Kiwi Louis Sharp is primed for his return to the racetrack as the FIA Formula 3 Championship resumes on the iconic streets of Monaco at the start of June 2026.
Following a three-month hiatus caused by the cancellation of the Bahrain Grand Prix, Sharp is eager to reignite his 2025 campaign after using the enforced break to fully recover from injuries sustained during the season-opening round at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.
“I broke three vertebrae but, thankfully, no surgery was required,” explained Sharp, who celebrated his 19th birthday last week. “I’m now back to full fitness and eager to get the year back on track. I’m fully up and running again, which is great.”
The young Kiwi has every reason to feel optimistic heading into Monaco. Now competing with PREMA Racing for his second FIA Formula 3 season, Sharp demonstrated impressive pace in Melbourne, setting the fastest lap during the Sprint Race before an incident ended his charge prematurely.
Encouragingly, despite having no prior street circuit experience, Sharp also enjoyed a standout Monaco debut last year, securing two top-ten finishes and valuable championship points.
“There are lots of positives,” he said. “The pace was really strong in Australia and I loved Monaco last year. I scored double points there, so I’m really looking forward to going back – it’s a pretty special place.
“We need to be fully focused on maximising everything in qualifying because, obviously, grid position is absolutely critical around Monaco. But I’m confident we can have a really good weekend.”
As part of preparations for the championship’s return, the FIA Formula 3 calendar now includes an additional two-day official test at Austria’s Red Bull Ring later this week.
Sharp heads into the test with renewed confidence after spending three productive days with PREMA Racing in Italy preparing for the busy run ahead.
“I had a really good three days with the team getting back into the swing of things,” reported the talented teenager, who stepped up to FIA Formula 3 in 2025 after winning back-to-back British F4 and GB3 titles.
“It will be the first time I’ve been back in the car since Melbourne, so it was important to spend time in the simulator ahead of both the Red Bull Ring test and Monaco. I’m now fully focused and really looking forward to getting started again.
“The main focus was preparation for this week’s test. We’ll be racing there at the end of June and I really enjoyed it on my first visit last year, when I had a lot to learn in a short amount of time.
“It’s a really cool circuit with lots of straights and high-speed corners, which I really enjoy.
“These two days will give me the chance to get back in the seat and build momentum before we go racing again. We need to maximise the next few rounds and then assess where we are heading into the second half of the season.”
The official test at the Red Bull Ring, Spielberg takes place between 20-21 May ahead of Sprint and Feature races in Monaco on 4-7 June. The FIA Formula 3 Championship then supports Grands Prix in Barcelona, Spielberg, Silverstone, Spa-Francorchamps, Budapest, Monza and, finally, Madrid.
Red Bull Ring Two-day Test
Drivers will take to the track on May 20-21, with each day split into two segments. The morning sessions will run from 09:00 local time to 12:00 local time.
On Day 1, the afternoon session will begin at 14:00 local time and run to 17:00, while on the second and final day, the lunch break will be shortened to one hour, meaning on-track action begins again at 13:00 local time and finishes at 16:00.
Drivers will be running the red-walled Soft compound Pirelli tyres during the event.
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