Brando Badoer claimed victory in the F3 Feature Race at the 2026 Monaco GP after seizing the lead from pole-sitter Théophile Naël at the start and controlling the race from there. The Rodin Motorsport driver made the decisive move off the line, while Naël settled for second after losing out into Turn 1.
Freddie Slater completed the podium for TRIDENT after holding off an early challenge from Drivers’ Championship leader Ugo Ugochukwu. Meanwhile, the race featured an early Safety Car, several penalties, multiple fastest-lap changes, and late drama in the midfield, though none of it threatened Badoer’s path to victory.
Badoer snatches the lead
With the green lights on the gantry, the 29 drivers headed away on the formation lap behind Campos Racing’s Naël. The French rookie had earned pole position, but the grid lined up without AIX Racing’s Brad Benavides, who withdrew after sustaining a serious back injury during Saturday’s Sprint Race.
When the lights went out, Badoer produced the better launch from second on the grid. He immediately attacked Naël and swept into the lead, giving Rodin Motorsport control of the race within seconds.
Behind them, Slater held third after resisting pressure from Ugochukwu, who attempted to challenge the TRIDENT driver in the opening exchanges. Ernesto Rivera followed in fifth for Campos Racing as the leading group began to settle into position.
However, the race quickly came under neutralisation after MP Motorsport’s Tuukka Taponen hit the barriers. Race Control deployed the Safety Car, while Hitech’s Jin Nakamura and ART Grand Prix’s Maciej Gładysz both pitted after sustaining damage in separate opening-lap incidents. Both drivers rejoined, but they dropped to the rear of the field.
Badoer controls the restart as Gładysz pushes from the back
Racing resumed on Lap 4, and Badoer handled the restart cleanly. He kept Naël behind, while Slater, Ugochukwu and Rivera held the rest of the top five.
Further back, Gładysz began to show strong pace despite his early pit stop. The ART Grand Prix driver set the fastest lap shortly after the restart before improving to a 1:29.275 and then a 1:26.949.
While Gładysz chased lost ground, Badoer continued to manage the race at the front. By Lap 9, he had opened a 1.1-second advantage over Naël. Slater sat more than two seconds further back in third, while Ugochukwu trailed him by a similar margin.
Meanwhile, the stewards handed Woohyun Shin a 10-second stop-and-go penalty after they judged him to be out of position at the Safety Car line. The Hitech driver served the penalty on Lap 8 and dropped to the back of the order.
Slater closes in before managing the gap
As the race settled into a rhythm, several drivers traded fastest laps. Mattia Colnaghi lowered the benchmark to a 1:25.690 before Hitech’s Fionn McLaughlin improved it to a 1:25.488 on Lap 11.
Then, on Lap 13, Shin received another penalty, this time a five-second sanction for speeding in the pit lane. Shortly afterwards, PREMA Racing’s James Wharton moved to the top of the timing screens with a 1:25.213 while running in 21st.
At the front, Slater briefly increased the pressure on Naël. The British driver closed the gap to around four tenths and reported over the radio that he felt pleased with his car’s performance.
However, he soon backed out of the chase and allowed the gap to widen to around two seconds. That move helped him cool his tyres while keeping Ugochukwu and the DRS train behind him under control. Wharton then improved the fastest lap again on Lap 16, setting a 1:25.150.
David makes progress as penalties continue
On Lap 17, Yevan David made one of the race’s standout moves in the midfield. The AIX Racing driver passed Rodin Motorsport’s Christian Ho around the outside at Rascasse to claim 18th place.
David then closed on PREMA Racing’s José Garfias, although he could not find a way through. Around the same phase, the stewards handed TRIDENT’s Matteo De Palo a 10-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.
On Lap 19, Fernando Barrichello’s race unravelled. The AIX Racing driver crawled into the pit lane after clipping the barriers and damaging his suspension. He soon retired, ending a difficult afternoon on the streets of Monte Carlo.
Badoer stretches clear at the front
While the midfield produced most of the action, Badoer continued to build his advantage. By Lap 20, he had extended his lead over Naël to more than three seconds. One lap later, the gap grew to 3.4 seconds.
Naël remained secure in second, while Slater sat a long way behind in third. By the closing stages, the Campos Racing driver had built a gap of more than 10 seconds over Slater, removing any realistic threat to second place.
Further back, a battle for 15th intensified between DAMS Lucas Oil’s Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi and Van Amersfoort Racing’s Enzo Deligny. Deligny attacked repeatedly, and the pair even made contact, but Bhirombhakdi held the place into Lap 24.
Late drama hits the midfield, but Badoer remains untouched
As the race entered its final laps, Badoer still led comfortably. Naël remained second, while Slater held third with Ugochukwu more than a second behind.
However, late drama struck on Lap 26 when a DAMS Lucas Oil car came to a stop and triggered yellow flags. Bhirombhakdi also lost ground after getting caught up in a four-car incident involving Garfias, David and Ho. The Thai driver dropped from 15th to 22nd after the incident.
Despite the late disruption, the lead order stayed unchanged. Badoer crossed the line to take victory after leading every lap from the start, completing a composed and commanding drive around Monaco.
Naël finished second after losing the lead at the start, while Slater secured third to complete the podium. Ugochukwu followed in fourth, limiting the damage in the Drivers’ Championship, while Rivera rounded out the top five for Campos Racing.
See the full results from the 2026 F3 Feature Race at the Monaco GP
