Work ethic and smooth preparation - Nicola Lacorte on F3 promotion with DAMS Lucas Oil

The second of the team’s three drivers for 2025, Nicola Lacorte says he is feeling hugely positive about his and DAMS Lucas Oil’s maiden season in FIA Formula 3.

The Italian driver steps up to F3 after a year in Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine, and he is feeling optimistic after completing post-season testing last year.

Ahead of the 2025 campaign getting underway with pre-season running in Barcelona, Lacorte gave his thoughts on promotion and his preparations for his rookie campaign.

“It’s a big step up from FRECA, but I think we’re ready for this, especially with a team like DAMS,” the Alpine Academy driver said. “They have been good for many years, have a great history in the sport. It’s going to be new for them as well, but I trust them and I know we can do well, both the team and I.

“It’s my first time in a team that isn’t Italian, so that’s going to be a big experience for me as well. But I’ve already seen that the team works in a similar way to what I’m used to, which I really like. The path that has already started from post-season testing seems to be a really strong one, and that makes me believe even more in the team and the process that we’re in.

“So, I’m happy for that also because I can see many people in the team working hard and that’s going to be a great experience to be a part of.”

Another new aspect Lacorte will be learning alongside the 29 other drivers is the brand-new F3 car, introduced for the upcoming season.

The car is aimed at preparing drivers for the next stages of their career and in pursuit of promoting even closer racing by allowing drivers to follow one another more easily.

Along with updated safety standards up to the FIA’s very latest specifications, the F3 car will feature new, wider wheel rims going from 13 to 16-inch rims.

Lacorte says everyone will have a lot on their plate to learn across pre-season testing and the three days in Barcelona is crucial to setting the tone for the early part of the season.

READ MORE: DAMS Lucas Oil’s first Formula 3 lineup looking to start fast in 2025

“With me being a rookie and very young, it’s going to be helpful to be at the same level or closer to that anyway with it being a new car. I also think the bigger tyres will make things different for tyre management, the warmup in Qualifying, that’s going to be new for me and many other drivers.

“It’ll be about working together with the team to get to know the new car as quickly as possible. We only have three days before we go racing in Melbourne, so it’ll also be important for me to understand the tyres.

“The tyres are a very important part of the Championship, we have very few laps before Qualifying so we really need to be up there from Practice. That’s where you’re going to get a lot of an advantage.

“There’s a lot of track evolution which is going to be huge going from FP to Qualifying, where we only have two or three push laps in FP and that’s not going to be enough to have the perfect lap in Qualifying.

“So everything has to be at the right point that you don’t have to be massively quicker than the rest of the field. You just need to do everything well, keep everything under control and you’ll be there in the top 10.”

Looking ahead to testing later this month, Lacorte says he is raring to go after the bulk of his training and preparations have been completed over the winter.

Physical preparation was a focus for the Italian driver during the break, and he says he feels in a good place after competing in sports car racing to keep himself sharp before hitting the track in F3 in a few weeks’ time.

“There’s been a lot of preparation for the upcoming season, but I feel ready for it. I’ve been to Daytona for the 24 Hours, but it was very important for me to prepare because the car is going to be tougher than the FRECA car.

“I feel ready for it, I didn’t struggle in the tests with the car, so I feel more prepared than last season. The work has gone very smoothly.”