Hiyu Yamakoshi secured his third podium of the 2026 FIA Formula 3 (F3) season in the Monza Sprint Race, finishing third after a hard-fought race at the Italian circuit.
The Van Amersfoort Racing driver spoke in the FIA Formula 3 (F3) post-Sprint Race press conference, with Pit Debrief in attendance, where he reflected on his difficult battle for position, maximising the pace available to him and the significance of securing a podium in the Sprint Race.
Yamakoshi admitted that Monza had presented a difficult challenge, particularly when it came to maintaining position and fighting at the front. After a difficult weekend in Monaco, where he won the Sprint Race before being disqualified for a technical infringement, he was pleased with how he and the team managed the race despite lacking the outright pace of some of their rivals.
“It’s kind of like fourth to third. I had a difficult time obviously in Monaco,” Yamakoshi explained. “For me, Monza always is very difficult to keep the position and try to fight at the front. That was the goal before the start, and in the end, we managed quite well with the team and myself.”
Yamakoshi said that he felt he was lacking pace from the opening lap, forcing him to focus on extracting everything possible from the car rather than relying on outright performance.
“Obviously, from the first lap, I feel like I had not much pace compared to others,” he said. “So I tried to maximise the pace as much as I can. So I think this podium is quite special for me, especially how tough our pace was and how we managed the race.”
Preparing for any situation at Monza
The Japanese driver also highlighted the preparation that went into navigating the various scenarios that could unfold during the race. While he admitted that he had not overthought the action once behind the wheel, the extensive simulations completed with his team helped prepare him for the different possibilities.
“This time, most of the thing is coming from me. I think I had good luck every time, I just drive through everybody, so I didn’t think much today,” Yamakoshi said.
“But obviously, we have a lot of options. We have a lot of simulations. What’s going to happen? What can happen to us and how much pace we have? Obviously, how much simulation we did is what we have now.”
The result also marked another important milestone for Yamakoshi, as he secured his second F3 Sprint Race podium in the Monza Sprint. Starting from P6 for Sunday’s Feature Race, the VAR driver believes Saturday’s result has given him plenty of confidence and information to build on.
“Yeah, again, it’s a step on the podium. It’s the second time in the sprinting race, obviously. You know, I think this is very good, especially I’m starting the same position tomorrow from starting from P6 and we got the podium today. Means I think we have a lot of chance and we learned quite a lot today. So we can keep forward and then could be we can get the better, even better result tomorrow.”
Historic double podium for Japan
Yamakoshi’s podium also came alongside Taito Kato’s victory, giving Japan a memorable double podium in FIA Formula 3, the first time it has ever happened in the championship history, inclusive of when it was GP3.
“Two Japanese drivers stepped on the podium in FIA F3,” Yamakoshi said. “I think it’s the first time, or I don’t know. I think it has only happened a few times, if it has happened.
“So I really hope we can take this momentum into future races and hopefully we can get 1-2-3 or even 1-2-3-4 in the future in the Sprint Race.”
When asked by Pit Debrief about Monza’s three DRS zones and how they influenced his approach to racing, Yamakoshi said that the additional opportunities provided by the DRS zones allowed Yamakoshi to remain competitive and close the gap to the cars ahead.
“I think the third DRS, the second DRS, the new one, was very helpful today for me, especially as I don’t have much pace compared to these guys. For me, it’s very helpful. I think about tyre management and the time of the race, we have more opportunity to close the gap to the front before the last corner.
“And then more fights happened on the straights. I think that’s one of the things that, for me, is quite powerful.”
