Interview
Taking a bullish approach: Rodin Motorsport Pre-Season Review
Rodin Motorsport’s Team Manager Sam Waple says his team are better than they were after the 2025 campaign following a strong winter program, which includes a positive Barcelona pre-season test.
The Farnham, United Kingdom-based team completed 559 laps across the three days, with all three of their drivers – Pedro Clerot, Christian Ho and Brando Badoer – going through their programs.
Speaking at the end of the test, Waple says his team are in a good place heading into the 2026 racing season.
“I think overall we can be fairly satisfied with the test,” said Waple. “We did a lot of prep over the winter, a lot of testing with the drivers we have, so for us it was mainly going through processes and procedures, and making sure that we've done everything that we need to do.
“I think we did that. We got through everything we wanted to. We have quite a few new staff this year as well, so also getting them all used to F3 and how it works. But, in the end, we're quite satisfied.”
Rodin have employed two drivers, in Ho and Badoer, who are returning for a second season in F3 looking to build on the solid foundations they set in their rookie campaigns.
They are joined by Clerot, who is getting set for his debut season, and completed a team-leading 190 laps in testing. So far, Waple is happy with how all three drivers are settling in.
“They seem to be gelling really well with the team,” Waple continued. “Obviously, like I say, we did quite a lot of work over the winter. We did the post-season tests last year, so it almost feels like they're completely integrated with how we want to do things.
“Brando and Christian bring a lot of good experience to that, so they're really good, and from Pedro, obviously being a rookie, he's got a lot to learn but he's got some incredible speed, talent, so there's no worries there.
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“We're just trying to make sure that he doesn't have any of those rookie mistakes and things during the year.
“So we've just tried to go through as many of those things during the testing to make sure that he is fully up to speed when we get going in Melbourne.”
Rodin ended the season on a high, getting their first win of the year in the Monza Sprint Race with Roman Bilinski.
Waple says his team are much better unit now than the one that left the Monza paddock last September. This gives him confidence they can be consistently at the front this year.
“I think so, yeah, I think so,” said Waple when asked if Rodin are a better team in 2026. “We want to go into this year with quite a bullish nature.
“We're not coming in here to not compete right at the front. That's absolutely our aim, and for me, it's very much taking the momentum of last year and from Monza and carrying it through to this year.
“So, absolutely, I feel like we've got a very nice package, and we’ve got a great team behind us. I don't expect not to be fighting at the front straight from Round 1.”
When asked if Rodin are excited to go racing in Melbourne, Waple quickly responded: “We’re ready to go.”