PREMA Racing’s Brando Badoer is not looking to set too many expectations on his rookie Formula 3 campaign in 2025 but is excited to be taking such a big step in his career.

The Italian has had a good start to his single seater career, most recently finishing fifth in the 2024 Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine campaign, achieving seven podiums.

Badoer will now step up to F3, driving for PREMA for the first time in his career, and it is an opportunity he is excited to start in Round 1.

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“I'm very excited to kick off the season in Melbourne,” said Badoer. “It will be a good step in my career, racing with F1 at such a high level. New tracks, new team, I'm really looking forward to the start of the season.

“I feel really good with PREMA. I like working with the team, with my engineer. So, I’m excited to work with them very soon at the tracks as well.”

The 18-year-old drove a Formula 3 car and also of worked with PREMA for the first time during the post-season tests in Jerez and Barcelona. He spoke about the key lessons he picked up from his four days on track.

Badoer took part in both post-season tests with PREMA in Jerez and Barcelona
Badoer took part in both post-season tests with PREMA in Jerez and Barcelona

“It was my first time in an F3 car, and it was really cool,” he continued. “It's such a fast car to drive, a really different driving style from the car we used in FRECA.

“The biggest thing has been learning what the car needs, and how to perform at hundred percent with such a different car which has a really developed aerodynamic system, which you don't really have in FRECA.

“Also adapting to the tyres, which works really differently from FRECA. In Qualifying, you have just one lap, so it's important to have good procedures and to put a hundred percent into that one lap.

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“This is really important for the starting positions of the race. So, I think that's a very important point of the weekend and we will keep working on it to try to nail it.”

But the car Badoer drove in those two tests will not be the same one he will jump into during pre-season running later this month, with the new Formula 3 machinery set to be introduced in Barcelona.

The McLaren Driver Development Programme talent expanded on his and teammates Noel León’s and Ugo Ugochukwu’s roles in helping the team’s development this year.

Badoer says his feedback in pre-season testing will help PREMA develop the new Formula 3 car
Badoer says his feedback in pre-season testing will help PREMA develop the new Formula 3 car

“It will be very important,” said Badoer of his communication to PREMA about the new car. “I mean as drivers, we will have to give really detailed feedback from Barcelona, the official test days with the new car, to the team, to the engineers, to make sure the development goes the right way.

“It will be very important for us to have always the right mindset, to always report the right things, and to help the team have a good development of the new car, because it will be a fundamental point of the 2025 FIA F3 season.”

On his teammates, Badoer revealed that he has known Ugochukwu since they were children in karting and have raced against each other in every year of their single seater careers.

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While he does not know León as well, he praised the Mexican’s speed and performances in 2024, saying he plans to use him as the benchmark this year. He hopes this will help him achieve his season’s goals, which is simply to perform at his best each weekend both as a driver and person.

“It's always difficult to have expectations and I don't really like to have them,” said Badoer. “But my goal is to maximise every opportunity and to learn as much as possible.

“I want to be as fast as possible and grow up as a driver and as a person, and for sure every driver starts a Championship to win it, and that's my approach as well.”