Nicola Lacorte believes his recovery through the field in the 2026 Spielberg F3 Feature Race demonstrated the potential that he and DAMS Lucas Oil can unlock this season.
The Italian started 17th at the Red Bull Ring but combined strong race pace with several decisive overtakes to finish ninth. Consequently, he secured his first points of the campaign and added another positive result to DAMS’ improving run of form.
Although Lacorte felt he could have achieved more during the closing stages, the result strengthened his confidence ahead of Round 5 at Silverstone. However, he knows he must improve his Qualifying performances to fight regularly near the front.
Lacorte proves DAMS can fight with Spielberg comeback
Lacorte entered Sunday’s Feature Race with significant ground to recover after starting from the ninth row. Nevertheless, he remained patient during the opening phase before steadily moving towards the points-paying positions.
The performance allowed Lacorte to demonstrate the pace that he and DAMS had struggled to convert into results earlier in the season.
“I think it was a good way to prove that we’re here,” said Lacorte to FIA Formula 3 after the race. “It proved we’re able to fight, and we have a good pace in the Feature races. So I’m happy to get my first points, it was a good way to do it from P17 to 9th.
Despite celebrating his first points, Lacorte believed he could have extracted more from the car during the final part of the race. Still, he viewed ninth place as an important foundation for the remainder of the campaign.
“I think we still had some more potential at the end, but we’ll take it. I’m very satisfied with the work we’ve done so far with the team, it’s just a start, and we continue from here.”
Lacorte’s recovery rewarded his pace and persistence. Furthermore, his ability to regain positions after initially losing ground showed that he could adapt as the race developed. Although ninth place delivered only two points, the manner of the result offered greater encouragement. Lacorte reached the top 10 on merit and showed that DAMS could progress through the field during the longer Sunday contest.
Saturday lessons inspire a stronger approach
Lacorte used the Sprint Race to refine his approach for Sunday. He felt he had managed his pace too cautiously on Saturday, so he decided to push earlier during the Feature Race.
After initially losing several places, the DAMS driver recovered and closed the gap to a tightly packed group ahead.
“I’d say when I caught up with the group in front, which was a big group, and then I started to overtake quite easily,” he explained. “I managed quite well at the start, lost a couple of places to then come back, and it worked pretty well.
Lacorte then applied the lessons he had learned one day earlier. Rather than conserving his tyres for too long, he increased his pace sooner and gave himself more time to move through the field.
“I maximised what I learned from Saturday, because yesterday I tried to do the same, but maybe I managed too much. So today I started pushing a bit earlier.
That revised approach helped Lacorte complete several overtakes as he climbed towards the points. His move on Alessandro Giusti at the high-speed Turn 7 stood out as the highlight of his recovery.
“I was able to make up many places. I think one really good overtake was on Giusti, T7, inside, high-speed. But there were many good moments, so overall a good race.”
However, Lacorte’s overall execution ultimately mattered more than one individual manoeuvre. He balanced tyre management with the need to attack and avoided spending too much time behind slower cars. As a result, he maintained his momentum and converted DAMS’ pace into a points-scoring finish.
DAMS continues its encouraging progress
Lacorte’s result continued a positive sequence for DAMS. Gerrard Xie claimed the team’s first F3 victory in the Monte Carlo Sprint Race before adding another Saturday podium one week later in Barcelona.
Those achievements highlighted the progress DAMS has made since joining the Formula 3 grid. Lacorte has shared that development with the French squad and welcomed the opportunity to contribute points of his own in Spielberg.
“I was really happy when we got our first podium and win in points of the season,” said Lacorte.
While Lacorte celebrated his teammate’s success, he also wanted to compete for similar results. His recovery in Austria represented a step towards that target and showed that both DAMS cars could challenge inside the points.
“But of course I also want to be up there, so I’m happy to be helping the team with the scoring points. But as I said, it’s only the start.”
DAMS must now produce that pace more consistently throughout each weekend. In particular, Lacorte needs to improve his starting position and avoid relying on another charge from the lower half of the grid. Nevertheless, his Spielberg result gave the team another reason for optimism as the championship approached its next round.
Qualifying improvement leads Silverstone targets
Lacorte identified Qualifying as his main priority before F3 travels to Silverstone. A stronger grid position would reduce the risks associated with fighting through the midfield. It would also allow him to protect his tyres and avoid losing time behind slower cars.
“One thing we need is to qualify better,” he said. “When you’re up there, and you have good pace like we had today, you don’t need to take risks or get your tyres dirty.
Starting closer to the front would also give Lacorte the opportunity to follow drivers with comparable pace and focus on executing his own race.
“So you’re just there, you push, follow a good train of more clean drivers, and it’s always a better mindset. Everyone is thinking about their own race at the end, so if you’re faster you pass, if you’re slower you get passed.
Although Lacorte praised DAMS’ Feature Race speed, he recognised that the team could manage the weekend more effectively by securing a stronger result on Friday.
“But you can always manage better, and it will be good to be up there in Silverstone and fight with fast guys.”
Spielberg proved that Lacorte can recover through the field when DAMS provides him with a competitive car. However, a better Qualifying performance would allow him to use that pace against the leading drivers from the opening laps.
Lacorte will therefore arrive at Silverstone with renewed confidence and a clear objective. After climbing from 17th to ninth in Spielberg, he now wants to start closer to the front and convert DAMS’ progress into a larger points haul.
