Photo: Jakob Ebrey Photography
Red Bull junior Fionn McLaughlin will bridge his jump from Formula 4 to Formula 3 for 2026 with a Formula Regional Oceania campaign.
The 2025 British F4 champion will drive for Hitech, the team he raced for in his maiden year of single-seater racing this year and with which he will step up to F3 next year.
The Irish driver already took three wins in the Formula Winter Series for F4 machinery at the start of this year before claiming five wins on his way to taking the British title.
As a relatively late starter in car racing, the 18-year-old will be racing in F3 in just the second season of his single-seater career, but he will now take in a short stint at the intermediate FRegional level as part of his preparation.
He is the fourth confirmed driver for Hitech’s debut effort in the New Zealand-based FRegional Oceania, which will run for four consecutive weekends through January and February.
His team-mates include Toyota junior Jin Nakamura, who is also part of Hitech’s F3 line-up for next season, as well as Kenato Le, who will feature on the same F3 grid but with rival team ART Grand Prix.
Double World Rally Champion Kalle Rovanpera will also race with the team having already tested a Hitech Formula 2 car ahead of competing in Super Formula next season.
With Freddie Slater and Yevan David also entered with other teams, there are now five 2026 F3 drivers confirmed to race in FRegional Oceania, with New Zealand’s own Louis Sharp also expected to join them.