Nicola Lacorte has handed DAMS Lucas Oil a timely Silverstone lift after converting a lowly Spielberg grid slot into his first FIA Formula 3 points of the season.
The Italian started the Austrian Feature Race from 17th but recovered to ninth, with the official FIA Formula 3 site noting that he made several overtakes during a drive that finally put his 2026 account in motion. It also arrived one week before F3 joins Formula 1 at Silverstone from 3-5 July.
Lacorte Turns Qualifying Frustration Into Silverstone Momentum
Lacorte’s result matters because DAMS has been searching for proof that its race pace can translate into points when qualifying leaves work to do. His climb through the field did exactly that, and it gives the team a second recent marker after Gerrard Xie’s earlier Monaco Sprint success.
The cleaner lesson is obvious. Lacorte said qualifying better is now the key, because starting closer to the front would allow him to manage tyres and traffic rather than spend the race taking risks in dirty air.
That puts Silverstone in sharp focus. The 5.891km layout rewards commitment through high-speed sequences, but it also punishes drivers who lose the tow window or overheat tyres while fighting in packs. For a DAMS squad trying to turn promise into repeat scoring, Lacorte’s Spielberg recovery is useful evidence rather than comfort.
ReadMotorSport has already tracked the wider Silverstone F3 build-up through Pedro Clerot’s reset with Rodin Motorsport. Lacorte now gives the weekend another live form line.
Sources: FIA Formula 3, FIA Formula 3 Silverstone round information.
