Photo: Gavin Baker Photography
Nikita Johnson will debut in the FIA Formula 3 Championship this weekend at the Red Bull Ring, replacing the banned Niko Lacorte in DAMS’ line-up.
Lacorte surpassed the maximum amount of penalty points allowed on a race license last time out in the Barcelona feature race as he was penalised twice.
The 17-year-old Italian got a 10-second penalty for causing a collision with Prema’s Brando Badoer, then a 10s stop-go penalty that was converted into a 30s post-race penalty for not meeting the delta requirements during a safety car period.
Combined, he picked up three penalty points from those two offences and it left DAMS with a month to find a replacement driver.
Johnson already has experience of a higher level of single-seaters than F3, as he is currently competing in the second-tier Indy Nxt series at home in the USA as well as in Britain’s Formula Regional-level GB3 series.
The 17-year-old’s Indy Nxt programme only consists of four races, three of which he has already contested. His best race result so far is a seventh place, and his highest starting position is 11th.
There have been two podium appearances in his GB3 campaign so far, and he sits ninth in the standings. He won twice and came 11th in the points last year as a part-timer.
Between his two GB3 seasons he raced in FRegional Oceania, and claimed one win and five other podiums en route to third in the 2025 standings.
Before that he had raced exclusively in his home country, winning the YACademy Winter Series and being runner-up in USF2000 and USF Pro 2000 in back-to-back years.