Maciej Gladysz: ‘Humble approach in Melbourne will be key for next rounds’

It was a great debut weekend in Melbourne for Maciej Gladysz, as the Pole battled to a top five result in his maiden Feature Race in FIA Formula 3.

The ART Grand Prix driver’s weekend got off to a great start with a fourth place result in Qualifying despite his relative inexperience, and he capitalised on that with two top six finishes across the remainder of the Round.

Speaking afterwards, Gladysz credits that to his mentality he took into his F3 debut weekend, and that he will be carrying that into the upcoming rounds.

“It was a really good way to start the season. We’re not done yet, nine rounds to come, but for a first round, it was really positive. We started off qualifying pretty well. P4 I think is a great way to start the season.

“It builds confidence for the next round. The most important thing is to stay calm, not put any pressure on yourself for the upcoming rounds and not to get overexcited. I have to remain humble, be confident and just enjoy it.

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“That's what matters for me, to enjoy it, be calm and humble and not to overreact. It’s important to go into the weekend with the same approach as I had in Melbourne.

“If we can keep going like that in the next few rounds, we might be looking really strong for the remainder of the season. Until then, I’ll just enjoy it.”

Reflecting on his first weekend, he said that he was surprised to have started the 2026 campaign so strongly, but believes he could have achieved even more.

A tricky Safety Car restart put him on the backfoot, and is an area he’ll be aiming to improve for future races this season.

“I didn't expect to be in this position, but you need to have a mentality of being positive and going into Qualifying with good momentum. The races were quite good. I think the Sprint would have been good if not the Red Flag.

“We had really good tyres and then the crash happened, so it was quite unfortunate. The Feature Race was quite good until Lap 10. Then the Safety Car came out, and I started to make a few more mistakes.

“I think I got a bit distracted after the Safety Car restart. I was not as confident as I was before that. But P5, 10 points in the Championship is a good way to start.”

For the ART driver, he believes that the momentum generated by the great results at Round 1 will be pivotal for the upcoming races, and he’s eager to keep the ball rolling.

He says that more top 12 starts in the next few races will be the target, and should he remain a presence in that Qualifying fight, he’s confident he can challenge for more strong results.

“We could have been on the podium like Taito was. Qualifying didn't feel like it was 30 minutes, but it felt amazing. Maybe the first set wasn't as good as I expected, but then after I improved my driving and went into the top five, qualified in fourth. It felt really good in the car.

“I really enjoyed driving this track. It's one of my favourite tracks now. I hope I'll keep this momentum for the rest of the season and keep qualifying in the top 12.

“That’s the goal because if you qualify in top 12 in almost every race, then I think you can have a chance of winning the Championship.”

Looking ahead to the remainder of the 2026 campaign, Gladysz was keeping both feet firmly planted on the ground, as he underlined the need to remain level-headed despite the positive start.

He added that he and the team would take things one race at a time, and that his approach for Melbourne will be taken in the next races.