Italian FIA F3 campaigner Matteo De Palo has switched to MP Motorsport for his second season in the FIA Formula 3 Championship. The 18-year-old Roman aims to channel a year of experience into consistent front-running form in 2027. ‍

De Palo comes to MP following a promising debut season in which his raw speed was never contested, even though fortune deserted him on several occasions, such as at Silverstone, where he lost a convincing win in the feature race due to a technical issue on his car. Moving across to the Dutch team, he aims to bounce back in 2027 by returning for a second FIA F3 campaign and emulate the 2025 performance that almost netted him the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine title. De Palo is the first driver to be announced in MP’s three-car line up for the championship.

“I’m really excited to join MP Motorsport for my second year in FIA F3”, said De Palo. “Especially in the second half of this season, they were among the teams to beat, finishing the year on a high with victory, so I aim to do my part in maintaining that kind of form into 2027. It’s a Dutch team, but with an Italian flavour on the engineering side – I like that! The team is renowned for their welcoming atmosphere, so I’m sure I will feel right at home from the start.”

“It’s a delight to welcome Matteo into our Formula 3 squad for 2027”, said Sander Dorsman, MP Motorsport’s team principal. “Looking back on his career, having competed with him in F4 Spanish and the Formula Regional European Championship, I’m pleased that he’s on our side now, as he’s always been a fierce competitor. I’m convinced that he will put his year of F3 experience to good use to help us to continue our forward trajectory in the championship.”

Following a successful career in karting, De Palo stepped up to single-seaters in 2023 to be instantly competitive in the F4 Spanish Championship, chalking up a win, four podiums, a pole position and a fastest lap on his way to fifth in the final standings. In the preceding Formula Winter Series, De Palo had already notched up a win and two pole positions. Progressing to Formula Regional level, the young Italian’s glory days followed in 2025 when he finished a close second in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine, having led the title race for a large part of the season. After four wins, 11 podiums, three poles and three fastest laps, De Palo had shown more than enough to warrant his promotion to FIA F3 in 2026.