Bruno Del Pino: ‘I feel confident that we can aim for the top’

Bruno Del Pino secured the opening race victory of the 2026 season, winning the Melbourne Sprint Race in fine form.

It was evidence of the renewed level of confidence the Spaniard is carrying into his second year in FIA Formula 3, and he has a lot of optimism about what’s possible this time around.

Del Pino believes that his second campaign in the Championship can build on the bright spots from last season, and he can deliver a competitive year from the outset.

“I feel really confident this season,” he said. “I think we can do a good job and it's just taking the things I've learned from last year and trying to apply them.

“So I think it's going to be a strong year for me. Nothing is certain, I feel confident after the first race in Melbourne. From there, we’ll just continue to work hard and then we'll see what the end result is.”

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Del Pino switched to Van Amersfoort Racing for his second year in F3, a move that he has been hugely positive about.

The Melbourne Sprint victory says that he has been hard at work in order to maximise things with his new team ahead of the year, ensuring no stone is left unturned in pursuit of performance and better results.

“I've been working out a lot with my trainers. I'm in a high-performance centre. It's been from nine to three every day. That has been quite a part of my life, just trying to maximise everything that I can do off track to be the best inside of the car.

“I’ve also spent a lot of time at the Van Amersfoort headquarters on the sim, being with the engineers, with the mechanics, trying to build a closer relationship at the start of the season so we can bond really well together. And I think we have done. Everything that I could have done away from the track, I think I’ve been done.

“I've been enjoying it since the first day I came here. The philosophy is really good. It's a bit different from what I’ve had before. It's a really professional team. So I think hopefully the season is going to show that based on the results.

“I think also we built a great lineup. Looking at last year, when we analysed things, we were pretty close to P3. So I think this year we can aim for the top three in the Championship.”

Reflecting more on his rookie season, Del Pino was honest in his assessment that rookie mistakes had cost him points. However, with those experiences now under his belt, he believes it’s a strength going into the season that rookies won’t have.

While he admits that the level of competition remains high in F3, he’s hoping that the lessons learned in 2025 will help him achieve greater results this time around and bring him to the fight at the front.

“Last year was not my strongest year. There were many things I could have improved so this year is about not making the mistakes I was last year in order to maximise the points.

“Many rookie drivers come to F3 and, even though they're really good, there are going to be some mistakes. And I think that I need to use my experience and try to take advantage of that. But as I say, every driver that comes to F3 comes prepared.”