Williams junior secures major breakthrough in new announcement

Impressive Williams F1 Team Driver Academy star Kean Nakamura-Berta has secured one of the coveted 2027 Formula 3 seats.

After a title-winning season at Formula Regional level, Nakamura-Berta has signed with Trident for 2027, as he graduates to Formula 3 with continued Williams backing.

Williams junior Kean Nakamura-Berta graduates to Formula 3

The London-born driver, of Japanese and Slovak descent, has established himself as one of the most exciting racers on the junior ladder.

Fresh off winning the Italian Formula 4 and E4 titles in 2025, Nakamura-Berta soon added the 2026 Formula Regional Middle East Trophy to his collection. He led the 2026 Formula Regional European Championship [FREC] standings for a large portion of the season, eventually finishing third in the standings with three wins to his name, and a further five podiums.

He claimed five pole positions in FREC, and a further three in the Middle East Championship.

The 18-year-old was asked by PlanetF1.com to give himself a rating out of 10 for his 2026 Formula Regional campaign.

“I think I would give it an eight,” he confirmed.

“I think we started off the season very strongly in the Middle East, and that continued over to Europe initially. I think in Europe we made a few more mistakes, and lessons were learnt, and probably the outcome wasn’t exactly what we hoped for.

“But it was still a good, valuable season. So yeah, a solid eight.”

Nakamura-Berta will take a further important step up the ranks when he graduates to Formula 3 in 2027.

The teenager pointed to one strength of his which he believes will serve him well in F3.

“This year in FREC I took the most pole positions, and it’s looked like we were pretty rapid on that one-lap pace,” he said.

“From what I’ve understood and what I’ve seen in Formula 3, that’s quite important, the quali pace to get you right at the sharp end. It can make or break a weekend, that Friday afternoon, so I think that’s probably a key.”

Qualifying is indeed crucial in F3. Making the top 12 at least is vital, as not only does that put drivers in a good grid spot for the feature race, it also opens the door to bonus points scoring through the reverse-grid sprint. For that opening race of an F3 weekend, the top 12 from qualifying is reversed.

So, that posed the question of whether Nakamura-Berta will take an all-out for pole approach, or be happy to ensure that the top 12 box is at least ticked.

“I think on that one lap, everyone’s going to push to the maximum, and so will I.

“I think you leave it all on the table, because it’s probably the most satisfying thing of the weekend when you can do a blistering lap around a circuit.

“So, if I have the car beneath me, I will definitely go for pole.”

Recent history suggests that he will have the car underneath him to compete at the sharp end in F3.

The Trident team which Nakamura-Berta will join has established itself as a leading force in the series.

The 2023, 2024 and 2025 F3 Drivers’ Champions came from Trident. This time around, the impressive Freddie Slater fell just 14 points short of the crown.

Nakamura-Berta has been aligned, very successfully, with Prema during his single-seater career so far but is understandably impressed by the Trident squad.

“It’s a different team. At least they’re both Italian! So in that way they’re a bit similar, but different parts of Italy.

“We’ll be meeting new people, working with new people, so new relationships. Of course, at the beginning, you have to build new bonds, but I think it will be a cool experience. Very professional team, as we’ve seen, and a very strong team as well.”

Asked if he believes that he can follow in Slater’s footsteps, and challenge for the F3 2027 crown, Nakamura-Berta replied: “We’ll see. Hopefully.”

More on the Formula 1 junior ladder from PlanetF1.com

Colton Herta makes intriguing IndyCar and F1 comparison amid F2 struggles

Why Formula 2 won’t follow Formula 1 with hybrid engines for 2027

The 18-year-old joined forces with Williams ahead of his 2026 campaign. It is an alliance which is clearly thriving, Nakamura-Berta having proven his title-winning credentials at the next level, thus rewarding Williams’ faith.

He expressed his gratitude to Williams after landing that sought-after Trident seat.

“Williams has been incredible, really. The support they’ve given me all season, on track, off track, has been phenomenal.

“The opportunities they’ve given me back at Williams HQ and helping to also make this deal happen as well.

“Really, really grateful for everything they’ve done, and it’s been really important this year.”

Retaining the Williams backing as his F3 story begins, Nakamura-Berta is sure to impress as he arrives on the scene of a Formula 1 race weekend.

Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.

You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!

Read next: When can Kimi Antonelli win the F1 2026 World Championship?