Rodin Motorsport have confirmed their first driver signing for the 2026 FIA Formula 2 season, with Martinius Stenshorne set to step up with the team next year.
Stenshorne recently made his F2 debut in Baku in what was an impressive showing, qualifying in the top 10 and contending for a strong finish in both races before being forced to retire from both the Sprint and Feature races.
The Norwegian competed in the 2025 F3 season with two wins and a further three runner-up finishes across the year, finishing fifth overall in the standings.
Prior to F3, Stenshorne finished second in Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine in 2023 and earned multiple karting titles before stepping up to single seaters in 2022.
I’m really excited to be joining Rodin Motorsport in the 2026 Formula 2 Championship. This is a big step forward in my career, and I’m grateful to the team for their trust and support. I can’t wait to get started in Abu Dhabi for the post season test and give it everything on track this upcoming season! Stenshorne on the news.
Confirming Martinius as our first FIA Formula 2 driver for 2026 is an exciting step for the team. He’s shown speed and maturity throughout his junior career and his debut in Baku gave a clear indication of the potential he brings. Formula 2 is a big challenge, but we’re confident he has the ability to adapt quickly and deliver strong results. We’re looking forward to supporting his development and working with him as he makes the step up. Benn Huntingford, Rodin Motorsport Sporting Director.
Campos Racing’s Nikola Tsolov set the fastest time of Friday morning’s Free Practice session, leading the way ahead of Trident’s Rafael Camara and Noah Stromsted.
The Bulgarian’s 1:22.018 proved to be the lap to beat, leading his Championship rival by 0.158s, as Stromsted rounded out the top three, over four-tenths behind.
The session started with most of the grid biding their time in the pitlane, although DAMS Lucas Oil debutant Nikita Johnson was getting up to speed, setting an early time of 1:25.165.
However, with just over 10 minutes gone in the session, Stromsted made his way onto the track and completed a 1:24.311.
As the Danish rookie finished his first flying attempt, the majority of the grid made their way on to the circuit. PREMA’s Noel Leon then went to P2 on 1:24.001. However, there was bad news for his teammate Brando Badoer, who wound up in the gravel at Turn 8, bringing out the Red Flags.
Action resumed with just over 18 minutes left in the session, but a Red Flag was soon signalled with Hitech TGR’s Gerrard Xie having stopped on track at Turn 3.
10 minutes remained on the clock when the green flags were waved, and there were plenty of changes on the timing screens as Tsolov’s 1:22.018 put him on top.
The Campos driver was 1.098s clear of Taponen in second when the Red Flags were back out, with AIX Racing’s Brad Benavides having found the gravel at Turn 4.
Three minutes were left on the clock when green flag running resumed and the drivers were able to improve as Camara went to P2, with Stromsted 0.483s off Tsolov, in P3.
Qualifying-
Nikola Tsolov was in supreme form on Friday afternoon in Speilberg as the Campos Racing driver took the Aramco Pole Position Award with a dominant qualifying effort.
The Bulgarian led after each lap and took P1 with a 1:20.743 ahead of AIX Racing’s Brad Benavides and Trident’s Noah Stromsted, as Championship leader Rafael Camara finished seventh.
Tsolov got off to a fine start by putting in a 1:21.598 on his first flying lap, with his Campos teammate Mari Boya in second, but over half a second behind after the first set of times.
The Bulgarian improved on his next attempt to a 1:21.282 as MP Motorsport’s Tim Tramnitz went up to second, 0.064s behind, while Camara rounded out the top three.
Several drivers chose to push on for a third flying lap, and Alessandro Giusti was one of a few able to eke out more performance. The MP driver went up to third, just behind teammate Tramnitz, and 0.097s off top spot.
After returning to the pit lane for a second set of soft tyres, the drivers were back out on track with just over 10 minutes to go.
Camara led the pack away and went fastest on a 1:21.011, but the Brazilian was quickly beaten by Tsolov, who went top by 0.084s with a 1:20.927.
The Red Bull Junior continued on to improve and on his next attempt, completed a 1:20.743 to seal his second pole position of the season.
Benavides then went to second place on his final lap for AIX, finishing 0.176s off Tsolov’s time, with Noah Stromsted going to third for Trident.
Sprint Race-
It was a strong getaway from pole for Wharton, but it was the same for his fellow front row starter Giusti, although the ART rookie kept his rival at bay on the opening lap.
Behind them, Charlie Wurz was struggling to keep hold of P3 from Ugochukwu. But the PREMA rookie ended up losing a place at Turn 7 to his teammate Brando Badoer, dropping him to fifth.
