Nicola Lacorte claimed his maiden FIA F3 victory in the 2026 F3 Monza Round Feature Race at the Italian GP. After an action-packed Sprint Race on Saturday, F3 returned to the Monza circuit for the Feature Race, with Freddie Slater starting from pole and looking to further extend his championship advantage.
Slater had finished second in the Sprint after charging from P12, extending his lead over title rival Ugo Ugochukwu to 17 points. Taito Kato claimed his maiden F3 victory from ninth on the grid, while Hiyu Yamakoshi completed the podium in third.
With a longer Feature Race ahead, Slater had the perfect opportunity to build on his Saturday result, starting from pole alongside Kanato Le. Home favourite Nicola Lacorte lined up third, with Kato starting fourth as he looked to repeat his Sprint Race success.
Light’s out in the Feature!
As the lights went out, all 30 drivers made it safely through the opening corners, with Slater holding the lead ahead of Le and Lacorte.
Kato remained in fourth as the field raced through the opening sector, while drivers further down the order battled for position.
On Lap 2, Campos Racing’s Ugo Ugochukwu and Théophile Naël collided, with Ugochukwu spinning and falling down the order. There was then a collision between Fionn McLaughlin and Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi, as McLaughlin missed his braking point into Turn 1 and had contact.
Restart on Lap 5
At the Lap 5 restart for the 2026 F3 Feature Race at the Italian GP, Slater timed his getaway perfectly, going early on the field and retaining the lead into Turn 1. Further back, Fernando Barrichello spun at Turn 4 on the same lap but managed to avoid the cars around him. The incident dropped the AIX Racing driver down the order, but he was able to continue.
Le launched an attack on Slater into Turn 1 on Lap 6, going down the inside before locking up. Despite the mistake, the ART Grand Prix driver emerged in the lead. Kato was also on the move, making his way into P3 with a move on Ernesto Rivera. The Campos Racing driver then sustained front-wing damage after a slight tap with Lacorte, forcing him to pit for a replacement.
The battle for the lead intensified on Lap 7, with Lacorte going three-wide with Kato and Slater into Turn 1. Slater came off worst from the battle, dropping to fourth by the exit of the corner.
Théophile Naël’s difficult race continued when he made contact with Stromsted, forcing him into the pits for a new front wing. The Campos Racing driver was also handed a 10-second time penalty for his earlier collision with Ugochukwu.
Kato continued his charge on Lap 9, sending it down the inside into Turn 1 to take the lead of the race. However, the lead changed hands again on Lap 10 when Lacorte emerged ahead after the pair went four-wide into Turn 1. Further back, Jin Nakamura spun at the Parabolica but managed to avoid the rest of the field and continue.
Championship leader out of the points
Slater’s race began to unravel as he slowly slipped down the order, with the TRIDENT driver appearing to suffer an issue at the rear of his car.
The problem worsened shortly afterwards when his right-rear tyre came away from the car. Slater was forced to pull off the circuit, bringing out the Safety Car as marshals moved to retrieve his stricken TRIDENT.
Rivera also came to a stop at Turn 1, adding another car to the list of retirements as the Safety Car neutralised the race. Colnaghi received a 10-second time penalty for an earlier collision with Pedro Clerot, with Clerot pitting for a new front wing.
Restart on Lap 17
With the Safety Car returning to the pit lane, Lacorte led the field away at the Lap 17 restart, with Taponen immediately behind and Kato holding P3. Le followed in fourth, with the field tightly bunched as the race entered its final stages.
Despite starting the restart at the back of the pack following his earlier collision with Naël, Ugochukwu had produced a remarkable recovery drive. By Lap 18, the championship contender had climbed all the way up to P11, putting him within touching distance of the points-paying positions.
However, another incident soon disrupted the action. Barrichello and Shin made contact, with Barrichello forced to pull his car to the side of the circuit. The incident brought out yellow flags at Turn 1, while DRS was also disabled as marshals worked to clear the stricken car.
As the field approached the closing laps, Yevan David continued his impressive charge through the order. The MP Motorsport driver had worked his way up to fifth and began closing in on Le ahead.
Lacorte makes history at home
David launched his attack at the final corner, getting alongside Le and completing the move to take P4 as the field headed onto the straight.
At the front, Lacorte remained in control and held his advantage through the final lap. The home favourite crossed the line to claim his maiden FIA F3 victory in the Monza Round Feature Race at the Italian GP, becoming the first Italian driver to win at home in the modern FIA Formula 3 era.
Taponen came home in second, while Kato completed the podium in third after another strong performance following his Sprint Race victory on Saturday. David’s late charge earned him fourth, ahead of Le, while the remaining points-paying positions were decided as the field crossed the line.
2026 F3 Italian GP Feature Race results
