David delighted to have ‘childhood dream’ of racing in Formula 3 in 2026

30 October 2025

Yevan David is thrilled that he will have the opportunity to race in Formula 3 next season, as he joins AIX Racing for the 2026 campaign.

The 18-year-old will be moving up to F3 off the back of a very good year in the Euroformula Championship, finishing second in the Standings thanks to his six victories.

But David is now set to take the next step in his career, and recently speaking, he shared his delight at his “dream” opportunity in 2026, and why joining AIX was the right thing to do.

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“Honestly, I am really excited for it,” said David. “I have been watching F3 since I was a kid, it's the actual starting block on the road to F1. So you look at F3 and you are like 'Wow these guys are on the way to F1 I want to be there soon'.

“So the fact that it's been confirmed I will be racing in F3 next year, it's like the first childhood dream come true, it’s honestly a lot of excitement, and a lot of passion. The season has not started yet, so I am going to be working hard and obviously not too happy yet.

“AIX have shown that they have been quick this year with Freddie Slater and Brad Benavides, they have gotten podiums and front rows, so they have the pace definitely.

David is delighted to be joining AIX Racing for the 2026 Formula 3 season

“Even with drivers entering midway through the season, they have been up there, top three, top five, we looked at that and thought they probably have a lot of potential.”

David got his first chance to drive for AIX in F3 at the three post-season tests held earlier this month in Jerez, Barcelona, and Imola. Speaking on the final day of running at the Italian venue, he shared how things had been going.

“Honestly, it's been going great,” he said. “We are working towards next year and learning as much as possible, so that's what these test days are for. But I'm very excited, because just seeing my name on the board for the first time in F3.

“There's a lot to adapt to, like tyre warmups, just having one push in quali runs, and the race run is a lot about saving tyres. So it's a lot of different things that come into play.

“But you have to remember that this is what you wanted to do, you signed up for it, and to be the best you have to follow the procedures. You have to do everything the best, and improve on what you can work on, and that's how you move forward.

“So it is about procedures, but it is also about improving on your weak areas. So I would say there is race pace. Starts I have never done because we have not done a race yet, so it's just ticking these boxes, and just getting better every lap.”

David got his first chance to drive the F3 car at the post-season tests

What will help David’s adaptation is that he knows the two drivers he will racing alongside next season having been teammates with Fernando Barrichello for the last two year and Brad Benavides in 2024.

“Me, Brad and Fefo have all been teammates at the same time last year,” revealed David. “I've also been Fefo's teammate the whole of this year, so we all know each other very well, and we get along very well.

“When we all were announced, I texted them saying 'Guys let's do this, this is pretty awesome' especially Fefo because he was filling in for Monza. So I’m excited to work with them, to work with the team as well.”

David is also set to make history next season as he will become the first driver from Sri Lanka to compete in Formula 3, and he shared how special this is for him and his country.

“It's pretty crazy because Sri Lanka is famous for cricket, running and swimming in the Olympics, but there have been only a few racing drivers and never in F3,” he explained.

David is looking to do everything within his control to fight at the front next season

“So to be able to compete in F3, as a Sri Lankan, not just competing, but hopefully fighting for the wins, fighting for the title, that would be an extraordinary feeling, not just for me, but for the whole pride of Sri Lanka.”

But before that can happen, David knows that there is a lot of work to do from the post-season test to the first round in Melbourne if he wants to achieve his goals.

“I mean obviously everyone wants to win, everyone wants to win a Championship,” acknowledged David. “But the basis of that is perfecting every lap, every brake shape, every throttle input.

“My focus on next year is obviously to achieve as much as possible in terms of results, and by doing that I am going to be focusing on every lap, every corner, because I know if I drive to one hundred percent every lap, that result will eventually come.

“I am expecting that but that's not the goal. My goal is fulfilling everything within my control to achieve my goal.”