As Lap 2 ended there was a multi-car collision in the midfield between Christian Ho, Louis Sharp and Tuukka Taponen at Turn 4, ending all three drivers’ race. Ho brought his DAMS Lucas Oil machinery back to the pitlane, but Sharp and Taponen’s cars needed to be cleared from the track bringing out the Safety Car.
Action resumed at the start of Lap 5 of 21, and Nikola Tsolov was on the move, diving to the inside of Callum Voisin at Turn 1 to take P7, as Wharton kept the lead ahead of Giusti.
At the start of Lap 6, Badoer ran wide at Turn 1, allowing Ugochukwu to take P4. Rafael Camara looked to have overtaken the PREMA rookie, but the Italian fought back at Turn 3 to keep fifth.
In the battle for ninth, Bruno del Pino and Brad Benavides collided at Turn 3, with both drivers forced to pit with damage, before coming back out, although the latter later retired.
Lap 9 and Camara looked to go round the outside of Badoer at Turn 4. However, a bad run on corner exit allowed Championship rival Tsolov to get past for P6 at the exit of Turn 6.
The two drivers continued to battle on the next lap, but as they went side-by-side through Turn 4 once again, Camara dipped a wheel in the gravel, dropping him down to P9.
Lap 12 of 21 kicked off with Giusti half a second behind Wharton, and the MP driver looked to make a move to the inside at the popular Turn 4 but again found no way through.
The battle for the podium places continued on the next lap as Badoer looked to dive to the inside of Ugochukwu at Turn 3. However, the PREMA driver braked too late and went into the rear of Wurz in P3, sending both into a spin.
The Safety Car was deployed moments later with Wurz’s Trident on the side of the road, while Badoer came into the pitlane to change his front wing before coming back out.
Racing resumed on Lap 18 of 21, and Wharton had another good restart, as did Giusti. But Ugochukwu, now in third, was coming under pressure from Tsolov and Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak.
However, the Campos pair started to battled, allowing Ugochukwu to keep the position.
As Wharton crossed the line to start Lap 20, the Australian rookie had built a lead of 1.1s to Giusti, while Ugochukwu was 2.2s behind the race leader, while fighting to keep Tsolov behind.
Onto the final lap and Giusti has closed to within DRS range of Wharton, but could not get ahead of the ART driver, who crossed the line to take his first win in FIA Formula 3,
Giusti achieved his second consecutive podium finish in second, while it was a maiden trip to the rostrum for Ugochukwu, who held off the challenge from Tsolov to finish P3.
Feature Race-
It was a great start for pole-sitter Tsolov, who kept the lead ahead of fellow front row starter Brad Benavides, with Noah Stromsted staying in third.
However, on Lap 2, Benavides locked up into Turn 3, putting Stromsted right on the back of the AIX Racing car. The American held on, but this battle meant that Tsolov was 1.9s clear out in front.
The Trident driver eventually took second place with a move to the outside at Turn 3, and fellow rookie Ugo Ugochukwu followed him through to go to P3.
Benavides’ day got worse on Lap 4, with Rafael Camara, Callum Voisin and Brando Badoer all passing him, dropping him to P7.
Onto Lap 6, and Ugochukwu was slowly closing the gap to Tsolov out in front, although the PREMA driver was coming under pressure from Camara, who had passed teammate Stromsted into Turn 4 for P3.
The Championship’s leader fightback continued on the next lap, as he battled past Ugochukwu to get to second, with his targets set on chasing down title rival Tsolov.
Stromsted was then next to make a move on lap 9, getting past Ugochukwu into Turn 4 to take P3. Martinius Stenshorne was making his way through the field after starting in P15 and with an overtake on Voisin, was up to fifth by the end of Lap 11.
The Rodin Motorsport driver was soon down to P10 on Lap 13 however, losing four places to Tim Tramnitz, Mari Boya, Theophile Nael and Charlie Wurz.
Back in the battle for the podium places, Stromsted was struggling to keep Ugochukwu behind, but in trying to make a move at Turn 3, the PREMA Racing rookie lost out to Stenshorne.
Tramnitz’s fight back also continued the following lap, braving it around the outside of Ugochukwu at turn 7 to take fifth place on Lap 16.
Out in front, Tsolov was 4.6s clear of Camara at the start of Lap 18, but the Brazilian was not in comfortable second place, as Stenshorne closed to within DRS range of the Trident.
The McLaren backed driver took second place on the next lap at Turn 1, while Tramnitz took advantage of Stromsted running wide at the final corner to take P4 down the main straight.
