Hiyu Yamakoshi ends his rookie Formula 3 season with a newfound belief: he can not only battle the best drivers but also beat them. The Japanese driver, racing for Van Amersfoort Racing, admitted that his impressive results throughout 2026 have changed his perspective on competing at the highest level of junior motorsport.
His season didn't start smoothly. Yamakoshi faced a disqualification and three races without points early on. However, his resurgence began in Barcelona, where he claimed his first podium in the Feature Race with a P2 finish. From there, his performances continued to climb, including his first pole position at the Red Bull Ring and another podium at Spa-Francorchamps.
Currently sitting seventh in the standings, Yamakoshi is just 20 points behind third place. With two rounds remaining, there's still plenty of opportunity to climb higher. For a rookie, this achievement clearly exceeded his initial expectations.
“I really didn't expect to get a pole at the Red Bull Ring,” he told Formula 3. “A podium was expected at some point, but not in the Feature Race. I thought podiums would come in the Sprints, but actually my first was in Barcelona with P2. We were chasing P1 all the way. It was really, really good. I feel I made very good progress from last year, and these results give me extra confidence every time I hit the track.”
That confidence has also led him to compare himself with top drivers supported by F1 junior teams. “The biggest thing for my mentality is that I realised I'm not slow. I can compete with the top drivers, the top F1 junior team drivers. I can fight with them; sometimes I'm faster. That really makes me extra confident,” he stated.
Within Van Amersfoort Racing, Yamakoshi also credits the support of his teammates, especially Bruno Del Pino, who has a season of F3 experience. “Enzo and I are both rookies, learning as much as we can from Bruno. In the first few rounds, I learned a lot from him, and that really helped me extract the most from the car and myself,” he explained.
Yamakoshi's journey proves that transitioning from GB3 and FRECA to F3 doesn't have to be a barrier to immediate competitiveness. He is now a name to watch for the remainder of the season, reinforcing that Japanese drivers continue to produce new talents on the international racing scene.
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