After a mixed opening half to his sophomore FIA Formula 3 (F3) campaign, Noah Strømsted remains confident that both he and TRIDENT have the pace to return to the front as the championship arrives at the Red Bull Ring for ther Spielberg round.
The Danish driver entered the 2026 season as one of the favourites for the title after an impressive rookie campaign in 2025, where he secured multiple podium finishes and established himself as a consistent frontrunner. However, despite showing strong pace throughout much of this season, a combination of penalties, bad luck and difficult weekends has prevented him from consistently converting that speed into results.
Reflecting on the season so far during Thursday’s FIA Formula 3 (F3) virtual media roundtable at Spielberg, with Pit Debrief in attendance, Strømsted admitted the campaign has not unfolded as planned.
“Yeah, I think the start of this season, for me, has gone quite bad for a few different reasons. In Australia, we got a penalty where we would have been P3. We lost a lot of points there. In Monaco, I think we just lacked a bit of speed. And in Barcelona as well, we struggled quite a lot. So, we’ve been working quite hard to find out why and hopefully come back strong for this round.”
Spielberg in-season test
During the virtual media roundtable, Pit Debrief asked Strømsted how representative last month’s in-season test at Spielberg would be compared to the conditions expected over the race weekend.
“Yeah, I think the testing here was a bit different. It was a lot colder, the temperature. But for sure, it was to be quite representative with how the track is and how we need to drive. So, just a few things we need to change in the car to make the balance for this weather.”
Despite Strømsted having a rocky start to 2026, he was among the quickest drivers during the Spielberg test. The Dane believes the underlying pace has been present for much of the season, with only small mistakes and unfortunate circumstances preventing stronger results.
“Yeah, well, the in-season testing went quite well here. And I think except for Barcelona, the season has been good. I mean, the pace has been there. It’s just been small mistakes and some unlucky situations. But I feel expect that we’ll be fighting at the front here again.”
Stronger race pace a key improvement
As he continues his second Formula 3 season, Strømsted also believes one of his biggest improvements compared to his rookie campaign has come on Sundays.
Asked where he feels he has developed most over the winter, he pointed to the team’s race pace, using his recovery drives in Barcelona as evidence of that progress.
“Yeah, I think our race pace this year has been very strong. Also, in Barcelona, finishing both races in 11th from starting 22nd has been the biggest improvement also over the winter. But I think generally, we just need to put everything together where we can.”
With encouraging pace shown during testing and confidence that the underlying speed remains, Strømsted will be hoping Spielberg provides the opportunity to finally turn potential into the results his 2026 campaign has so far lacked.
