Kato takes P3 podium in Feature Race
Autodromo Nazionale MonzaTaito Kato enjoyed his strongest FIA F3 weekend yet at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Italy, following up on his maiden victory with another podium in Sunday's Feature Race.
The 22-lap race got under way at 8:15am, with Taito Kato starting the Feature Race from P4 on the grid, fresh from claiming his maiden FIA Formula 3 victory in the previous day’s Sprint Race. However, immediately after the start, Kato closed up on the car ahead and came under pressure from behind, losing one position after a battle on the opening lap.
A car stopped on track on Lap 3, bringing out the Safety Car (SC). When racing resumed on Lap 5, Kato made an overtake into Turn 1 immediately after the restart to move up to P4. He passed another car at Turn 1 on Lap 6 to take P3, before overtaking once more later on the same lap to move up to P2.
From there, the leading group was involved in an intense battle with positions changing frequently. Between Laps 8 and 10, Kato traded places several times while fighting over P2. At Turn 1 on Lap 11, he was passed by two cars and dropped to P4, but regained P3 at Turn 11, the Alboreto corner, formerly known as Parabolica, later on the same lap.
Two cars stopped further back on Lap 13, prompting a second SC deployment on Lap 14. The race resumed on Lap 17, and Kato held on to P3 to the chequered flag, securing his second consecutive podium finish.
Kato scored 26 points across the two races at Monza, moving up to P6 in the Drivers’ Championship.
The final round of the 2026 FIA Formula 3 season will take place at Madring in Spain from Friday 11 to Sunday 13 September. The season finale at the newly built circuit will feature three races in total: one Sprint Race and two Feature Races.
Starting from P4, we knew we had a strong pace for the Feature Race and a good opportunity to finish on the podium again. The target was similar to the Sprint Race: avoid incidents and manage the tyres well.
It was a little more difficult for us because the temperatures were cooler and we had quite a lot of graining on the front tyres. Everyone was dealing with front graining, but it was a little tougher for us. Even so, we managed to finish on the podium.
Like the Sprint Race, it was a chaotic race with a lot of side-by-side battling. I was able to stay calm in the car and keep everything under control, even though it was a difficult race.
We finished P3, which gave us back-to-back podiums and 26 points over the weekend. I’m really happy with the result, and I moved up to P6 in the Drivers’ Championship. It was a very strong weekend, and I want to say a massive thank you to the team. The car was incredible all weekend, really nice to drive and very enjoyable.
Now we will keep pushing for Madrid. It will be a new track, and we will have three races in total - one sprint race and two feature races. I think we have a good opportunity to score more points across the three races. We will focus on maximising our performance.
Starting from P4, we knew we had a strong pace for the Feature Race and a good opportunity to finish on the podium again. The target was similar to the Sprint Race: avoid incidents and manage the tyres well.
It was a little more difficult for us because the temperatures were cooler and we had quite a lot of graining on the front tyres. Everyone was dealing with front graining, but it was a little tougher for us. Even so, we managed to finish on the podium.
Like the Sprint Race, it was a chaotic race with a lot of side-by-side battling. I was able to stay calm in the car and keep everything under control, even though it was a difficult race.
We finished P3, which gave us back-to-back podiums and 26 points over the weekend. I’m really happy with the result, and I moved up to P6 in the Drivers’ Championship. It was a very strong weekend, and I want to say a massive thank you to the team. The car was incredible all weekend, really nice to drive and very enjoyable.
Now we will keep pushing for Madrid. It will be a new track, and we will have three races in total - one sprint race and two feature races. I think we have a good opportunity to score more points across the three races. We will focus on maximising our performance.
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