Consistency the target: ART Grand Prix Season Preview

Fourth overall last season was not the full story for ART Grand Prix - the potential was on the table for more and the French outfit will be gunning for that this time around.

Only twice has ART failed to finish P3 in the history of the FIA Formula 3 Championship, and so returning to that benchmark will be the minimum goal heading into the 2026 campaign.

There is plenty to be optimistic about, and with three new drivers enlisted to help them achieve their goals, we take a look at how ART might fare this season.

Rebounding back to the top three

After one race victory and a further five podium finishes, fourth overall wasn’t a bad result but one that the team will be eager to improve upon in 2026.

ART has been a perennial front-running team for the majority of their time in F3, taking wins in all but one of their campaigns so far in the Championship, though they have appeared on the podium every single season up to this point.

Their consistency in achieving these results underlines the team’s outright pace and ability to put competitive cars onto the track, but they will seek to make top three results a much more regular occurrence going forward.

A top three finish in the Championship will be the target, taking another step forward from where they found themselves last season, and with the team looking more than capable of doing so, so too do their drivers.

The trio tasked with taking them there

The team has signed an entirely new line-up and one that promises a lot based on their recent successes elsewhere.

Firstly, Taito Kato has been part of the ART set-up in lower formula following his French F4 Championship crown in 2024. Seasons in Formula Regional Middle East and the European variant with the French outfit means he has experienced working with the team and knows the environment ahead of his F3 debut. He also achieved a top five result in Macau with ART on his first visit there at the back end of last year.

That familiarity will help cut down on adaptation time as both parties know what to expect from the other. Focus can then turn to extracting performance as he acclimatises to the Championship.

Joining him are two more rookies, with Kanato Le next on the list. The Japanese driver also has previous history with ART Grand Prix, becoming a race winner with the team in the FRME 2025 season, and competing in the European Championship also in their colours.

Le has been sharpening his skills ahead of the 2026 F3 season with a campaign in the Formula Regional Oceania Trophy series, and has secured multiple podiums to currently sit second in the Standings with two rounds remaining.

Rounding out the team’s line-up for this year is Maciej Gladysz, who in his two seasons in single seaters, has finished in the top three in three of the four series’ he’s competed in. Third place in the 2024 Spanish F4 and Formula Winter Series was followed up by winning the Eurocup-3 Spanish Winter Championship and a 10th place finish in his rookie Eurocup-3 campaign.

He says his preparations in post-season testing were hugely useful in getting himself acquainted with the ART team and car, and he will be hoping to carry his impressive form on in F3 this year.