De Palo confident of fighting at the front ahead of ‘big step’ up to F3 with TRIDENT

7 November 2025

Matteo De Palo says it has been “fun” getting to grips with the Formula 3 car, as his preparations for his debut year in the Championship with TRIDENT got underway at the post-season tests.

The Italian had a stellar campaign in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine driving for the team, winning four races and achieving 11 podiums in total, finishing second in the Standings.

De Palo now graduates up to F3, continuing with the team for a second season, and after his first run out in the car at the Jerez test, he assessed his start to life in the third tier.

“I'm really excited to join TRIDENT for the 2026 season,” said De Palo. “It's going to be a big step for me in my career, but I am really looking forward to it.

“For sure the hopes are high. I think we can do really well together, now it's all about learning the car. It's my first time in the car, but we are really confident that we can do a good job together.

“But so far, it's been really fun. I was expecting a big step, not this much, but I enjoyed it a lot. Now we will see, I will keep improving, but I am confident that we will do a good job in these tests.”

De Palo is happy to be continuing in TRIDENT colours for another season

As well as the familiarity of staying with the same team, De Palo’s confidence is also high because he has seen what TRIDENT can deliver in F3.

Rafael Câmara won the Drivers’ Championship this year, and TRIDENT finished second in the Teams’ Standings this year. Alongside that, De Palo’s 2026 teammate Noah Stromsted also had a strong year, winning one race and an additional two podiums.

In addition to that, in the other car will be Freddie Slater, who De Palo narrowly lost out to in this year’s Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine title too.

“When you jump in the car and everything is certain, it’s really good for your mental condition,” said De Palo. “You know that it is all about you, and that you it is left to you to do the job.

“With Noah, for sure I have to learn a lot from him, because he already did a year with this car in the Championship. So for sure I will use him like a tool to improve myself before the start of the season. But for sure I am aiming to be the best driver at TRIDENT.”

De Palo wants to continue improving going into next year and to fight at the front

On being teammates with Slater at the tests, De Palo said: “At the end of the day, it’s funny but it's a bit strange. I don't know how to express this, but it's not ordinary that you are teammates with the guy you are fighting against in another category.”

But De Palo’s goal is not only to be back fighting at the front again next year, but also to be winning races and possibly the title. The 17-year-old revealed what he has to do to make sure he comes out on top in 2026.

“I need to keep learning, and then not make any mistakes,” said De Palo. “If we know that we have the pace, we have everything we need to do well. So there are no excessive pressures, just do your job, and I think it will come.”