Hiyu Yamakoshi Steps Up to Formula 3 with Van Amersfoort Racing for the 2026 Season
Van Amersfoort Racing (VAR) is delighted to announce that Hiyu Yamakoshi will move up to the 2026 FIA Formula 3 Championship. After driving with VAR for the last three years; two rounds in the F4 UAE Championship (VAR Pinnacle) in 2023, the full Italian F4 Championship in 2024 and the full Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA) in 2025, he will step up to FIA F3, staying with the team and taking part in this year’s post-season testing. This step is an exciting one forward for both parties, thanks to previous successes.
The 2006 born Japanese driver started out in karting, with one of his first motorsports encounters being when he was 8. His list of memorable moments began in 2020, when he came in 3rd in the IAME Japan Series in the X30 Junior class. After that, he made his single seater debut in 2023, in the F4 UAE Championship for Pinnacle VAR.
Successful and consistent campaigns in Italian F4 and Euro 4 really showcased his talent: in 2024, he took home the 3rd place in said Italian F4 championship following two wins, seven podiums and 220 points, and he stood on a proud 4th place in the Euro4 (now: E4) championship with two wins and four podiums. His FRECA campaign in 2025 highlights it even more, where he achieved two 2nd places: in Spa and in Zandvoort. This has made for an 8th place in the championship so far.
VAR is proud to be able to stand beside him again for yet another season together, especially because Hiyu has been with the team since the beginning. His growth and development have been closely monitored in the time he’s been with Van Amersfoort Racing, which makes it even more special to see how far he’s progressing in his road to Formula One. The team is eager to see where this step onto the international stage will take him.
Brad Joyce - Team Principal, Van Amersfoort Racing,
“We’re pleased to continue our journey with Hiyu as he steps up to FIA Formula 3. He’s been great to work with so far, a hard worker with a professional approach, and we’re confident he will adjust well to this next step on the international stage. The upcoming tests will be his first chance to get behind the wheel of the F3 machinery and lay the groundwork for a strong season ahead. We’re looking forward to supporting his development and are confident we can achieve great results together.”
Hiyu Yamakoshi - Formula 3 driver, Van Amersfoort Racing,
“First of all, I would like to say thank you to everyone who gave me this opportunity. This will be my third year working with VAR which I think is going to be really helpful for my first FIA F3 season. I can’t wait for my F3 tests and I’m already very excited to get my F3 race weekend. See you at our first official test at Jerez.”
The 2026 FIA Formula 3 season consists of 20 races on 10 different racetracks across Europe, Asia and Oceania, supporting FIA Formula 2 and FIA Formula 1. This upcoming year has Madrid as a new circuit addition, making the drivers compete at not one, but two Spanish tracks in 2026. The season will begin on the 6th-8th of March in Melbourne and close off in Madrid on the 11th-13th of September.
As Hiyu Yamakoshi remains with Van Amersfoort Racing, the team is very excited for the upcoming campaign in F3. We invite our partners and fans to follow along Hiyu’s journey as this new challenge arises for him in the upcoming year.
About Van Amersfoort Racing
Van Amersfoort Racing is a professional racing team based in the Netherlands. It was founded by Frits van Amersfoort in 1975. Since then, Van Amersfoort Racing has built a long tradition of supporting up-and-coming drivers on their way to higher levels. Drivers like Max and Jos Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, Mick Schumacher, Kevin Magnussen, and Liam Lawson all raced for Frits van Amersfoort's team in the early stages of their careers before making it into Formula 1.