Photo mode
Three cars, one driver
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Built in Modena.
Driven by fire.
The driver
Quiet in the garage. Loud on the timing screen.
Born in Valencia in 1997, Valen was racing karts at eight and reached Formula 1 at nineteen. Engineers know him as the calmest voice on the radio; rivals know him as the latest braker on the grid.
- Born
- 14 March 1997, Valencia
- Number
- 56
- Teams
- Halden · Kestrel · Ardente
- World titles
- 2 (2023, 2024)
- Helmet
- Pearl white, rosso crown, gold pinstripe
2016 – 2019 · Halden Racing
Where it started.
Valen joined Halden Racing as a 19-year-old rookie in 2016 and stood on the podium in his fourth race. Two seasons later he won the final round of the year, his first Grand Prix victory.
Mateo Valen, his teams and their sponsors are fictional.
2020 – 2025 · Kestrel Motorsport
Six years in graphite.
- World titles
- 2
- Grand Prix wins
- 38
- Podiums
- 71
He moved to Kestrel in 2020. The team built the car to beat in the ground-effect era, and he won back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024, racing the K-24 as number 1.
2026 onward · Scuderia Ardente
Then red.
Ardente announced the signing in August 2025. His first laps in red came at the team's Modena test track in January 2026, and he went back to his own number, 56, for the new era.
Project A-26
A-26, built new.
2026 brought the biggest rules reset in decades: smaller cars, movable wings, sustainable fuel, and power split close to half and half between engine and battery. The A-26 is Ardente's answer.
- Unveiled
- 4 February 2026, Modena
- Power unit
- Ardente AR-6
- MGU-K
- 350 kW, up from 120 kW
- MGU-H
- Removed by the 2026 rules
- Wheelbase
- 3,400 mm maximum (was 3,600)
- Width
- 1,900 mm (was 2,000)
Team and car are fictional; the 2026 limits come from the FIA rules.
Active aerodynamics
Open on the straight.
Closed in the corner.
On the straights both wings flatten to cut drag. Into the braking zone they snap back for grip. Drivers now manage electric energy lap after lap, the way they used to manage tyres.
Corner modeStraight-line mode
Cockpit
Eyes on the wheel.
The steering wheel is the car's control centre: a screen, rotary switches for brake balance and energy use, a strip of shift lights and paddles behind. Keep scrolling and dive into seventh gear.
Photo mode · Ardente A-26
Two titles. 38 wins. Six seasons in graphite. Then he signed for Ardente and started again, chasing a third crown in red.
Scuderia Ardente · 2026 onward
The team
Nine hundred people. One car on the grid.
The pit crew rehearses more than 1,000 stops a season at Modena before a car ever leaves the garage.
The cars
Three liveries, one number
A navy rookie car, a graphite champion and a red new beginning.
“I didn’t come to Ardente to finish second.”
Milestones
Ten seasons
Debut to double champion, and the card he wants to fill next.
Forza Ardente