Williams F1 Team Academy driver Kean Nakamura-Berta secures Formula 3 drive with Trident for 2027 season
Kean steps up to F3 following a successful FREC campaign - the latest milestone in his rise through the junior single-seater ranks
Published
17 SEP 2026
Est. reading time
2 min
Atlassian Williams F1 Team is pleased to announce that Williams F1 Team Academy driver Kean Nakamura-Berta will make his Formula 3 debut with Trident Motorsport in 2027, whilst continuing to be supported by Williams as he progresses up the motorsport ladder.
Kean steps up to F3 following a successful FREC campaign, in which he claimed eight podium finishes, including three race victories to finish the championship third overall.
The 18-year-old has already built an impressive racing resume. He made his debut in November 2023 in the F4 South East Asia Championship, taking two poles and a podium despite completing just two race weekends, before finishing runner-up in his first full season in the 2024 Formula 4 UAE Championship with two wins and five further podiums. 2025 proved a breakout year, as Kean claimed back-to-back titles in the E4 Championship and Italian Formula 4 - winning nine races and missing the podium only three times across the Italian campaign - before adding the Formula Regional Middle East Trophy and third place in the FREC Championship to his name this season.
Kean regularly visited the podium in FREC this season
The London-born driver, who is half-Japanese and half-Slovakian, now joins Trident for the 2027 F3 season. He follows in the footsteps of 2025 F3 champion Rafael Câmara and newly-crowned F3 runner-up Freddie Slater, who both raced for the Italian-based team after successful FREC campaigns.
Since joining the Williams Driver Academy in 2026, Kean has made significant progress and will continue to be supported by the programme in 2027. The Williams Driver Academy supports drivers at every rung of the motorsport ladder, bringing emerging talent into the programme and guiding each driver as they advance toward the highest levels of competition.
Kean Nakamura-Berta:
“I’m pleased to be stepping up to F3 with Trident Motorsport, while still having the ongoing support of the Williams F1 Team Driver Academy. Completing a strong season in FREC and having the opportunity to join such a competitive team in F3 gives me great confidence as I look ahead to my F3 debut next year. A big thank you to everyone involved who helped get me here.”
Sven Smeets, Sporting Director:
”It's a proud moment to see Kean step up to F3 with Trident Motorsport for his rookie season. He has made impressive progress since joining the Academy this year, and this opportunity is a culmination of the hard work and dedication he's shown across a long and hard-fought title campaign, backed by an already outstanding record. This is a great moment for the Driver Academy, and a fitting reflection of the opportunities it creates for the next generation of talented drivers.”
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