Louis Sharp reflects on the positives as maiden FIA Formula 3 season concludes

Louis Sharp’s first FIA Formula 3 Championship season – run as part of the Formula 1 support programme – came to a frustrating end with an engine issue during the concluding round at Monza, staged ahead of the Italian Grand Prix.

Sharp entered F3 full of confidence after back-to-back title wins in British F4 and GB3. Encouragingly, pre-season testing saw him consistently feature among the frontrunners. Despite this, the season as a whole fell short of expectations.

“I certainly had higher hopes going into the year,” Sharp admitted after the Monza finale. “Off the back of my last two seasons, I wanted to be at the front fighting for podiums and race wins. Winning the championship as a rookie was always going to be a big ask, but I expected to be consistently challenging for points and perhaps podiums when opportunities presented themselves.”

Even so, there were clear highlights in what was always going to be a major challenge – racing against 29 of the world’s best young drivers, many with multiple years of experience, and competing on circuits entirely new to him.

Sharp’s ability was evident with two top-ten finishes on debut on the notoriously unforgiving streets of Monaco, an impressive fourth place at Imola, and a remarkable recovery drive in Hungary – on a circuit renowned for limited overtaking opportunities.

Adding to the positives, his results helped Rodin Motorsport achieve its best-ever finish in the Teams’ Championship, placing sixth overall.

Ultimately, though, Sharp will view 2025 as a character-building year filled with valuable lessons, forming a crucial step in his career development.

“It’s been a tricky year, but I’ve definitely learned a lot,” he reflected. “I knew F3 would be tough, but probably not quite as tough as it has been. Still, I’ve discovered so much about myself and my driving ­– things I wouldn’t have learned if I’d been out front winning. I’ve had to dig deep, and that will serve me well going forward.

“It’s also been fantastic to learn the circuits – that’s another huge positive for the future – as well as gaining experience with the Pirelli tyres, which behave very differently to the more robust ones I raced on in the UK, but are similar in character to those used in F2 and F1.

“Finally, I want to thank David Dicker and everyone at Rodin Motorsport for their support over the past four seasons in which we have won five titles together [two drivers’ and three teams’ championships]. While this year hasn’t matched the success of the three before, I’m confident the invaluable experiences I’ve gained will pay dividends for what’s ahead.”

Louis Sharp’s plans for 2026 will be announced in the coming weeks.