French driver Enzo Deligny is preparing for the next major step in his motorsport journey as he graduates to the FIA F3 Championship with PREMA Racing for the 2026 season. The move follows an impressive campaign in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA), where the 17-year-old demonstrated consistency, pace, and maturity, fighting for the title until the final round before ultimately finishing third overall.
PREMA Racing, known for its dominance in junior single-seater categories and for developing future Formula 1 stars, offers Deligny the perfect environment to continue his rise. His debut outings with the team in post-season testing at Jerez, Barcelona, and Imola gave him valuable experience both in the F3 car and within the structure of the highly successful Italian outfit.
Confidence in PREMA’s proven pedigree
Deligny expressed pride and excitement at joining one of the most successful teams in junior motorsport. After an excellent season in FRECA, he believes that PREMA’s history and technical expertise will be key to his development in F3.
“It sounds great to me. Coming off a strong FRECA campaign this year where we are fighting for the Championship, it’s good to join a prestigious team in F3. Historically, they have always been very good, so I am excited to join then. We are going to work hard this winter to have a very good year next year. Coming from a great team in FRECA, we had talks with numerous teams, but we felt that PREMA was the best team for a first year.”
“They have had a lot of good drivers come through in their history, and there are a lot of engineers here who have experienced mentoring the young drivers that are coming in, so I can really learn a lot in my first year here.”
Embracing the challenge of FIA F3
Deligny recognises that the move from FRECA to F3 represents one of the biggest challenges a young driver can face. The step up in power, downforce, and competition will test both his technical and mental abilities, but he remains confident and ready to rise to the occasion.
“F3 obviously it’s quite a big step coming from FRECA. I think it’s one of the biggest steps there is, so the grid is obviously competitive, but I’ll just do my best and we will see what happens. But I believe in myself, I believe in the team and my personal team around me, so I believe we can do a good job.”
Learning from experienced teammates
For the 2026 season, Deligny joins a PREMA Racing line-up that blends experience and youth. He will be the only rookie in the team, working alongside James Wharton and Louis Sharp, who both return for their second F3 campaigns. Deligny views this as a major advantage in accelerating his learning curve.
“I’m happy to have two really good teammates, both on and off track. I am happy to learn from them, because they are going to be in their second year. So for me it’s just about trying to get up to speed as quickly as possible. But thanks to them I can have their data, and try and see immediately where I can improve.”
By studying his teammates’ data and feedback, Deligny aims to quickly adapt to the F3 car and extract maximum performance from the start of the season.
Preparing physically and mentally for 2026
After completing his first laps in the F3 car during post-season testing, Deligny immediately identified the physical demands of the series as a key area for improvement. Over the winter, he plans to increase his training workload and spend significant time in PREMA’s simulator to refine his preparation.
“I have to do more than what I have done because compared to FRECA and F4, it’s a lot harder physically. Today I’ve had a sense of where I need to work on physically in the winter, so definitely going to do more physical sessions in the winter.”
“With the team, I’ll be doing sim prep. PREMA have a very good simulator, so with the three drivers, we are going to work on the sim, and especially these tests with the actual cars are really important to develop the cars as well.”
Between physical conditioning, simulator sessions, and team collaboration, Deligny is building the foundation for a competitive rookie campaign.
Setting ambitious goals for the season
With testing complete and preparations underway, Deligny enters his debut F3 season with clear and realistic objectives. His emphasis is on maximising performance, limiting mistakes, and ensuring that every race contributes to his development as a driver.
“The goal is first of all to maximise my car is performance, second is to minimise my mistakes, and third is to have no regrets.”
Enzo Deligny’s move to FIA F3 with PREMA Racing marks a pivotal moment in his young career. With his proven speed in FRECA, his professional approach to preparation, and the support of one of the strongest teams in junior motorsport, the French driver appears well-positioned for success.
As the 2026 season approaches, Deligny’s combination of self-belief, hard work, and adaptability could see him emerge as one of F3’s standout rookies — and another name in PREMA’s long legacy of future stars.
