Roman Bilinski on his racing return, rookie F3 campaign and what comes next

It has been a whirlwind 18 months for Roman Bilinski, as the British-Polish talent faced a huge setback in his career, fought through it and came out the other side stronger than ever.

A road accident in 2024 left him on the sidelines with two broken vertebrae and an extensive rehabilitation to endure.

He returned just a few months later around Imola and went on a scoring streak that led to his promotion up to FIA Formula 3.

So just under a calendar year on from his return to racing, and with his rookie F3 campaign drawing to a close, he reflected on his journey from hospital bed to a debut podium all in under a year.

“It’s not something that’s easy. A lot of hard work, pain and dedication has gone into it,” he began. “This time last year, I wasn’t able to walk. I had to learn to do all of that again. The pain was immense, so to be back in the car three months later, really against all advice, was something crazy, and now to be racing here in Formula 3, I just feel very lucky.

“I woke up in hospital and realised and understood what was happening, and then to be back and be on a podium is just something I couldn't even imagine. I couldn't imagine stepping foot in a car again, and at one point even walking again. So, it's not something I can really describe, to be honest, but it's incredible.”

Bilinski’s comeback trail continued into this year where he joined up with Rodin Motorsport for a rookie campaign in F3.

He has looked every bit the part and was immediately on the pace around Albert Park to earn a maiden podium at the first attempt in the Sprint Race.

The Rodin driver says it was hard to believe at first, but his continued improvements across the year and other positive results indicate that despite not feeling 100% restored, he has been quick enough this season, nonetheless.

“I lost all feeling in my left leg after what happened, and I'm only now starting to regain it"

“My first race in F3 - to be on the podium was great. Also, Monaco was a very good result, but there's so much more potential there.

“I lost all feeling in my left leg after what happened, and I'm only now starting to regain a little bit of it. And of course, that's what you use to brake. So it's very difficult to manage, and every day, I'm working as hard as I can to try and get some of that feeling back, which is tricky. But hopefully with more weeks, it will get better and better, and my performances can grow even more.

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“The best way to describe it is when you wake up with a dead arm. Imagine that, but it's your leg, and it's constantly that way. For the first four months I had it in the whole of my leg. So I drove the first round in Imola and Red Bull Ring like that when I came back. And now only I'm getting a little bit back in my foot. So yeah, it's very tricky, but that's part of it.”

The 21-year-old says that there was an element of defiance in his fightback to get racing once again. While many thought he wouldn’t be able to achieve his former level, to exceed where he was post-accident is something he takes great pride in, though he continues to push for more.

Bilinski says that it was a risk he had to take for the sake of his career, and on the evidence of his rookie season, it was one worth taking and a challenge he has more than met.

“If I had not taken that risk and been sitting on the sofa this year, I would have regretted it for my whole life"

“It's definitely something I can say a bit now, because it's in the past when I say against all the advice, it was really against everything. But we have one shot at this. This has been my dream since I've been a little kid.

“If I had not taken that risk and been sitting on the sofa this year, not driving in Formula 3, I would have regretted it for my whole life. I always believed it in myself, but it was time to show it. And I think this year has shown some really good results. With more healing, it would just unlock more and more potential within myself.”

Reflecting on his season overall, Bilinski says that it has been a mountain to climb in order to get back racing again, but he feels he has achieved more than he could’ve hoped for already.

That just means he has elevated his expectations for the future, and will be targeting even better results, starting out with the season finale in Monza.

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“Honestly, I would say it's been a good year. I'm only now starting to regain some feeling in my braking foot, which is crucial. The more I gain, the better it is, and so now getting that back is just going to give myself more performance.

“I think my performance in the car has also gone quite well. There's still lots to work on, but I think I can be very happy and proud, but ultimately you want to be winning.

“We've got a very unique sport where so many things have to come together for that to happen. But the team and I are pushing really hard. We still have two races left. Anything's possible!”