Van Amersfoort Racing CEO and Managing Partner Otmar Szafnauer praised his team after their dominant one-two finish in the F3 Sprint Race at the 2026 Australian GP. However, he also urged the team to convert the early success into consistent podium finishes throughout the 2026 season.
Strong pace delivers one-two Sprint Race finish for VAR at 2026 Australian GP
Bruno del Pino led the charge for the Dutch squad at Albert Park. Starting from reverse-grid pole, the Spaniard controlled the race and secured victory ahead of teammate Enzo Deligny before a red flag ended proceedings prematurely.
Speaking afterwards in the paddock, Szafnauer expressed his satisfaction with both drivers’ performances.
“It’s great. It’s very good for the drivers. As you know, they didn’t qualify in that position because it was a reverse grid, but for them to put in the lap times that they did and stay out in front was significant.
“They did a good job managing the tyres and as you saw, there was an accident that cut the race short. But nevertheless, they were creating a gap up front and that bodes well for the future.”
Experience proves valuable for del Pino
While VAR field two rookies this season in Enzo Deligny and Hiyu Yamakoshi, del Pino brings valuable experience into his second year in the championship. Szafnauer believes that familiarity with the car and the series can make a meaningful difference, particularly during weekends with limited track time.
“The second year here is meaningful because you don’t get much track time here,” he explained. “We will see when we get to Europe, where the other drivers have driven those tracks that the seat time, the understanding of the tracks, and the understanding of how to extract performance is meaningful. But today, he did a great job.”
Del Pino’s measured performance in the Sprint Race highlighted that experience. He controlled the race from the front and steadily built a gap before the red flag ultimately sealed the result.
Szafnauer notes that Qualifying pace remains an area to improve for VAR despite 1-2 finish in Sprint Race at 2026 Australian GP
Despite celebrating the victory, Szafnauer acknowledged that VAR still has work to do, particularly in qualifying sessions.
Although the team secured the Sprint Race one-two thanks to the reverse-grid format, their qualifying positions placed both drivers toward the back end of the top twelve. Consequently, the team must focus on improving marginal gains to remain competitive across the full race weekend.
“Well, it’s all gains at the margin,” he explained. “We have to have a good understanding of what we’re doing and make those marginal gains as time goes on. So that is what we’ll look to do and get better in the future. Qualifying wasn’t quite where we wanted it to be, so we’ve got to work a little bit on that.”
Building momentum for the season ahead
VAR also opened the 2025 season in Melbourne with a Sprint Race victory before going on to achieve their most successful campaign in F3. However, Szafnauer wants the team to build consistent momentum rather than rely on isolated strong results.
Looking ahead to the Feature Race and the remainder of the season, he emphasised that the team must aim to compete for podium finishes regularly.
“For me, every race, I want us to learn and get better,” he continued. “Then we will see where the results can take us. But once you finish on the podium, your objective needs to be that every time.”
With an early victory already secured in Sprint Race in Melbourne at the Australian GP, VAR now aims to transform that ambition into a consistent presence at the front throughout the 2026 F3 season.
