LOUIS SHARP ENDS 2026 F3 SEASON PREMATURELY, HE WILL BE REPLACED BY POWELL
Louis Sharp will not complete the 2026 FIA Formula 3 season with PREMA Racing. The New Zealand driver and the Italian team have mutually agreed to end their partnership before the final two rounds of the championship.
Sharp will therefore miss the remaining events at Monza and Madrid. He has decided to focus on his plans for 2027, with the Formula 3 championship no longer within realistic reach.
Sharp joined PREMA for the 2026 season after finishing 26th in his rookie FIA Formula 3 campaign with Rodin Motorsport in 2025. Before reaching F3, he won the 2024 GB3 Championship and the 2023 British Formula 4 Championship.
The 2026 season has been difficult for Sharp in terms of results. After the Spa-Francorchamps round, he was 17th in the drivers’ standings with 21 points and had failed to score in four of the first six race weekends. With the championship fight now focused on the leading drivers, Sharp and PREMA decided that preparing for 2027 was the better option.
Sharp said that he had learned a lot from racing at Formula 3 level and thanked PREMA for its support during the season. He also made it clear that his focus is now on finding the right opportunities for 2027.
PREMA team principal and CEO Stephen Mitas also praised Sharp’s speed during the season. According to Mitas, the New Zealander showed strong qualifying pace and raw speed despite his results not matching the team’s expectations.
PREMA has already confirmed Alex Powell as Sharp’s replacement for the final two rounds of the season. The American-Jamaican driver will make his FIA Formula 3 debut with the team and will race alongside James Wharton and José Garfias.
Powell is currently competing in Eurocup-3 with Campos Racing and sits fifth in the championship. His move to F3 will give him the chance to gain experience with the current-generation FIA Formula 3 car before the end of the year.
The 18-year-old is already familiar with PREMA. He raced for the team in Italian Formula 4 in 2024 and won the Rookie Championship that season. Powell also finished second in the 2025 UAE Formula 4 championship.
Powell also competed in Formula Regional machinery with PREMA in 2025, giving him previous experience with the team and its engineering group. His return therefore comes after several seasons within the European single-seater ladder.
PREMA confirmed that Powell will also take part in the Madrid test on August 24 and 25 before making his F3 race debut later in the season.
Powell said that returning to PREMA is important to him because the team gave him his first opportunity in single-seaters. He will now use the final part of the 2026 season to show what he can do at FIA Formula 3 level.
The 2026 FIA Formula 3 season has only two rounds remaining. Monza will be followed by the final round in Madrid, meaning Powell will have four races to adapt to the championship and to the PREMA car before the season ends.
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