Ivan Domingues secured 26th place on the starting grid for the Austrian Formula 3 Grand Prix, a race that marks the beginning of the second half of the season.
On a tough Friday, marked by tuning and gearbox problems, the Portuguese rookie was unable to find the best performance for the Dallara, but is now determined to get “the most” out of the two races to be held this weekend.
The first day at the Spielberg circuit began with a free practice session marked by several interruptions. Accidents on the track prevented the car from running and finding the best setup, a problem that extended to his colleagues from Van Amersfoort Racing, who also achieved times below expectations.
Despite everything, another step in the learning process was taken in the debut in the Formula 3 World Championship, an extremely competitive category, as seen in the classification, with 28 drivers separated by just one second!
“It was a difficult Friday, starting with free practice, with a series of red flags that prevented me from driving normally and better understanding where the car was on this circuit. In qualifying, on the first run, the gearbox got stuck in sixth gear, and I had to go into the pits, without even doing a single lap. When I got back on the track, I tried to improve, but I still felt that it was not possible to get everything out of the single-seater. We will try to correct the settings. In any case, we want to get the most out of the races on Saturday and Sunday”, stressed the driver from Leiria.
Austrian Formula 3 Grand Prix Schedule
Saturday
Sprint Race (21 laps) – 09:05
Sunday
Feature Race (26 laps) – 07:30
The races can be watched live on DAZN 5.
About Ivan Domingues
Ivan Domingues (Leiria, 5/5/2006) started out in karting, inspired by his father and by his brother when he was only 8 years old. At the age of 9, he participated in the first Portuguese championship. He won the Brazilian Kart Cup and was National Vice-Champion in 2017, 2018 and 2019. At the age of 14, he moved to Italy to professionalise 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 best rookie in 3 races). In 2025, he leapt the FIA Formula 3 Championship, one of the main antechambers of Formula 1, to become the first Portuguese to participate in the World Championship, to complete the full season and win a victory (Spanish GP), all while working for the prestigious Van Amersfoort Racing (VAR). His role models include Ayrton Senna and Max Verstappen. In addition to cars, he is passionate about sports and animals.
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