Boya kicked off Lap 21 of 26 having just set the fastest lap of the race and dived to the inside of Ugochukwu at Turn 3 to take fifth place.
Wurz was the next to get past Stromsted, going around the outside of his TRIDENT teammate at Turn 7 to take P7 on Lap 22.
The fight for the final spot on the podium then heated up on Lap 24, as Tramnitz closed to within DRS range of Camara for third. The MP driver dived to the inside of the Brazilian to take P3.
Camara’s stuggles continued a few corners later as Boya made an audacious move at Turn 9, relegating him to fifth. Ugochukwu was next to get past the Trident driver, this time at Turn 5.
But out in front, Tsolov had built a lead of over six second to Stenshorne and crossed the line to take his sixth F3 victory of the 2025 season, closing to within one point of Championship leader, Camara.
However, the FIA have found that Nikola Tsolov has been in breach of the 2025 FIA Formula 3 Technical Regulations, resulting in disqualification from the results.
So the new full top 10 are- P1: Stenshorne, P2: Tramnitz, P3: Boya, P4: Ugochukwu, P5: Camara, P6: Wurz, P7: Stromsted, P8: Voisin, P9: Benadvides and P10: Nael.
Hitech Pulse-Eight have confirmed that Martinius Stenshorne will be staying with the team for a second season of FIA Formula 3 in 2025.
Stenshorne returns to F3 after a strong rookie campaign in which he achieved one victory in the Melbourne Sprint Race before adding another podium in the Barcelona Sprint. The Norwegian driver ended the season in 18th in the Drivers’ Championship.
Prior to joining Formula 3, Stenshorne finished second in the 2023 Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine, where he achieved five wins and an additional six podiums.
In 2022, Stenshorne competed in the Italian F4 Championship, where he finished the season in seventh place overall, which included two podiums.
The McLaren Development driver will now be returning for a second season, he is keen to help the team challenge on both fronts in 2025.
I’m really happy and excited to be entering my second season of FIA Formula 3 and with Hitech. 2024 was a strong first year in the championship and we achieved some good results that also contributed to the team being able to fight for both titles – something I hope we will see again next season. I’m looking forward to getting down to work with the new car in the new year Stenshorne on the news.
I’m delighted to confirm that Martinius will continue with us for the 2025 campaign. In only his first year on the international stage – one of the most competitive seasons F3 has ever seen – he punctuated his obvious potential with a win in the second round, a podium, and he was regularly in the fight for points. When the field is as tight as it was last season, it can be difficult for strong performances to translate to the standings, but within the team, Martinius’ progress was clear for all to see and I feel confident that he will really make his mark in a second season of F3. Paul Bellringer, Hitech Team Manager.
McLaren have announced that two more drivers are joining their development programme – Alex Dunne and Martinius Stenshorne. Both currently race in Formula 3, Dunne for MP Motorsport and Stenshorne for Hitech Pulse-Eight.
Dunne impressed McLaren when he won the 2022 British F4 Championship with Hitech Grand Prix, with the 18 year old from Ireland also put in an eye-catching performance in Bahrain earlier this year securing his first F3 points.
Norwegian Stenshorne comes for a rallying background and was a prolific karter in his junior days, and has already tasted victory in F3 with a Sprint race win in Australia.
McLaren’s Driver Development programme was established in 2022, and funnels young talent towards F1, Formula E and IndyCar.
McLaren have a history of developing and promoting young talent – notably very happy to advance both Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris to F1, with both drivers going straight into the sharp end of the grid.
We’re pleased to announce that Alex and Martinius have joined our Driver Development programme. They are both exciting and promising young talents within motorsport, with proven records on track in their respective junior categories including this season’s FIA Formula 3 Championship. The entire team is looking forward to welcoming Alex and Martinius to the McLaren family and we’ll be working closely to support their development within our talent pipeline. Stephanie Carlin, Director of F1 Business Operations – who runs the junior programme.
It’s an honour to join the McLaren Driver Development programme. I’m looking forward to getting started with the team. McLaren provides the perfect environment for me to develop my skillset as I continue my journey in motorsport. I’m grateful for Zak [Brown] and Stephanie’s support and I’m excited to meet the rest of the team at MTC. Dunne on the news.
I’m incredibly excited to join the McLaren Driver Development programme, it’s an honour to now be part of the McLaren family. The team has a great history of developing talent, so I’m looking forward to growing with the team and learning from their expertise as I continue on my journey towards the top of motorsport. Thank you to Zak, Stephanie and the entire team for their faith in me, I can’t wait to get started. Stenshorne adding to the news.
