Photo: Red Bull
Mattia Colnaghi has landed Red Bull backing to make the step up to the FIA Formula 3 Championship in 2026 with MP Motorsport.
The Italian-Argentine former karting star was able to graduate to single-seater racing in 2024 with a paid-for seat with MP in Spanish Formula 4 after winning the Richard Mille Young Talent Academy.
He went on to win the Spanish F4 title at the first attempt after overhauling sophomore team-mate Keanu Al Azhari late in the season. This year he has stepped up to Eurocup-3 with MP, and finished second in its winter series and currently leads the main championship by 12 points over team-mate Valerio Rinicella with three rounds remaining.
“I’m super excited about the opportunity handed to me by MP Motorsport and the Red Bull Junior Team,” said Colnaghi. “Joining the grand prix weekends as a Formula 3 driver is a dream come true, and I’m looking to forward to building on the amazing working relationship that MP and I have developed in the past two seasons.
“I’m truly grateful to Helmut Marko and Red Bull for allowing me to demonstrate my racing skills in FIA F3, while staying with MP is the obvious choice. They have become my family in the past two years and have helped me grow as a driver. I believe that working with them in Formula 3 will be just as enjoyable and successful.”
MP chief Sander Dorsman said Colnaghi’s step up to F3 “is a proud moment for us as a team”.
“We immediately recognised his talent when he joined us as a young teenager in the winter of 2023-’24, and it was a joy to see that talent truly accelerate in Spanish F4, resulting in title-winning glory in his first year out of karts.
“This year, he has been outstanding again, also proving his qualities as a sportsman when the going got tough. We will continue to work hard for our Eurocup-3 title contenders this year, including Mattia, before we head towards the 2026 season with the confidence that his immediate future is now firmly set in stone.”