Lacorte revels in ‘special’ Feature Race victory at home in Monza

Nicola Lacorte paid tribute to his DAMS Lucas Oil team after claiming his and their first victory in FIA Formula 3 – the Italian winning the Monza Feature Race in phenomenal style.

The Pisa, Italy native had a tremendous weekend at the Temple of Speed, starting off on Friday, when he qualified third.

Lacorte followed that up with a run to P9 in the Sprint Race, before storming to victory on Sunday.

Speaking in the paddock after the celebrations, the 19-year-old could hardly believe the history he had made – becoming the first Italian F3 driver to win in Monza.

“It feels great, first podium actually for me, first win in a feature race, that feels amazing,” he said. “It's a great result for the team as well, we've had a really tough couple of seasons, but it all paid off.

“What we've done so far is great and I will always wish this team the best. Of course, it's great to win here as an Italian, I heard I'm the first one to do it, so it's even more special and I feel like it's just the first one of many.”

It was not the easiest start to the race for Lacorte, who lost a few places in the opening few laps before fighting back through to take the lead.

Once the DAMS driver got to the front, he could not be caught and he talked through his mindset throughout it all.

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“I knew the race was going to be long,” said Lacorte. “I had a good launch from the grid, the guys did a really good job to fix the clutch from yesterday and it really helped us.

“The start itself was good, then I tried to manage as much as I could in the first laps, because the race was going to be long. As I said, and it actually paid off to manage at the beginning, to have more potential at the end.

“The moves were really precise, it was crucial not to make mistakes at this point, and the pace at the end was just amazing.

“I was really working well on the exits, to make their life as hard as possible and to help myself. I just did everything I needed to do, everything I could to breathe as much as I could in this race. That is the goal in Monza, and it turned out pretty well.”

DAMS and Lacorte have been a package deal in F3, with the pair having joined forces in 2025 for both their rookie seasons in the Championship.

So to celebrate their first win in the category together at his home race is a memory Lacorte says he will cherish for a long time.

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“We have struggled a lot, especially last year,” he added. “We never had the pace to fight at the front. This year, we have shown great potential from Australia.

“Of course, there was a bit of up and downs in the season, and in the end, the work we've done was great. Everything was good from the team this weekend. I can't thank them enough for this result.

“It was a big party in the garage at the end. I really enjoyed it. To celebrate with the team such a good result was the best way to end the weekend.”