Nicola Lacorte believes his third-place Qualifying finish at Monza demonstrated what he and DAMS Lucas Oil can achieve after a difficult 2026 F3 campaign.
The Italian secured P3 for Sunday’s Feature Race despite having only one push lap during the second Qualifying group, with the drivers leaving their final runs extremely late. He was later promoted to P2 after TRIDENT’s Matteo De Palo was disqualified.
Speaking during the post-Qualifying press conference attended by Pit Debrief, Lacorte explained how he maximised that single opportunity, dealt with losing his tow partway through the lap and took confidence from showing competitive pace at his home round.
The result continues an encouraging recent period for Lacorte, who pointed to previous performances at Spielberg and Budapest as evidence that both he and the team have possessed more potential than their season results have always suggested.
Lacorte maximises only push lap in Monza Qualifying
Lacorte entered his final Qualifying attempt knowing there would be no second opportunity if anything went wrong. Group B left the pit lane late, preventing the drivers from completing their originally planned preparation and leaving them with a single representative push lap.
His lap initially developed well as he benefited from the powerful Monza slipstream. However, the car ahead subsequently went off, leaving Lacorte without a tow for the remainder of the lap and forcing him to complete the fastest sections alone.
“As Freddie said, we only had one push lap in the end, which was not ideal for the tyres or for what we had planned. Of course, you have to get the most out of it, and that’s what the team and I did. I think pole was really difficult today, but we did what we could. My lap started well with a good tow. As you said, it was very powerful. Unfortunately, I finished without a tow because the car in front of me went off, so I was on my own for the rest of the lap. I’m really happy with the pace because it will also be important to have good pace without a tow tomorrow. I think we did a really good job, considering the season so far.”
Lacorte nevertheless produced enough pace to secure third, giving himself a strong starting position for the Feature Race.
Tow remains the preferred compromise at Monza
Monza forces teams to balance straight-line performance with the aerodynamic grip required through faster corners such as the Lesmos and Ascari. A strong tow can produce a substantial lap-time gain down the straights, but following another car closely also reduces the downforce available through high-speed sections.
Lacorte believes the advantage gained from the slipstream still outweighs that compromise. Rather than avoiding the turbulent air through the corners, he sees the challenge as extracting as much performance as possible from those sections before capitalising on the larger gain along the straights.
“I think the best option is to have a tow, even though you know you’re going to lose some downforce in fast corners like the Lesmos and Ascari. You just need to deal with it, get the most out of those fast corners, and take the advantage on the straights.”
His own Qualifying lap demonstrated both sides of that equation. Lacorte benefited from the tow initially before losing it later, making his eventual P3 finish particularly encouraging given how heavily Monza rewards following another car.
Lacorte takes confidence from home Qualifying result
The top-three result carries additional significance after a season in which Lacorte has frequently struggled to convert his underlying pace into headline results.
Asked about the importance of gaining confidence from beginning his home weekend near the front, the Italian pointed to previous flashes of competitiveness at Spielberg and Budapest. He believes the recent performances reflect the level both he and DAMS have been capable of throughout the year, even if the results have not consistently demonstrated it.
“Yeah, for me, it’s very important to show what me and the team are capable of, as we did in Austria and Hungary. I think we’re on a good moment now. We have a good momentum from Hungary. I think we’re just showing what we’re capable of. It’s been a difficult season, for sure, but I know that me and the team are fast. So we’re just doing what we need to do. It’s just our job.”
Monza therefore provides Lacorte with another opportunity to turn improving form into a substantial points return, particularly with his Feature Race starting position placing him immediately among the leading contenders.
One-lap pressure reflects demands of F3
The unusual conclusion to Group B placed considerable pressure on every driver, with the clock running down while they remained in the pits before their final run. Lacorte believes that situation, while difficult, also reflects one of the fundamental demands of the F3 environment.
Drivers receive limited track time throughout a weekend and must therefore perform immediately when opportunities arise. With Group B unable even to complete its full planned tyre warm-up, extracting the maximum from the Soft compound became another important element of the final attempt.
“Yeah, as I said, we only had one lap, as you reminded. It was more difficult compared to [the] first group. So yeah, I think it’s what we’re here for, especially in F3 and F2. We get to do very few laps from Practice to Quali. And that’s what you need in this championship: to be on it every time you hit the track. As Freddie said, we didn’t even get to do the full warm-up. So, whoever gets the best out of the tyres in this weird situation gets the best. So, I think we did a good job with that.”
Lacorte’s ability to deliver immediately proved decisive, particularly after his tow disappeared during the lap.
Lacorte on his approach to the 2026 Monza F3 Sprint and Feature races
While Lacorte secured a front-row-contending position for Sunday, the reversed-grid format means he will start considerably further back in Saturday’s Sprint Race.
Asked by Pit Debrief what he expects to achieve from that lower starting position and what information Saturday could provide for the Feature Race, Lacorte emphasised the value of additional mileage. He sees the Sprint as an opportunity to gather data while applying the racecraft developed through spending much of the season fighting in the midfield.
“Yeah, it’s important to get the mileage because, as I said, we have really little mileage in this category. So, the more data we can bring, the [better] it is for engineers and us. For me, it’s going to be something quite usual because I’ve been fighting a lot in the middle of the pack this year. So I’ll just do what I’ve done so far. It seems to work, and it will be fun to come back and then to start on the front the day after.”
That experience could prove useful around Monza, where slipstreaming and DRS are expected to create substantial movement throughout the field.
Lacorte eyes opportunity from front of Feature Race grid
Saturday will offer Lacorte a chance to understand how the car behaves in traffic before he returns towards the front for Sunday’s Feature Race. His Qualifying performance already demonstrated competitive pace both with and without a tow, something he believes could become particularly valuable during the races.
The Sprint should also provide DAMS with additional information on tyre behaviour, overtaking and the effectiveness of the slipstream before Lacorte approaches Sunday from a very different starting position. For a driver who has spent much of 2026 battling through the midfield, Saturday’s task will feel familiar, but the reward comes one day later when he starts from P2, having inherited the position after De Palo’s penalty.
After describing the season as difficult, Lacorte now has an opportunity to turn his recent momentum into one of his strongest weekends of the campaign. His single-lap Qualifying performance has already given him the platform, and the Italian believes it serves as another reminder of the pace he and DAMS have been capable of producing.
