into the procedures what we do in the dry in the wet, look at the lines, look at the references where we can find time, and then just tailor our driving and the setup right for whatever condition it is.
“Overall, from a mindset point of view, it’s very exciting.”
Looking forward to the challenge of Spa
The Belgian circuit offers a completely different challenge to Silverstone, but David is particularly looking forward to the opportunity to push the limits during qualifying.
Asked what he was most looking forward to across the F3 Spa-Francorchamps weekend, David highlighted the unique challenge of producing a fast lap around one of the most iconic circuits in the world.
“Yeah, I’m very much looking forward to having a good quali lap around here, because it’s such a nice track anyways to drive,” he said.
“But to have a quick lap to know that you’re fast, you know, taking these corners at such a limit is such a cool feeling. So obviously, I’m very excited for the racing as well with these long straights and now three DRS zones, there’s going to be a lot of overtaking opportunities.
“But Spa is just one of the tracks where no matter if it’s practice, quali or the race, it’s very enjoyable to drive. So I’m very much looking forward to all of it.”
New Madrid race adds another challenge to rookie season
David will also have an additional challenge waiting for him at the end of the season.
Formula 3 recently announced that Madrid would host an additional Feature Race, creating a new event on the calendar and giving the drivers another unfamiliar circuit to learn.
David was asked how the announcement had changed his mindset for the remainder of the season, particularly with Madrid representing a new track.
“Yeah, to be honest, for the rest of the season, I think it doesn’t change too much for now,” David said. “We’re still focused on what we need to do now, especially this weekend in Spa and then focus on Hungary when we can get there in Monza.
“But it’s going to be interesting in Madrid because we’re probably going to have to keep, let’s say, our energy and our mental attention span for longer because not only is it another race, but it’s a whole Feature Race, which is quite long, another quali session as well.
“So it’s going to be quite difficult, especially with the hot conditions in Spain and learning a new track. It’s going to be a lot of mental loading, but we just have to keep focused, keep everything simple, focus on the basics and, of course, enjoy it because it is the last race of the season.
“It’s going to be our last race of our rookie year in F3 and it’s a new track, so there’s everything to enjoy for sure.”
The F3 Spa-Francorchamps Round
For now, however, David’s focus remains on the 2026 F3 Spa-Francorchamps Round.
The Silverstone podium has given both the driver and AIX Racing renewed belief heading into the second half of the campaign, but David is refusing to change the approach that helped him achieve his breakthrough result.
With the pressure of a rookie season continuing to build and another new challenge now added to the calendar, David is looking to maintain his momentum while continuing to absorb everything that his first FIA Formula 3 campaign has to offer.
