Louis Sharp left Silverstone frustrated not to claim a trophy, but the PREMA Racing driver still viewed the weekend as an important step forward in his 2026 F3 campaign.
The New Zealander enjoyed his strongest Qualifying performance of the season, placing third on the grid and securing his first top-10 Qualifying result of 2026. He then finished eighth in Saturday’s Sprint Race before delivering another competitive drive in the Feature Race.
Although Sharp crossed the line eighth on Sunday, post-race penalties promoted him to fourth. That matched his personal-best F3 result from the 2025 Imola Sprint Race and gave him renewed confidence before the championship moves to Spa-Francorchamps.
Sharp takes confidence from 2026 Silverstone F3 Round; highlights PREMA progress
Speaking to Formula 3 after the weekend, Sharp admitted that he wanted more from Silverstone, especially after showing the pace to fight near the podium in the Feature Race. Nevertheless, he felt the weekend proved that he and PREMA had made genuine progress.
“I think there’s heaps of positives to take away from this weekend. Really happy with the job we did as a team in qualifying.
“I think qualifying’s been our weak point so far this year, so to turn things around into P3 was a really good result for the team and for myself, so really happy with that.
That Qualifying result changed the shape of Sharp’s weekend. After several difficult rounds, he finally had the track position needed to race with the leading contenders rather than recover from further back.
Race pace gives Sharp belief
Sharp also pointed to PREMA’s race pace as a major reason for optimism. While the final Feature Race result did not reflect what he felt was possible, he believed his tyre management and late-race speed showed that a podium had been within reach.
“We showed some really good pace in the two races, obviously P8 in the Sprint, and then fighting for a podium or even a potential win today. Was a shame for it to work out the way it did.
“I’d done a good job early on in the race to manage the tyres, and I think we had a good pace advantage at the end, so it’s a shame to not really walk away with a trophy.
“I think we definitely deserved it this weekend, but there’s still heaps of positives to take away, and I think going forward there’s lots of confidence we can bring from this weekend.”
Therefore, Silverstone brought mixed emotions. Sharp missed the podium he felt PREMA deserved, but the weekend still offered clear evidence that the team can return to the front.
PREMA finds a stronger Qualifying platform
Qualifying had been one of Sharp’s biggest challenges earlier in the season. At Silverstone, however, he adjusted his mindset and built into the session more gradually.
“I think obviously Silverstone’s a track I know, so that helped,” he explained. “But I think in my mindset, I just approached the session a little bit differently, which helped, building into the session, and not trying to go out there and do anything crazy on the first set.
That measured approach allowed Sharp to grow in confidence across the session. Instead of chasing too much too early, he focused on improving step by step.
“I just took each set step-by-step and just built the confidence throughout the session, so I think that helped a lot.
PREMA gains support Sharp’s breakthrough at 2026 Silverstone F3 Round
Sharp also credited PREMA for improving the car over one lap. Although he acknowledged that the team still has work to do, he felt Silverstone showed a clear step forward behind the scenes.
“As a team, we did a good job of getting the car dialled in for one lap as well. As I said, this has been our weak point, but definitely this weekend we maximised it. Obviously, we still weren’t the fastest, so there’s still work to be done, but I think we’re a lot closer.
“I’m really proud of the work the team’s done this weekend, behind the scenes as well, they’ve done a really good job, so I’m really, really happy.”
That improvement carried major importance. With stronger Qualifying, Sharp gave himself a better chance to convert PREMA’s race pace into points and podium contention.
Sharp sees momentum returning in 2026 Silverstone F3 Round after difficult start with PREMA
Sharp entered 2026 as a second-year F3 driver with PREMA, so expectations naturally sat higher. However, an injury in Melbourne and several unlucky weekends prevented him from building rhythm early in the year.
“Obviously coming in as a second-year driver with PREMA, we definitely wanted to be fighting for more than what we are at the moment,” he said.
“I think our potential from day one has been really good, but obviously with my injury in Melbourne and then having a couple of unlucky weekends where little things have gone wrong, we’re not where we should have been.
Those setbacks made Silverstone even more important. For the first time this season, Sharp felt PREMA had started to put the full package together across Qualifying and race pace.
Sharp hopes the bad luck has passed
The PREMA driver now wants to use Silverstone as a turning point. Although he knows the team still needs to improve, he believes the potential has been there since the start of the season.
“But I think now we’re starting to get the momentum back and we can get everything back on our side and it’s starting to click again and things are starting to work for us.
“There’s still a lot of racing left to be done, we’ve still got a lot of work to do, but as I said, the potential has been there from day one, we just haven’t really been able to put things together.
“We’ve been really unlucky as well, we’ve had a lot of bad luck this year, so I’m hoping that most of that is in the past and we can really focus on the last few rounds.”
As a result, Sharp leaves Silverstone with a stronger platform for the final part of the campaign. He now needs PREMA to repeat that level of execution at the remaining rounds.
Spa presents another major opportunity
Next, F3 heads to Spa-Francorchamps, one of Sharp’s favourite circuits. However, he expects Qualifying to become chaotic as drivers fight for a tow around the long Belgian layout.
“It’s an awesome track spot, it’s one of my favourites,” he said. “So qualifying is going to be tough, everyone’s going to be looking for the tow, so it’s going to be hectic.
The slipstream effect often defines Qualifying at Spa, and Sharp knows track position on the out lap could become just as important as the final push lap.
Sharp relishes Spa’s driver challenge
Despite the expected traffic and tow games, Sharp remains excited for the round. He believes Spa gives drivers a chance to make a difference, especially across its high-speed corners and long sectors.
“I’m sure there will be probably five-wide on the out lap to try and get a gap, so it’s going to be tricky. But I’m really looking forward to it, it’s an awesome track to drive, and I think as a driver you can make a difference around there, so bring on Spa, I’m excited.”
Silverstone did not bring Sharp the trophy he wanted. However, it did bring PREMA’s clearest step forward of the season, and Sharp now heads to Spa with momentum, confidence and a stronger belief that the team can fight near the front.
