Nicola Lacorte celebrated a landmark moment in his 2026 campaign after claiming his maiden victory on home soil in the Monza Feature Race.
The DAMS Lucas Oil driver started third and survived an unpredictable battle at the front before eventually taking control and resisting Tuukka Taponen and Taito Kato. The victory also delivered DAMS its first F3 Feature Race success and continued Lacorte’s recent improvement after he began building momentum in Hungary.
However, the Italian’s path to victory required patience. Rather than forcing every opportunity in Monza’s slipstream-heavy battle, Lacorte managed his tyres, accepted temporary position losses and trusted opportunities to return later in the race.
Home victory adds to significance of breakthrough
A maiden F3 victory already represented an important milestone for Lacorte, but achieving it at Monza made the result particularly meaningful.
The Italian had expected to compete strongly before Sunday’s race. Nevertheless, converting that potential into victory exceeded even his own expectations.
“It sounds crazy, especially because it’s here in Monza, at my home race. So it feels even more special. But I expected to have a really good result today. Of course, winning is something even more special. So it’s gratifying.”
That confidence came despite a race which placed Lacorte under pressure from the opening metres. He launched well from third but faced limited room against Freddie Slater and Kanato Le into the first chicane.
Rather than risk ending his race immediately, he prioritised completing the opening phase and remaining close enough to attack later.
Lacorte trusts long-race approach to claim win in 2026 Monza F3 Feature Race
Monza’s powerful tow meant drivers regularly traded positions at the front. Lacorte embraced that rhythm rather than treating every lost place as something he needed to recover immediately.
His approach also involved managing unexpected front tyre graining, which appeared earlier than he anticipated.
“I mean, the launch was really good. I couldn’t manage to fight Freddie and Kanato, because T1 is very tight, and I tried to bring the car to the end.
He continued, “I knew it was going to be a long race. So I just put myself behind, managed, got overtaken if it was needed, and then overtook back. And I think it was the perfect strategy. Combined with the management on the tyres, there was quite a lot of graining. I didn’t expect it to be that early, but I managed to clean it quite quickly to get rid of it. It was good at the end.”
That measured approach eventually brought Lacorte into the lead. However, reaching the front created another challenge because Monza rarely allows a leader to feel secure.
With DRS and the tow helping the cars behind, Lacorte initially expected his time at the front to prove brief.
Safety Car tests Lacorte’s focus
Instead, Lacorte retained the lead for longer than he expected before a Safety Car neutralised the race.
The interruption gave him more time to consider what stood within reach, but he quickly recognised that thinking about the outcome could distract him. Therefore, he returned his attention to individual corners and exits once racing resumed.
“So when I got into the lead, I thought it was going to be just for a couple of laps, because the tow and the DRS here is very strong. But actually, I kept it for quite a long time. When it was a Safety Car, I cooled down a bit, and I started to think. It was a bit of a problem, because you shouldn’t think at this point of the race.
“Then I got back in the mindset, and I was just going corner by corner, looking at how to get more and more of a gap with good exits. When I saw the chequered flag, I just had no words. I screamed in the helmet, opened the radio and then after a couple of corners, I couldn’t speak. So of course, it’s a great emotion. I just want to keep this momentum up I started in Hungary, and it’s just getting better now.”
That focus ultimately carried Lacorte through to the chequered flag, where the significance of the victory finally caught up with him.
However, the result also carried major importance beyond his own campaign.
Lacorte rewards DAMS faith
Lacorte’s victory delivered DAMS its first Feature Race win in F3 and represented a significant milestone in the team’s development.
Both driver and team have faced challenges while adapting to the championship, and Lacorte believes their progress has come through the trust each side placed in the other.
He said, “I think they deserve it a lot, because we came here with no experience two years ago. I wasn’t ready for F3. I knew it. The team struggled a bit. It was normal. I expected it. They trusted in me, and I trusted in them, and we just built the performance of today, race by race, lap by lap. I think it just proves how strong we are, and that we can challenge the more experienced teams in this category.”
Monza provided the clearest evidence yet of that development. DAMS not only fought established frontrunners but converted its opportunity into victory under pressure.
Lacorte now wants to carry that progress into the season finale.
Same mindset for Madrid finale
F3 heads next to Madrid for an expanded final round featuring two Qualifying sessions, two Feature Races and a Sprint Race.
Despite the additional points available, Lacorte does not plan to change the method that produced his breakthrough at Monza. Instead, he wants to approach each session independently and concentrate on extracting maximum performance from the car.
“Same as always. Like I started this weekend, just be fast in Practice, be fast in the quali, and then see how it goes. It has to be corner by corner, lap by lap, session by session. I’ll just keep the same mindset. It was tough testing for us in Madrid, so we just need to work more and get the best out of it. I’m sure we can get good satisfaction again.”
DAMS therefore still has work to complete after a difficult Madrid test, but Monza gives the team strong momentum heading into the finale.
For Lacorte, the objective remains simple: continue the progression that began in Hungary and turned into his first F3 victory on home soil.
