PREMA have added McLaren junior, Brando Badoer to their 2025 F3 driver line-up.
Badoer’s graduation to F3 comes after he finished third in FRECA with six podium finishes and one pole position, and the Italian is the son of ex F1 driver, Luca Badoer.
Upon confirmation of his F3 seat, the 18 year-old said that he feels “very proud” to step up to F3, and can’t wait to continue his development with a new team after he spent the last three seasons with Van Amersfoort Racing in F4 and FRECA.
“This is a great opportunity to keep improving in the best way possible and continue my growth as a driver.
“I am looking forward to this new challenge in my career, with the support of the McLaren Driver Development Programme, and can’t wait to start working with the team.”
Badoer had initially been on McLaren’s radar for the past year and underwent periods of progress monitoring, which eventually led the team to now sign him onto their full driver development programme.
Reflecting upon his full-time move into McLaren’s programme, Badoer described the chance as “…a fantastic opportunity to join a team with such a great racing heritage and a proven record for developing talent.”
PREMA Team Principal, Rene Rosin added that he can’t wait to see what Badoer can do as he labelled the Italian as “a very interesting prospect,” for next season and is “delighted” to take a gamble on him.
“We have kept an eye on him because we noticed his potential from F4 to FRECA, and we saw him make an impressive step this season.
“Formula 3 will be challenging, as it usually is, but he has the right attitude to quickly gel with the team and series.”
Badoer will partner fellow McLaren junior, Ugo Ugochukwu, with the pair set to discover their teammate in due course, with PREMA set to announce their third driver in an all-new line-up.
Leave a Reply