ART Grand Prix’s Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak is ready to hit the track as the 2026 F2 season gets underway in Melbourne this weekend. The Thai driver embarks on his first full-time campaign in the championship, following a successful second year in F3 where he finished 7th in the Drivers’ Standings with 74 points.
The pre-season test in Barcelona proved productive for the French outfit and their drivers, with the team completing 455 laps over the course of three days — the most of any squad. Coming off a strong finish to his F3 season, highlighted by a Feature Race win in Monza, Inthraphuvasak heads into the season opener with momentum and motivation.
“It’s the best thing you can hope for, to end the season with a win, to go into the off-season with a lot of confidence and coming into the new year, it has given me a lot of motivation to continue to push myself forward during the winter break and to keep developing myself as a driver.”
“I think from last year, I’ve developed a lot as a driver throughout, from the first round to the last round. I think I’ve grew up a lot and I’m trying to keep the momentum going this year.”
“With it being my first year in F2, I’m trying to absorb all the information I can during these test days. I think they are the most important, valuable days we have because we don’t have that many days before Melbourne.”
A new chapter with ART
After two years in F3, the 20 year-old steps up to F2, bringing him one step closer to reaching his and any driver’s dream: Formula 1. Ahead of the season opener, Inthraphuvasak expressed his excitement about beginning the next chapter of his career.
“Super, super excited. It’s going to be my rookie year in F2. It’s one step closer to the ultimate goal. I already had some days in the car with the team that went very well in Abu Dhabi. I think myself and the team both learned a lot.”
Having to adapt to new elements of an F2 race weekend, such as mandatory pit stops, he shared how he has been settling in with the team: “One thing that we worked on a lot is the pitstop, which is a new element coming into F2 that we didn’t have in F3. We did a lot of pitstop practice with the team, also for the mechanics to get back into the rhythm. I think I’ve worked really well with the team. I’ve enjoyed working with everyone so far.”
“It’s a new working environment for, but I’ve enjoyed every moment so far. And the preparations on my side physically has gone very well as well.”
Making history for Thai motorsport
As Inthraphuvasak carries the Thai flag in F2, he joins Alex Albon in F1 and Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi in F3, all competing for Thailand. This marks a historic first for the country, with three Thai drivers racing on the global stage.
Hoping to deliver results that his country and fans can be proud of, the Thai driver said: “I’m just trying to learn as much as possible. Hopefully, we can fight at the front from the get-go, but I want to try to be as consistent as I can, keep finishing in the top ten and rack up the points to see where we finish at the end of the year.”
“Hopefully, I can bring Thailand onto the top step to play the national anthem at some point.”
