Innovation
What is the ‘most important tool’ available to F2 and F3 drivers?
by Samarth Kanal
5min read
At Monza, Italy, Formula 2 and Formula 3 technical bosses opened up on how they nurture their young drivers, and the biggest asset they have at their fingertips.
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Trident’s Rafael Camara secured the Formula 3 drivers’ championship at the penultimate round in Hungary, and Campos Racing secured the teams’ championship in the season finale at Monza.
The last three FIA F3 drivers’ champions (Camara in 2025, Leonardo Fornaroli in 2024, and Gabriel Bortoleto in 2023) have raced for Trident.
Trident team manager Giacomo Ricci told media including Raceteq that Trident has built on its positive momentum to attract championship-calibre drivers.
Rafael Camara is the latest in a line of Trident F3 drivers’ champions
“Once you can move the team in a positive [manner], you can attract every competitive driver," he said. "And having a very talented and strong driver, this is for me the first part… positive attracts positive, and this makes our life easier, once you are at the front, to sign a strong driver for the following year.”
Ricci adds that it’s important to utilise the brief on-track running afforded to F2 and F3 teams and make the most of pre- and post-season testing.
“Regarding the preparation, we are extremely dedicated to this topic and also to try to create within the team a positive atmosphere - because we have to consider, in Formula 3 they [the drivers] are very, very young, and they’re quite inexperienced," Ricci added. "So it’s extremely important to transmit to them the basic information [correctly] and try to help them mature as much as possible during the post-season test and during the pre-season test.
“The team, in this respect, has always been great and it’s something special to us having three F3 drivers’ championships in a row, and I couldn’t ask for anything more than this. It’s really important to keep up the momentum for the future.”
Much of the preparation work takes place inside the team’s factory. Not every F3 and F2 team has a dedicated simulator with the likes of Invicta Racing outsourcing their simulator needs to a third party such as AVL Racetech, while chassis manufacturer Dallara also has a simulator that is used by F2 and F3 team.
Trident, however, has a bespoke simulator at its headquarters near Milan.
Ricci tells Raceteq that the simulator is essential as “track time is so limited”, with Trident’s drivers completing two to three days of simulator work between races.
Both Giacomo Ricci (pictured) and Adrian Campos Jr have extensive single-seater racing experience
“It’s key because on the sim you try everything, from warm-up procedure to the cooldown lap… and then you have plenty of track time where even if you make a mistake you can always restart with no problem.
“Today, the level of the simulator is, generally speaking, extremely high.”
He adds that performing on the simulator is “very, very difficult” - not like driving on a “videogame”.
Ricci adds: “The team are [putting] massive attention to the development of the sim, the tyre model, to make it as accurate as possible; and the graphics - if there is any update from the circuit like different kerbs or [brake marker] boards - it’s their job to do everything possible to prepare the driver.
“I have to say it’s the most important tool that the [F2 and F3] driver has today to prepare them.”
“Now, [drivers] can do as many laps as they want and they can learn the track. So here, when they arrive at the circuit, they already know the track perfectly from the first lap.
“At least at Campos we don’t have a Formula 1-level simulator with which we can do absolutely everything, but there are a lot of things that we can do; at least we can use the same steering wheel that we have in our cars, we can try the starting procedure for the race starts, pitlane for the pitstops.
“Now we are trying to work on [car] set-ups in our simulator but this is new for F2 and F3 level, so every year the simulator is improving.
“I think it's the biggest tool that the driver has nowadays to improve themselves and to get ready for the race weekend. In F2 and F3, where we have free practice and go straight to qualifying, it’s the biggest tool that the drivers have now, and they come to us to take advantage of it.”
