The young man from Leiria, the first Portuguese driver in the FIA Formula 3 world championship in 12 years, made his debut at the iconic circuit with two days of “maximum effort and experience, fulfilling the best expectations” and anticipating preparation for the official tests in Barcelona and the start of the competition.
The championship, one of the antechambers of Formula 1, begins in March at the Australian Grand Prix. “The first year in the F3 world championship will be very challenging, very competitive, especially for a rookie; the focus will always be on the best preparation and on continuing to evolve”
Ivan Domingues, an 18-year-old Portuguese driver who signed a contract with the prestigious Dutch team, Van Amersfoort Racing (VAR), to fully compete in the 2025 season of the FIA Formula 3 Championship, anticipated the start of the season with a test session at the Estoril Raceway, this Thursday and Friday. The young man from Leiria, who had never ridden on the emblematic national circuit, met the best predictions, accumulating a total of 890 km over the two days, maximizing his preparation for the official tests that will take place from February 19 to 21 in Barcelona.
“I believe we met the best expectations in this debut at Estoril. We even exceeded the planned kilometres, with a very consistent pace, pushing our bodies to the maximum effort and taking full advantage of the experience of a car we had never driven before, which was very demanding from a technical and physical point of view. These previous-generation Formula 3s are the training cars that F1 drivers use during the winter break because they have extraordinary support and performance in both slow and fast corners. Estoril is also a track with a very demanding layout. It was very positive to be able to accumulate 890 km because there is no better training than being on the track”, said Ivan Domingos, detailing the preparation. “We tested race simulation, with some longer runs, but also laps launched with new tyres, a little bit already preparing for the specificity of qualifying in Formula 3, where we only have one lap with new rubber to find the limit”.
The two days of work took place with the British team Double R Racing, founded in 2004 by Kimi Raikkonen. Now comes the return to the VAR team, with which he will compete in the entire 2025 F3 World Championship, and the debut of the new car next week in Catalonia. “Now we are better prepared for the official tests in Barcelona and the objective is very clear: to do the shakedown, run and learn as much as possible. I will have the advantage of having some pace in physical terms now and the objective will be to continue evolving and getting to know as well as possible a new car, with different specifications, especially in aerodynamics and tyres. The first year in the F3 world championship will be very challenging, very competitive, especially for a rookie; the focus will always be on the best preparation so that I can evolve to the maximum in every opportunity on the track”, he concluded.
Ivan Domingues, just 18 years old, begins the official season at the Australian Grand Prix (14-16 March). He will be the first Portuguese to compete in the Formula 3 World Championship in its entirety, 12 years after António Félix da Costa, in what is one of the main stages of access to Formula 1. The FIA Formula 3 World Championship, which accompanies the Formula 1 ‘circus’ in a total of ten Grands Prix, then continues in Bahrain – Sakhir, Italy – Imola, Monaco – Monte Carlo, Spain – Barcelona, Austria – Splielberg, Great Britain – Silverstone, Belgium – Spa Francorchamps, Hungary – Budapest, and Italy – Monza. Each weekend offers two races, with the particularity that the first (Sprint Race) starts with the top 12 on the starting grid in inverted positions.
About Ivan Domingues
Ivan Domingues (Leiria, 5/5/2006) started karting, inspired by his father and brother, when he was just 8 years old. At the age of 9, he participated in the first Portuguese championship. He won the Portuguese Kart Cup and was National Vice-Champion in 2017, 2018 and 2019. At the age of 14, he moved to Italy to professionalize his training and make the leap to Formula 4. Last season, in 2024, already in FRECA (Formula Regional Europe by Alpine), he stood out as one of the best rookies (two podiums and a best rookie in 3 races). In 2025, he leapt the FIA Formula 3 Championship, one of the main antechambers to Formula 1, completing the full season at the service of the prestigious Van Amersfoort Racing (VAR). Its references are Ayrton Senna and Max Verstappen. Besides cars, he is passionate about sports and animals.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, and TikTok and see the exclusive content for social networks.
