Lap 76 · Infinity Lighthouse (Srđan Erceg)

Andrija u 2026. u FREC šampionatu, stanici pred globalnu F3 | Korak od F2 pa...F1!

·1 hr 48 min·9 clips

Trident chose 17-year-old Andrija as the main driver to develop their multi-million euro simulator.

1. Lap 76 podcast hosts a third annual interview with Serbian racing driver Andrija Kostić, who at 17 is joining Trident to compete in FREC — Formula Regional European Championship — for the 2026 season. 2. The host is the Lap 76 presenter; production support comes from Viktor; Andrija Kostić is the sole guest. 3. The episode's core focus is Andrija's step up from European Formula 4 to FREC with Trident, a team that won the Formula 3 constructors' championship with Rafael Camara and is considered one of motorsport's top junior programs. 4. FREC is described as an FIA-certified Formula 3 racing series, ranking above Formula 4 and below the official FIA Formula 3 World Championship, using the Tatuus T326 chassis with a 310hp Toyota GR engine and a push-to-pass system providing an additional 30hp. 5. The season runs eight rounds across all current or recent Formula 1 circuits: Red Bull Ring, Zandvoort, Spa-Francorchamps, Monza, Hungaroring, two further rounds, and Hockenheim as the final. 6. Andrija's FREC teammates at Trident are Maximiljan Popov, driving under Italian license, and Kaj Daryan Anija, from India, both of whom Andrija has raced against in Formula 4. 7. Andrija reveals that Trident chose him as the primary driver to develop and calibrate their professional simulator — a room-sized machine with full surround-screen projection costing several million euros — where he worked with five engineers for 9-10 hours per day during pre-season. 8. In one of his first Formula 4 tests at Cremona, Andrija outpaced Kimi Antonelli — now a Formula 1 race winner — which he describes as a key moment of self-realization about his capabilities. 9. His career progression is described: 15th in European Formula 4 in his first year as the youngest-ever driver in the championship at Balaton, 10th in his second year, and now in FREC in his third year. 10. The most emotional subject is a controversial penalty at the Middle East championship: after leading from pole for 21 minutes, he received a penalty 9 minutes from the end for overly aggressive tire warming at a safety car restart that caused his car to be out of position crossing safety car line 1. 11. Andrija states the tire-warming rule applies only in junior categories, not Formula 1, and says he believes a driver backed by a larger team program would not have received the same penalty. 12. His key FREC competitors are named: Kamuro Bertha (2025 champion now described as a 'serious project'), Maximiljan Popov, Gabino Gomez, Miguel Costa, Jana Priz, and several Formula 3-level drivers participating in the winter Middle East championship. 13. Taito Kato, a driver currently scoring Formula 3 podiums, is mentioned as a competitor Andrija outpaced in the winter Middle East series across the first six races. 14. Former FREC champions who progressed to Formula 2 or Formula 1 are listed: Frederic Vesti, Dino Beganović, Gabriel Bortoletto (2024 Audi F1 driver), Franco Colapinto, Enzo Fittipaldi, Arthur Leclerc, and others. 15. Andrija has only secured approximately 20% of his 2026 FREC budget; his family covers the rest at significant financial sacrifice, and he says he does not know how much longer this is sustainable. 16. The host frames the sponsorship appeal with the Azerbaijan Formula 1 analogy: a $25 million annual investment transformed Baku into a globally recognized destination and tourism brand — suggesting Serbia could achieve comparable recognition through supporting Andrija. 17. The host draws a comparison to Novak Đoković in tennis: before Đoković, tennis was not recognized as a sport in Serbia; Andrija could do the same for Serbian motorsport. 18. The episode has an interview format with two hosts; the conversation is informal and enthusiastic, mixing technical detail about FIA regulations with personal and emotional moments about family sacrifice and competitive fairness. 19. This episode is for motorsport fans interested in junior formula racing and in the stories of self-funded drivers navigating the path to Formula 1. 20. Listeners unfamiliar with junior formula racing categories or uninterested in Serbian sports culture will find the regional context and regulatory detail dense.

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