Ernesto Rivera ended his rookie FIA Formula 3 campaign seventh in the 2026 Drivers’ Championship, but the final standings tell only part of the story behind an eventful first F3 season for the Mexican.
An injury disrupted his preparations before the championship began and forced him to miss both pre-season testing and the opening round in Melbourne. However, Rivera quickly recovered lost ground after joining the field, taking two victories and establishing himself among the championship’s leading contenders.
The Campos Racing driver also contributed to the Spanish team’s second consecutive Teams’ Championship and entered the final round in Madrid with an opportunity to finish inside the top three in the Drivers’ Standings. Although a difficult finale ultimately dropped him to seventh, Rivera left his first F3 campaign with victories at Spielberg and Spa-Francorchamps, renewed confidence and valuable experience for the next stage of his career.
Rivera exceeds his own expectations in rookie F3 campaign in 2026
Rivera entered the year with his preparation already compromised, yet he eventually turned an uncertain start into a season that exceeded his own expectations. Once he returned to competition, he regularly challenged near the front and quickly began accumulating points.
Reflecting on the campaign, while speaking to Formula 3, Rivera acknowledged that his performances surpassed what he had anticipated before the season began.
“I think it has gone really well, for sure better than what I expected and probably what most people expected,” Rivera explained.
“I missed the start the season because of the back injury and also missed the pre-season test. But since Monaco I’ve been on it honestly. For sure I’ve made some mistakes and lost some points but I think it’s been a really good rookie campaign.”
His eventual championship position therefore came after a particularly difficult opening to the year. Rather than using testing and the first round to familiarise himself with the car, tyres and team procedures, Rivera had to complete that learning process after his rivals had already accumulated valuable mileage.
Injury creates difficult start before European return
Rivera’s problems began while he competed in the Formula Regional Oceania Championship in New Zealand. A back injury during the final race disrupted his planned transition into his FIA F3 programme with Campos and sent him back to Mexico instead of directly into preparations for the European season.
The setback also compounded what Rivera already considered a difficult campaign in New Zealand. Consequently, he entered his recovery period at a point when he had wanted to turn his focus towards F3 and begin building momentum with his new team.
“I was having a tough campaign in New Zealand, in the Formula Regional Oceania, and yeah honestly I just wanted to get back to Europe and start with the test in F3 and with Campos.
“It was tough having the injury in the last race of the championship in New Zealand. I ended up having to go to Mexico, and in that first week, I was only able to walk, not do anything else and I was just sitting there watching the times of the test and yeah, it was tough mentally the first week.
“After that I just said to myself there’s nothing you can do, just try to treat the recovery as positively as possible and let’s see if you can come back to Melbourne.
“We decided I couldn’t race in Melbourne because I was not even going to the gym yet, I still had a lot of pain.
“I lost a lot of muscle. I was like six kilos lighter because of the muscle loss, so it was tough to be as prepared as possible for Monaco.”
Rivera therefore had to focus first on regaining his physical condition before he could consider making his championship debut. Missing Melbourne also increased the competitive challenge, as the rest of the field gained another full weekend of experience before he entered the car for the first time in a race environment.
Immediate Monaco pace launches Rivera’s recovery
Despite that lack of preparation, Rivera immediately demonstrated his potential when he finally joined the championship in Monaco. The demanding street circuit offered little margin for error, yet he finished fifth in the Feature Race on his debut weekend.
That result provided the first indication that Rivera could overcome his disrupted start and compete near the front. Three races later, he converted that potential into his first FIA F3 victory when he won the Spielberg Sprint Race.
The speed of his progress surprised even Rivera, who had entered the championship without expecting to achieve such strong results so quickly.
“I thought I could do good, not as good as I’ve done honestly. I didn’t have such high expectations, but yeah I think I made a lot of progress. I’ve tried to work really hard and improve in all the areas as possible.
“Qualifying, I’ve always been there, but maybe the races I’ve struggled a bit more with tyre deg and I’ve been improving quite a lot. I hope to carry these learnings for the rest of my career.”
Rivera identified race management as one of the principal areas of development across the season. While his qualifying pace regularly placed him in competitive positions, he needed to adapt to the demands of tyre degradation and longer race stints at FIA F3 level.
That learning process gradually strengthened his overall performances. As the season progressed, Rivera combined his underlying pace with greater control over tyre management and race execution, helping him convert promising starting positions into stronger results.
Spa victory becomes highlight of rookie season
After securing his first victory in the Spielberg Sprint Race, Rivera set his sights on winning a Feature Race. He did not have to wait long, with the breakthrough arriving at Spa-Francorchamps.
The Belgian circuit already ranked as Rivera’s favourite European track, and his performance there brought together several of the areas he had worked to improve throughout the season. He managed his tyres, controlled the race and capitalised on a strong Campos package to claim his second victory of the campaign.
“For sure winning in Spa is my highlight. It’s my favourite track of Europe and I did a great race. The car was great, tyre management was great and yeah, overall it was a good weekend. It’s where I gained a lot of points, climbed the standings with that win and I think that is the highlight of the season.”
The result also strengthened Rivera’s championship position and placed him firmly in contention near the front of the standings. More significantly, the victory demonstrated how much progress he had made since missing the beginning of the season.
Instead of merely recovering from his early disadvantage, Rivera developed into a race winner capable of challenging at one of the calendar’s most demanding circuits.
2026 F3 Madrid setback costs Rivera top-three opportunity
Rivera carried that progress into the latter stages of the championship and arrived at the Madrid finale still fighting for a top-three position in the Drivers’ Standings. His performances had also helped Campos Racing move towards another Teams’ Championship, giving the Spanish outfit an opportunity to secure consecutive titles.
However, the final weekend did not deliver the results Rivera needed. The difficult Madrid round proved costly in the Drivers’ Championship and ultimately left him seventh in the final standings.
Nevertheless, that late setback did little to erase the wider progress of his rookie year. Rivera had started the season without pre-season testing, missed Melbourne entirely and entered Monaco still rebuilding the physical condition he had lost during his injury lay-off. From there, he won twice, challenged near the front of the standings and helped Campos secure another Teams’ Championship.
Rivera takes greater self-belief from 2026 F3 season
Beyond the victories and championship results, Rivera identified confidence as one of the most important gains from his rookie campaign. The Red Bull Junior Team driver entered the year with doubts about his own capabilities, but his performances against an experienced FIA F3 field helped change that outlook.
For Rivera, the season therefore delivered progress beyond the technical lessons associated with tyres, qualifying and race management.
“I’ve got to trust myself more. Sometimes last year I wasn’t so confident in myself and after this year, I know that I can do it.
“I think it has helped me a lot, for my confidence, I think that’s where I improved a lot away from the driving side of things. I started to trust myself more and handle those pressure scenarios better.”
That change in mindset arguably represents one of the most valuable outcomes of Rivera’s first season at this level. He entered 2026 recovering from an injury that prevented him from testing or racing at the opening round, yet he finished it as a two-time FIA F3 winner and a contributor to Campos Racing’s championship success.
Seventh place ultimately fell short of the top-three finish that remained possible before Madrid. However, Rivera’s recovery from his disrupted preparation, immediate competitiveness in Monaco, victories at Spielberg and Spa and increased confidence gave his rookie campaign a far more significant legacy than his final championship position alone suggests.
