Sebastian Wheldon targets 2027 F3 title with Trident

Sebastian Wheldon wants to fight for the 2027 FIA Formula 3 title in his rookie season with Trident. The American set that target after four days of post-season testing at Jerez and Barcelona, where he began adapting to the extra power and downforce of the F3 car.

“I just want to fight for the championship,” Wheldon told FIA Formula 3. He singled out consistency when asked what a successful first season would look like.

Wheldon secured his Trident seat after finishing second in the 2026 Formula Regional European Championship. He won four races and took eight podiums in that campaign.

What Wheldon learned in Spain

Wheldon said the extra downforce was the clearest difference from Formula Regional. The F3 car has more engine power, too, and he found he needed fewer laps to get down to a competitive time.

The final afternoon in Barcelona gave him a chance to build mileage as teams turned their attention to race simulations. Wheldon completed 48 laps and set the fifth-fastest time of the session, 0.017 seconds behind fellow Trident rookie Kean Nakamura-Berta.

A Formula Regional rival becomes a teammate

Kean Nakamura-Berta steps up with Trident after finishing third in Formula Regional, one place behind Wheldon. The two raced against each other for the title in 2026. Wheldon described Nakamura-Berta as a friend and said their mutual respect went back to his first races in Europe.

Wheldon picked out Monaco as the round he is most looking forward to. It comes fifth on the 2027 Formula 3 calendar, which opens at Sakhir in March.