Van Amersfoort Racing’s (VAR) Hiyu Yamakoshi heads into the 2026 F3 season with familiarity and confidence. The Japanese driver continues with the team after spending last season with them in the Formula Regional European Championship (FREC), where he finished 9th in the Drivers’ Standings. This year, the 19 year-old will partner returning driver Bruno del Pino and fellow rookie Enzo Deligny, who is also stepping up from FREC.
During a recent virtual media session, the 19 year-old spoke to Pit Debrief and other media outlets about the growing popularity of motorsport in Asia, his final preparations ahead of the season opener and the advantage of continuity with VAR.
Embracing motorsport’s growing popularity in Asia
Alongside Yamakoshi, 8 other drivers will represent Asian countries on the 2026 F3 grid — the highest level of Asian representation the championship has seen. The milestone reflects the growing popularity and globalisation of motorsport across the region, as well as the increasing number of talents beginning to make their mark in the European racing scene.
When asked by Pit Debrief what the increase in representation means to him, the Japanese driver said: “Yeah, I mean, if you think about Asian motorsports stuff, like now it’s just getting increased. I think how everyone is interested and excited about Formula 1. It’s obviously really unfortunate that in Japan, Formula 1 is not really famous.”
“Also, F2, basically no one knows about F2 and F3. So, for me, if I have a chance to make F3 and F2 popular, even the Formula 1 for the future in Japan. Also, if I can make some fans in Japan from the Super Formula fans, that would be really cool.”
Yamakoshi heads into 2026 F3 season with realistic expectations
After securing two podiums in last year’s FREC season, Yamakoshi enters the 2026 season with slightly more measured expectations for himself. He explained that last year, his focus in FREC was largely on communication and mentality but admitted he’d carried higher expectations than what was realistically achievable. For 2026, he plans to prioritise maximising every weekend and strong communication with the team.
“Yeah, basically, for me, the main programme from last year in the Formula Regional Championship, it was more the mentality side and the communication side of the team. I had a really good season in F4. You know, some years later, it was famous, so I had really nice confidence and I had a really good expectation last year, but I had a bit too much expectation.”
“So this year, really, I just hope to try and make the maximum effort and nice communication with a nice relationship with the team. That’s the main focus point for the team.”
The benefits of continuity with VAR
The 19 year-old enjoys a slight advantage by continuing with the team he’s been part of for the past few years. While some engineers and mechanics are new to him, he returns to a familiar environment with the team’s overall operations.
He said: “Of course, it’s really good to, you know, have a three-year relationship with the team. It’s really helpful for me, like if it’s a new team, a new season, and racing alongside the Formula 1 is really special stuff. So like the first year in F3, with a very well-known team, it makes me confident because I know the course, I know most of the people.”
“Also, I didn’t know much about F3 engineers and mechanics, but they know me, and they saw me in the factory, and they know what I achieved in the last few years. So, you know, compared to joining a new team, I think I have a bit of an advantage than the other rookie drivers.”
Maximised his track time during pre-season testing in Barcelona
Over the three days of pre-season testing in Barcelona, Yamakoshi completed an impressive 246 laps, topping the charts for most laps by a driver on the first and second day. With the season opener in Melbourne fast approaching, the Japanese driver is ready to go racing in Australia.
“I had 246 laps, which is like, you know, P1. I was like 40 laps more than everybody else, even 50 laps more than my teammates. Yeah, of course, three months without driving and straight to jump in the car was quite tough. But I think I had enough laps to prepare for the first round.”
“Yeah, I made a nice, confident experience. So, of course, racing is completely different to stuff, but I think we can achieve really nice [results]. If I can put everything together on my side and don’t push too much, I think that’s the main point from the post-season test.”
