Yamakoshi converts reverse grid pole into maiden F3 victory at Monaco Sprint Race
Hiyu Yamakoshi delivered a composed and commanding performance to claim his first FIA Formula 3 victory in the Monaco Sprint Race, converting a reverse grid pole into a flag-to-flag triumph on the streets of Monte Carlo. The Van Amersfoort Racing driver led home Gerrard Xie of DAMS Lucas Oil in second, with teammate Bruno del Pino rounding out the podium in third.
A chaotic opening gives way to controlled racing
Yamakoshi nailed the start to hold the lead into Turn 1, but the opening laps quickly descended into mayhem. Pedro Clerot cut across the Turn 1 run-off to hold third ahead of del Pino, while a multi-car collision at the hairpin eliminated Brad Benavides, Tuukka Taponen, Christian Ho, and Brando Badoer from the race in one fell swoop.
With several stricken cars to recover, the Safety Car was deployed before the end of Lap 1, and a Red Flag was thrown on Lap 2 to clear the track fully. The race resumed on a countdown timer, with 21 minutes of racing left on the clock.
Clerot's earlier shortcut did not go unpunished â race officials instructed him to concede third place to del Pino at the restart, which he duly did on the exit of Turn 1. Yamakoshi retained the lead, but Xie was menacing from close range, sitting less than half a second behind.
Safety car chaos, then Yamakoshi controls
With 17 minutes remaining, a second Safety Car intervention further disrupted proceedings. An overtake attempt at the hairpin by Freddie Slater tipped Ernesto Rivera into a spin, leaving ThĂ©ophile Nael â who will line up on pole position for Sunday's Feature Race â with nowhere to go. All three were eventually able to rejoin, but from the back of the field. Slater was subsequently handed a 10-second time penalty for causing the incident.
Yamakoshi fired the field back into action with 14 minutes left, and immediately went about extending his advantage. A brief Virtual Safety Car with seven minutes to go, called to clear debris at the swimming pool chicane, did little to upset his rhythm â the Japanese driver used the green flag restart to build a nearly two-second cushion over Xie.
With the top four locked in a DRS train and Monaco's tight barriers offering virtually no overtaking opportunities, the race order held firm to the end. Yamakoshi crossed the line to take his maiden FIA Formula 3 victory and Van Amersfoort Racing's first win ever in Monaco.
Quote of the race
"So special to win here. Even if it's a Sprint Race, it feels great. A win's a win! Now I'm a Monaco winner, which is such a special thing. It's a dream come true and I'm so happy about this result." â Hiyu Yamakoshi, Van Amersfoort Racing
Championship implications
Xie's second place earned him his first F3 podium, while del Pino's third ensured Van Amersfoort had two drivers on the rostrum for the second successive Sprint of the 2026 season. Clerot finished fourth, with Alessandro Giusti, Noah Stromsted, Ugo Ugochukwu, Jin Nakamura, Maciej Gladysz and Kanato Le completing the points positions.
In the Drivers' Championship, Ugo Ugochukwu continues to lead on 30 points, with del Pino climbing to second on 26. Freddie Slater remains third on 18, Taito Kato is fourth on 16, and Enzo Deligny fifth on 12.
In the Teams' Standings, Van Amersfoort Racing â who arrived in Monaco leading for the very first time â have now extended their advantage to 48 points, ahead of Campos Racing on 32, ART Grand Prix on 29, TRIDENT on 25, and Rodin Motorsport on 14.
The FIA Formula 3 Feature Race is scheduled for 07:45 local time on Sunday morning, with Théophile Nael starting from pole position.
Simone Scanu
Heâs a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.