After a heartbreaking weekend in Monaco, Van Amersfoort Racing’s Hiyu Yamakoshi continued his strong run of form by securing a career-best Qualifying result at the 2026 F3 Barcelona round, finishing P3 behind Campos Racing’s Ugo Ugochukwu and Théopile Naël. While Van Amersfoort Racing have emerged as unexpected contenders at the front of the field, Yamakoshi has his sights firmly set on redemption.
Speaking in the post-Qualifying press conference, attended by Pit Debrief, the Japanese driver reflected on his session, saying: “Yeah, especially thinking about what happened for me last week. You know, I finished P1 in the sprint in the end. Ten hours later, we got disqualified. I felt like kind of some momentum, but it could be the back-to-back race week here in Barcelona.”
“From Free Practice, I have a quite nice feeling. It just felt like I just needed to put everything together. In the end, I did it and then got P3 by a tenth from Campos Racing, which for me is really happy overall.
“Especially, you know, this is one of the best results for the Japanese F3 driver. Also, it’s quite special for me.”
Maximising every opportunity on Sunday
Despite losing his Sprint Race victory last weekend, Yamakoshi explained that another strong result serves as extra confidence and momentum. While the setback did not deter him, he emphasised that the focus is now on maximising the opportunity in Sunday’s Feature Race.
“Yeah, definitely. This is like, you know, extra confidence and extra momentum for me. I don’t think I feel like I lost momentum after disqualifying, but still, some of the momentum from finishing P1 across the line is still there. I just carried a bit of that momentum and then I got some other momentum for today.”, he said.
“You know, we are starting from P3. You say, two of the guys jump straight into P1 before the after start. I think it’s a good chance to start from P3, so use all the chance and get the maximum points as possible for the team.”
However, of course if the opportunity arises, the Japanese driver admitted that he will be aiming for victory as he seeks redemption after having his win stripped away from him in Monaco.
“I’m going to say, yeah, of course, winning is the best thing.”
“Especially, I lost the trophy basically, so I need to get my trophy back, so.”, Yamakoshi joked.
Take it as it comes mindset for Sunday’s Feature Race
When asked by Pit Debrief how crucial tyre management will be in shaping both races, Yamakoshi explained: “For me, starting from P3, of course, there’s a real big chance after T1, after the start. Obviously, in P3, of course, I think there’s going to be a difference. Anyway, from my point of view, just see what I can do for the first lap and then see the other [cars’] paces.”
“That’s the time I’m going to decide what I’m going to do and what position is best for me. Just basically follow everybody, I mean, follow two of the guys and if possible, just overtake in the last few laps. That’s the idea for me.”
With motivation higher than ever, Yamakoshi said: “For me, I’m very excited for Sunday.”
“All the social media, I got disqualified, blah, blah, blah.”, he joked. “All my fans, all the Japanese people really support me, strongly support me. And when I saw that comment, I feel like, for me, it’s really helpful.”
Eyeing redemption, he hopes to return to the top step of the podium on Sunday.
He added: “It’s just, even though it’s not about the motivation but it is about the momentum as well, it’s just, I want the trophy. I want to go back to the podium, I want to get back to the top of the podium, that’s the main thing for me this week.”
Van Amersfoort Racing continues to make their mark in 2026
The team has clearly found pace and performance, arriving at each weekend relatively competitive with all three cars.
With Yamakoshi’s teammates Bruno del Pino and Enzo Deligny securing a one-two finish for the team in the Melbourne Sprint Race, he explained that while it has taken some time to settle into the championship, he hopes the team’s underlying pace and potential will be reflected this weekend, allowing him to bring home a strong result for the squad.
“Yeah, obviously, I had not the best first round, opening round in Melbourne. But still, I had a pace, and the team had a pace. So, for me, we had potential from Melbourne. So, I just didn’t really adapt to the Formula One weekend.”
“But now, it feels like I have confidence to take this Formula One weekend compared to my Formula Regional year last year. So, for me, I can carry this momentum and this result for the team.”