The top five remained the same at the start with pole-sitter van Hoepen covering off Stenshorne to retain the lead. His ART teammate and home favourite Christian Mansell stayed in third ahead of the Red Bull-liveried cars of Oliver Goethe and Lindblad.
However, van Hoepen and Stenshorne quickly became embroiled in a multi-lap battle for the lead on lap 3. But this battle brought the rest of their rivals into play, with the top 10 only covered by three seconds.
On lap 6, Mansell was now coming under attack from Lindblad with the PREMA driver taking P3 at Turn 9. Just behind the pair, Goethe lost P5 to his Campos teammate Mari Boya at the same corner.
In the battle for points, Dino Beganovic was on the move in other PREMA car and quickly dispatched Fornaroli at Turn 12 for 9th, the Trident driver then ran wide onto the gravel, dropping him to 15th.
Back at the front, Stenshorne had built a gap of over two and a half seconds to van Hoepen, but the ART driver was then overtaken by Lindblad. As the race moved past the halfway stage, Beganovic was now coming under attack from Sebastian Montoya. The Campos driver made the move past on the run down to Turn 1, with the Swede then losing another position to Charlie Wurz two corners later.
Van Amersfoort Racing’s home hero Tommy Smith collided with the rear of Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak at Turn 1. The Thai racer was out of the car and the race whilst the Australian continued on.
Back to green flag racing, Beganovic made the move past Wurz for P8 at the popular Turn 9. The Austrian ran wide at corner exit, losing further positions to drop him down to 13th.
The full top 10 is – P1: Stenshorne, P2: Lindblad, P3: Van Hoepen, P4: Boya, P5: Goethe, P6: Mini, P7: Dunne, P8: Montoya, P9: Fornaroli and P10: Mansell.
Day 3-
Fornaroli led away from pole, staying ahead of the PREMA pair of Mini and Beganovic. But there was plenty of action at the back of the pack as MP Motorsport’s Tim Tramnitz suffered a puncture after colliding with Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak.
The PHM AIX Racing driver then hit Sophia Floersch and despite both being able to continue to the pitlane, they were both forced to retire with damage.
We were back to green flag conditions, with the top three remaining the same, Luke Browning and Arvid Lindblad rounded out the top five with the pair pouncing on the PHM AIX’s Nikita Bedrin to move up the order.
On lap 11, there was more bad news for the Australian fans as Christian Mansell lost two places at Turn 11, with Jenzer Motorsport’s Charlie Wurz and Campos’ Sebastian Montoya overtaking the ART Grand Prix driver.
Beganovic after being given the all clear to overtake Mini for second, and he did just that on lap 12, making his way past at Turn 9. The PREMA driver then quickly got within DRS range of Fornaroli.
Mini’s struggles continued as by the end of Lap 13, he lost another position at Turn 9. A lap later, Beganovic took the lead from Fornaroli at the same corner. Elsewhere, Campos Racing teammates Mari Boya and Sebastian Montoya quickly got past Bedrin, moving them up to fifth and sixth.
The top three were now covered by just a second a half with Fornaroli well within DRS range of Beganovic as the drivers set off on lap 18. Mini was however beginning to show strong pace and closed in on Browning for third.
The full top 10 is: P1: Beganovic, P2: Fornarolli, P3: Mini, P4: Browning, P5: Wurz, P6: Montoya, P7: Boya, P8: Bedrin, P9: Goethe and P10: Mansell.
HiTech Pulse Eight have confirmed that Martinius Stenshorne will move to FIA Formula 3 with the British team in 2024.
Stenshorne joins the team after finishing second in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine in 2023, taking top rookie honours with four pole positions, five wins and six podiums to his name.
The 17 year old began his racing career in karting, earning multiple titles between 2018 and 2020, including the 2018 WSK Master Series in 60 Mini alongside the Italian Championship in the same category.
The Norwegian moved up to single seaters in 2022, completing a season in Italian F4 where he finished seventh overall before moving up to FRECA.
Stenshorne also took part in post-season testing with Hitech Pulse-Eight earlier this year, he finished the final day in Jerez as the fastest driver.
I am looking forward to making the step up to FIA F3 with Hitech next season. I have every confidence that they will allow me to develop in my rookie season in the championship. It will be a new challenge for me, however I am feeling eager to be fighting for the top spots from the get-go.
Stenshorne on the news.
We are delighted to add Martinius to our Formula 3 line-up for 2024. He showed great potential during testing and given his race-winning form in FRECA this year, we are confident that we will have an exciting and successful season together.
Paul Bellringer, Hitech Pulse-Eight F3 Team Manager.
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