Ugo Ugochukwu has received a five-place grid penalty for both 2026 F3 races at Monza after the Stewards held the Campos Racing driver wholly responsible for his Free Practice collision with Matteo De Palo.
The incident occurred on the main straight during the closing stages of Friday morning’s session and left both Ugochukwu’s Campos and De Palo’s TRIDENT damaged at the side of the circuit. After hearing from both drivers and their teams and examining video evidence, the Stewards determined that Ugochukwu had crowded De Palo off the track.
The penalty creates an immediate setback for Ugochukwu during the penultimate round of the 2026 season, with the American fighting Freddie Slater for the Drivers’ Championship.
Ugochukwu and De Palo collide late in Practice
Ugochukwu had featured towards the front throughout Free Practice and briefly led the session with a 1:38.883 before the field switched to Soft tyres for its final Qualifying simulations.
His morning ended prematurely after contact with De Palo on the main straight. The two cars came together at speed before both sustained damage and stopped beside the circuit, bringing an eventful conclusion to the session.
The Stewards investigated the incident after Practice and summoned both drivers along with representatives from Campos Racing and TRIDENT. They also examined the available video evidence before reaching their decision.
Officials concluded that Ugochukwu had crowded De Palo off the circuit and was wholly responsible for the contact. They determined that the move breached Appendix L, Chapter IV, Article 2(d) of the FIA International Sporting Code.
Five-place grid drop applies to both Monza races
The Stewards handed Ugochukwu a five-place grid penalty, but the sanction will not apply solely to the first race of the weekend.
Instead, the Campos driver must drop five positions from his applicable starting place in both Saturday’s Sprint Race and Sunday’s Feature Race. That makes the punishment particularly costly during a weekend where every point carries increased significance in the championship fight.
Monza’s split Qualifying format already creates an unusual grid procedure, with two separate groups determining the Feature Race order and the reversed Sprint grid. Ugochukwu’s five-place sanctions will be applied after those starting positions have been established.
The penalty therefore leaves him needing to recover positions in both races regardless of his underlying Qualifying result.
Penalty complicates Ugochukwu’s title fight
Ugochukwu entered Monza only eight points behind Slater after losing the championship lead during the previous round in Budapest.
The Campos Racing driver had controlled the standings through much of the season, but Slater’s recent run of results transformed an 18-point deficit into an eight-point advantage ahead of the Italian round. Monza therefore represented an important opportunity for Ugochukwu to respond before the championship concludes in Madrid.
A five-place drop in both races adds another obstacle to that task. Even a strong Qualifying performance cannot translate directly into the corresponding starting position, while Slater has an opportunity to capitalise if he can avoid similar setbacks.
However, Monza traditionally provides significantly more overtaking potential than many circuits on the F3 calendar. Its long straights, powerful slipstream and three DRS zones should give Ugochukwu opportunities to regain at least some of the positions lost through the penalty.
Ugochukwu faces recovery task in both races
The Campos driver now needs to balance aggression with damage limitation across the remainder of the weekend.
His Free Practice pace suggested that the underlying speed remains competitive, and he had spent part of the session at the head of the order before MP Motorsport dominated the closing Soft-tyre runs. That performance gives Ugochukwu a useful foundation despite the penalty.
The larger challenge will be converting that speed into points from further down the grid. With only Monza and Madrid remaining in the championship, every position recovered could prove significant against Slater.
Ugochukwu’s five-place drop applies independently to both races, ensuring the consequences of Friday morning’s collision will extend throughout the entire Monza weekend.
