Théophile Naël produced one of the standout drives of the 2026 F3 Silverstone Sprint Race, climbing from 11th on the grid to third after a last-corner overtake on TRIDENT’s Matteo De Palo.
The Campos Racing driver secured his fourth podium of the 2026 FIA Formula 3 season, strengthening his championship challenge and continuing the team’s impressive form at Silverstone. Speaking in the post-race press conference with Pit Debrief in attendance, Naël reflected on his recovery drive, tyre management and the confidence Campos Racing takes into Sunday’s Feature Race.
Naël credited a strong start and careful tyre management for laying the foundations of his charge through the field before increasing the pace in the second half of the race.
“Well, first, really good start, then managing a bit the tyres and then I saw that mid-race the pace was really good so I started to push step by step and at the end of the race, I managed to take the opportunities that was ahead of me.
“So super happy, I think it’s a good point and a good confidence for tomorrow.”
Tyre management playing a key part of the Sprint
The Frenchman then explained the decisive final-lap move that secured his podium finish, having capitalised on the battle between Yevan David and Matteo De Palo ahead.
“Yeah, I saw that coming into the second to last corner. It wasn’t possible to make an overtake there so I just stayed very patient and Yevan defended really well, he stopped Matteo quite well so yeah, I had the opportunity to overtake him in the last corner.”
Although Naël appeared to be pushing throughout the race, he revealed his tyre management was aided by staying away from the dirt and avoiding unnecessary sliding while those around him fought intensely.
“It looks like I was flat but I mean, it wasn’t in the bad, I was on the right lines every time, I wasn’t in the dirty places the whole race so I think this helped quite a lot for my tyres but because the guys ahead were fighting like crazy, going on the grass, going on the dirty place so yeah, I think that for me was a bit lucky but yeah, I think I managed well the tyres anyway.”
A battle fought down to the last lap
Naël also praised the F3 Silverstone Sprint Race for producing some of the best racing on the Formula 3 calendar, with drivers and spectators alike not knowing who would cross the line on the podium in the closing moments of the race.
After his last lap overtake and his battle from P11 to P3, Naël described the Sprint Race as one of the most enjoyable of his career.
“Well, for my side, that was a really exciting race. Over two cars here in Silverstone is always amazing. This track is so good to race. So, yeah, I really enjoyed it. And it showed that in a three, we are still able to fight really hard. And to come back at the top field as well.”
The Campos outfit looking strong at Silverstone
Campos Racing has traditionally been strong at Silverstone, with Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak and Mari Boya winning last year’s Sprint and Feature Races respectively. That strong form has carried into this season, with the Spanish outfit once again proving to be one of the quickest teams around the Silverstone Circuit.
Asked by Pit Debrief about Campos Racing‘s impressive pace throughout the Silverstone weekend, Naël believes both he and teammate Ugo Ugochukwu head into Sunday’s Feature Race full of confidence after securing a one-three finish in the F3 Sprint.
“Yeah I mean the confidence is at the top for Ugo and myself, I guess. The team worked really hard, and we showed that our pace during races is really good as well, every time.
“So, yeah, very confident for tomorrow. And I think Ugo can come back as well, quite well. And myself, we can be fighting for the podium and for the first place.”
Another challenge throughout the race was balancing tyre management while remaining inside DRS range, something Naël described as a key objective from the opening laps.
“Yeah, for me, it was really important to stay in the DRS zone, even though if I had to push a bit more for my tyres. But, I mean, once you get out of DRS, then it’s super tricky to come back.
“So, main objective for me today was to stay in DRS and then to manage the tyres once I was below one second to the car ahead. But, I mean, I did it well today.”
Eight different F3 race winners across nine races
Since the F3 Melbourne Round back in March and leading up to the Silverstone Round, every single race had been won by a difference driver, with this statistic now changing as Ugochukwu won the Sprint Race.
Reflecting on the competitiveness of this year’s Formula 3 field, Naël believes racing against such a talented group of drivers is helping him continue to improve every weekend.
“Yeah, true. We are in a really, really strong generation. I’m quite happy to be in that generation because it pushed myself really hard to be more competitive every weekend, to push myself to the limits.
“But, yeah, like they said [David and Ugochukwu], it’s a few tenths for the pole in qualifying every race weekend. And it’s getting closer and closer. So, yeah, small mistakes can be bad. But, yeah, it’s really important to be as clean as possible. But, yeah, I’m happy to be fighting with myself every weekend to be fighting for pole position.”
Naël’s standout moment from the Sprint Race
When asked by Pit Debrief to look back on his favourite moment from the race, Naël admitted there were two moments that stood out above the rest.
“Yeah, I think my favourite moment is always lap one. It’s always exciting to be fighting to gain some position. To be honest, on my side, I really enjoyed it today.
“Even though when the car is really good to drive, when it’s easier, let’s say, than usually to overtake cars, I mean, it’s always a big pleasure. But yeah, lap one, I would say, and then at the end of the race, especially today, we fought hard all together for the podium, so that was exciting.”
Naël is set to take on Sunday’s F3 Feature Race at Silverstone on the front row in P2, alongside TRIDENT’s Freddie Slater.
