Jin Nakamura turned a difficult Silverstone weekend into a major confidence boost at Spa-Francorchamps, claiming his maiden FIA Formula 3 (F3) victory in Saturday’s Sprint Race.
The Hitech driver was originally expected to start from reverse-grid pole after qualifying 12th on Friday. However, a three-place grid penalty for driving unnecessarily slowly on the racing line dropped him to P4.
That setback did little to stop Nakamura.
A strong start saw him gain a position into Turn 1 before he used the tow down the Kemmel Straight to move past Pedro Clerot and take control of the race.
Although two Safety Car restarts threatened to disrupt his advantage, Nakamura held his nerve to cross the line ahead of Rodin Motorsport’s Brando Badoer and Pedro Clerot, securing his first FIA F3 victory.
Speaking in the FIA Formula 3 post-Sprint Race press conference, attended by Pit Debrief, Nakamura admitted he was simply delighted to finally take the top step.
“Yeah, I’m just super happy. I started from P4, I thought I was going to start from P1 yesterday, but yeah, I got a penalty unfortunately. But we managed to win, so I’m super happy.”
The Hitech driver immediately made the most of his opportunity when the race got underway.
“I mean I got a really good start, I overtook one car at T1, then I got a good tow to T5, I overtook Pedro. I just had so much pace.”
Late safety car restart
Nakamura’s biggest challenge came late in the F3 Spa-Francorchamps Sprint race.
A second Safety Car period brought the field back together with just two laps remaining, leaving the Japanese driver with the task of defending his lead all over again.
Nakamura briefly lost control of the rear of his Hitech car at the restart, but recovered quickly and managed to build a gap to Badoer before the chequered flag.
“Yeah, I was thinking about the restart a lot. I mean, I wanted to get a big gap to the cars behind at the last corner, but I was managing the car a lot before the second Safety Car, so I didn’t have so much grip for last two laps. So yeah, that was the reason for it.”
Confidence boost for Nakamura
The victory also marked a significant moment for Japanese motorsport.
Nakamura became the first Japanese driver since Ayumu Iwasa in 2021 to win an FIA Formula 3 race, although Hiyu Yamakoshi did cross the line first in the Monaco Sprint Race earlier this season before being disqualified.
When asked by Pit Debrief how much the achievement meant to him, Nakamura admitted he had not been aware of the statistic.
“I’m just super happy. I want to say much thanks to TGR and my team, Hi-Tech, and everyone supporting me. I didn’t know that, to be honest. Because Hiyu [Yamakoshi] got the chequered flag at the top in Monaco. I mean, I’m just super happy, I got so much confidence from that. I just want to keep this momentum for the rest of the season.”
That confidence boost comes at an important time for Nakamura.
The Hitech driver struggled at Silverstone, missing out on the top 12 in Qualifying and failing to score points. After finishing on the podium at Spielberg, he had been unable to carry that momentum into the following round.
Spa has now changed that.
“I mean, I was losing a bit of confidence from last week. I mean, Silverstone. So, I missed Top 12 and, yeah, I couldn’t get any points. Yeah, I wanted to keep the momentum from Spielberg, but I couldn’t do that.”
“But, yeah, I’m really happy to be back in here on Top 12. Yeah, I mean, it means quite a lot for the season. I’m really happy to win before summer break. Yeah, it’s really nice.“
Reflecting back on the start of his 2026 F3 season
Nakamura also highlighted just how difficult it is to stand out in the 2026 FIA Formula 3 field, particularly when starting from the reverse grid.
When asked by Pit Debrief how his 2026 F3 season has been, considering how competitive the field is, Nakamura underlined the confidence the strong result had brought him.
“Yeah, I think this season in F3 is really tough. Everyone has a really good skill. Everyone has speed, so it’s very difficult to put my car on the front. Even the reverse grid, it’s very difficult to come back and take the podium as well.
“Yeah, it’s a very good opportunity for me to improve myself and get confidence through competing in this field. Yeah, I’m super happy to be competing and racing here.”
The Japanese driver will start Sunday’s Feature Race from P13, meaning another recovery drive will be required if he is to continue his momentum and score further points.
“Yeah, tomorrow will be even more difficult than today. I will be starting from P13, but we’ve got very good confidence for our pace and everything, overtaking as well. Yeah, just do a good start and do a good pace, and hopefully I want to come back here again. But just pushing forward.”
Sharing the podium with Clerot
Nakamura’s Spa victory also carried an added significance given his relationship with fellow rookie Pedro Clerot.
The pair raced together in FRECA last season and have already shared the podium at Spielberg earlier this year. They now stood alongside each other again in Belgium, with Nakamura claiming his maiden victory and Clerot securing his third podium of the season.
Reflecting on his development since the opening round in Melbourne, when asked by Pit Debrief how his rookie season has been, Nakamura believes the challenges have already helped him grow.
“In Melbourne, I got first points, and I was really happy about that. So in Barcelona, pre-season test, I didn’t have confidence to be fighting in the front, so I was really positive [start] to the season at Melbourne.
“I think we are really doing well, so as a first year in Formula 3, it’s a very tough field. I mean, we are improving quite well.
“Also, I’m always on the podium with Pedro, from FRECA last year. So I was on the podium with him at Spielberg. In Spielberg, yeah, two weeks ago as well. So, yeah, we are doing really well. So, yeah, I’m happy to be here with him.”
After a difficult weekend at Silverstone, Nakamura has now responded in the best possible way.
Nakamura’s maiden FIA F3 victory in the Spa-Francorchamps Sprint has restored his confidence, delivered a major result for Japanese motorsport and given him momentum heading into the second half of his rookie season.
The Feature Race will start him from 13th, but after showing what he can do from fourth, the Hitech driver will be hoping another recovery drive can add even more points to his weekend.
