Hitech TGR’s Nikita Johnson made a late-season debut during the 2025 FIA F3 season, offering a glimpse of his potential as he gained experience with two different teams. The 17 year-old has yet to contest in a full F3 campaign but has kept himself busy in 2025, competing across multiple series including Formula Regional Oceania, IndyNXT and GB3.
Since making his single-seater debut in 2022, Johnson has spent much of his career racing in the United States before branching out into Europe by joining the GB3 grid last year. As he continues to transition further into the European single-seater ladder, the 17 year-old faces a steep learning curve in FIA F3, where he still has plenty of room to grow before mounting a serious challenge against the series’ highly competitive field.
While it is still uncertain whether the American will return to F3 next year, his brief stint in the series offered us a glimpse into his progress and potential moving forwards.
Debut at Red Bull Ring with DAMS Lucas Oil
Ahead of the F3 Austrian GP, Johnson stepped in at DAMS Lucas Oil to replace Nicola Lacorte, who was handed a race ban after reaching 12 penalty points. The 17 year-old endured a tough debut, qualifying last in P30. He then went on to work his way through the field to cross the line 18th in the Sprint Race and 22nd in the Feature Race. While his first weekend didn’t deliver standout results, this wasn’t the last time we saw the American on the 2025 F3 grid as he would soon return to demonstrate clear signs of progress and improvement.
A return to the grid with Hitech
Soon after his debut, Johnson was announced as Jesse Carrasquedo’s replacement at Hitech TGR. Improving from his first outing, the American qualified 26th. However, he struggled to make progress, only managing to finish the Sprint Race in 27th and Feature Race in 23rd. After sitting out the following round at Spa, the 17 year-old returned to the grid at the F3 Hungarian GP once again.
In Budapest, Johnson continued to face challenges, as he qualified 29th and finished the Sprint and Feature Race in 23rd and 21st respectively. Closing out the season with Hitech, the American showed signs of further progress by qualifying 16th at the season-finale in Monza. In the Sprint Race, he achieved his best F3 finish to date by finishing 13th, before he rounded up the season and weekend by crossing the line 20th for the final Feature Race of the season.
Will Johnson join the F3 grid full-time in 2026?
While 2025 marked only a brief stint in F3 for Johnson, his glimpses of potential suggest that he could soon secure a full-time spot on the grid. Ending the season on a relatively positive note, the American still has more performance to unlock and prove on the global stage. With the 2026 grid continuing to take its shape, it may not be long before we learn whether Johnson will commit to a full-time campaign next year.
