Freddie Slater described his maiden 2026 FIA Formula 3 (F3) victory as “very special” after converting pole position into victory in the Budapest Round Feature Race, taking over the championship lead heading into the summer break.
After many close calls, the TRIDENT rookie finally crossed the line to claim his maiden victory. After starting alongside Tuukka Taponen in the 2026 F3 Budapest Feature Race, Slater inherited the lead when the MP Motorsport driver suffered a right-rear puncture from a small battle with Slater, before controlling two Safety Car restarts and fending off relentless pressure from championship rival Ugo Ugochukwu to take the chequered flag 1.4 seconds clear.
Slater admitted the victory was a special one after managing the race from the front and holding off Ugochukwu over the closing laps.
“It’s very special, very special,” Slater said. “I think it was an incredible race, one of the most enjoyable tracks to do it at and I think on Friday we put ourselves in a really good position to give ourselves that opportunity, going into Sunday.
“I had a really clean race, obviously at the start was a bit touch and go with Tuukka, but I think it was more of a racing incident and it was always going to be like that.
“So I think it was an enjoyable race for me, managed the corners well and managed the right sectors, where to push and where not to push and I’m very happy with that one.”
Slater keeping his focus despite taking championship lead
The 2026 F3 Budapest Round Feature Race victory moved Slater eight points clear of Ugochukwu at the top of the Drivers’ Championship, but the Briton is not getting carried away despite heading into the summer break as the title leader.
“For sure it’s nice,” he said. “But there’s so many points up for grabs. Madrid is going to be crazy with over 60 points available in one weekend.
“Obviously, it’s a really nice way to go into the summer break but we’ve got some clear things we can work on to make our lives a little bit easier and I want to thank the team for doing an amazing job of pushing super hard, of improving the qualifying pace.
“I think now we need to work a little bit more on our race pace, but the team did an amazing job overnight to improve that.
“So it’s a nice way to go into the summer break and that’s a bit of reset, obviously a bit of time with the family and then get back to it in Monza.”
A familiar rivalry continues
Slater and Ugochukwu have been battling one another for championships this year, including in New Zealand for the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy (CTFROT) earlier this season before stepping up to FIA Formula 3.
Now separated by just eight points at the top of the standings and 47 clear of the rest of the field, Slater said his approach remains unchanged despite their long-running rivalry.
“It’s been a good battle so far,” he said. “We obviously knew kind of who the title contenders were going to be, but also there’s obviously some anomalies there that kind of showed more performance than probably people would have thought.
“But of course, you never really focus on one person. For me, it’s just focusing on myself and maximising the opportunities that we get, and with this championship, it just swings around all the time.
“So you’re never really focusing on one person, and of course, me and Ugo we’ve always been battling year by year, really, for all our lives and even from karting.
“We had an interesting start of the season in New Zealand. A few setbacks at the start, which definitely didn’t help, but then we had a good battle towards the end to try and bring it back. But we fell a little bit short.
“But now we’re here in FIA Formula 3 for my first year. Compared to a lot of second year drivers at the front, I think we’re having a very positive season so far.”
TRIDENT’s progress continues to show
Slater also praised TRIDENT’s work throughout his rookie campaign, crediting the team for helping him become increasingly comfortable in the FIA Formula 3 car.
With seven podium finishes to his name and pole positions in two of the last three rounds, the Briton believes both he and the team have continued to develop as the season has progressed.
“I think it’s been really positive,” Slater reflected. “I think we’ve had a good kind of development through the year.
“Obviously coming in as a rookie, you’re just learning about the car every single session, every single race, and obviously then now coming to a few tracks I know, I’ve been able to build on that momentum.
“Also driving the car with a bit more experience of what it needs to be driven. The team’s done a mega job of giving me a car that probably suits a little bit more my style and adapting to what I need.”
