Yevan David is set to make to history with his Formula 3 Championship debut this week

Sri Lanka's 18-year-old racing prodigy, Yevan David, will debut in the FIA Formula 3 Championship on Friday (March 6) at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, Australia.

David will become the first Sri Lankan to race in the competition commonly known as ‘F3’, having finished second in the 2025 Euroformula Open Championship.

David will race for United Arab Emirates-based AIX Racing team, alongside American Brad Benavides and Brazilian Fernando Barrichello, the son of former F1 driver Rubens Barrichello.

Here's everything you need to know heading into the first race weekend.

What is F3?

The Formula 3 Championship, or F3, is the third tier of single-seater racing organised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) – also known as the International Automobile Federation.

While Formula 3 began in the 1940s as an affordable entry-level category for enthusiasts, the FIA Formula 3 Championship, launched in 2019, became a primary support series for the pinnacle of motorsports – Formula 1 or F1.

Each ‘formula’ has its own set of strict regulations set by the FIA, in relation to engines, chassis and costs, with the fastest cars, bigger teams and most recognisable drivers taking part in F1.

What are the regulations for F3 this season?

Unlike in F1, where teams design their cars – and in some cases, engines – bringing their own interpretations to the regulations, all F3 teams use the same specification of car, purchasing the engine, chassis and tires from the same supplier.

This season, all teams will run identical Mecachrome 3.4-litre V6 engines, Dallara chassis, and Pirelli tires, reaching top speeds of 300 kilometre per hour (kmph), significantly less than the 370 kmph that 2026 F1 cars are expected to reach.

Mandating these same spec cars creates a level playing field for teams, the difference essentially coming from driver skill, team strategy and setup – not big budgets or technology.

What should I know about the 2026 F3 season?

The 2026 FIA Formula 3 Championship will span 10 race weekends, running parallel to some but not all of the 24 Formula 1 races this season.

Ten teams will take part in the Championship, each fielding three drivers.

Each F3 race weekend will include two races – a sprint race on Saturday and a feature race that takes place on Sunday before the F1 race.

Unlike F1 races that take place over a set number of laps, both F2 races are timed events – the sprint race runs for 40 minutes plus one lap and the feature race for 45 minutes plus one lap.

Both races are preceded by qualifying sessions, which determines the starting order.

The starting grid for the feature race is determined by the order of fastest to slowest in qualifying.

The starting grid for the Sprint Race however is decided by reversing the top 12 finishers of sprint qualifying session – the fastest starting 12th, second fastest starting 11th and so on, with the 12th fastest driver starting at the front.

How is the winner of the championship decided?

The most points awarded at a single race week is for the winner of the Feature race, with the top 10 finishers scoring 25, 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 and 1 points respectively.

For the sprint race, the top 10 classified drivers are awarded 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 points respectively.

Additionally, two points are awarded to the driver who is shown in pole position for the Feature Race.

A further point is awarded to the driver who achieves the fastest lap time in each race, providing they are in the top 10 positions of the final race classification.

This effectively means that the most points a driver can score during a single race week is 39.

The driver with the most total points at the end of season wins the Driver's Championship, while the team with most combined points of all three of its drivers, wins the Constructors Championship.

A count-back system is used to decide places of drivers with equal points in the championship -- the driver with most wins ranking highest of those with equal points totals.

If there is still a tie, the most second-place finishes, then the most third-place finishes, etc., is used to split the tied drivers.

What has Yevan said about his F3 debut?

Speaking to the Formula 3 website, David said: “I can't express how excited I am. Honestly, just being in the F3 paddock, near the F1 paddock, and racing on F1 weekends is going to be a pleasure."

On his goal for the season, David said: “There’s no specific goal, because then you start mending to that goal, at least for me. For me, obviously the goal is to win the championship and to win in Formula 1 in the coming years.”

“But what gets there is doing absolutely as much work as possible and focusing on the process. So for me, it's doing whatever possible with the intention of reaching that goal," he added.