In his rookie FIA Formula 3 season with PREMA Racing, Ugo Ugochukwu has just secured his best qualifying result to date in the British GP. While his championship run so far has not met expectations, the American driver showed strong signs of resurgence by collecting 12 points at Spielberg last weekend. As the F3 paddock rolls into Silverstone, Ugochukwu hopes to continue that momentum and turn the corner in what has been a challenging year.
A promising step toward consistency
For the McLaren junior, the British GP qualifying result was a clear breakthrough – the culmination of steady improvements finally coming together at the right moment.
“Yeah really happy of course. The last two weekends the pace has been really good for us. Red Bull Ring I thought there was a bit more in it for me and I think we have maximised it really well here. Just put everything together, knew we had the pace to be in front and it puts us in a really good position for the races.”
Narrowly missing pole
Ugochukwu came heartbreakingly close to claiming his first F3 pole position, missing it by a razor-thin margin of just 0.023 seconds. Despite the near miss, he walked away satisfied with how the session played out.
“Yeah I think always when you have been so close to pole you know exactly where the time is. I was really happy with the last lap, we made really good progress from the beginning of the session. I was pretty happy with it over all.”
Momentum from Spielberg fuels confidence
Although a penalty in the Austrian Sprint race threatened to mar his weekend, Ugochukwu bounced back with a strong performance in the Feature race, where he scored valuable points. The Spielberg result brought much-needed optimism ahead of the British GP.
“It definitely helps of course. Coming into the weekend knowing that you have the potential to be at the front always helps. Austria was really good for us, we had good race pace and that was a good positive. We will see how it is tomorrow and Sunday but I think we should be able to fight at the front.”
Trophy motivation: The fruit of hard work
Recognizing the immense effort required to earn a trophy, Ugochukwu openly admitted how gratifying it feels when all that hard work pays off.
“Yeah, definitely. I think the quali[fying] in F3 are really intense. It’s almost like a one-lap shootout on each tyre, so I think when you pull it off and you do a good lap, it’s good to get rewarded for it.”
For Ugochukwu, the intense, high-pressure nature of F3 qualifying makes those moments of success all the more satisfying.
Silverstone’s unpredictability
Silverstone is notorious for its changing skies, and this weekend is no different. Although practice and qualifying remained dry, the threat of rain lingers over the sprint and feature races. For a first-year F3 driver like Ugochukwu, adjusting to both dry and wet conditions is part of the learning curve. In response to a question from Pit Debrief, the McLaren-backed driver expressed confidence in handling either scenario but admitted he’d prefer dry conditions for the F3 British GP Feature Race, where he’s set to start from the front row in his PREMA Racing machine.
“Yeah, I don’t mind. Obviously, for the feature race, we’re starting at the front, so I think we’ll be more safe in dry conditions.
“But yeah, we’ve seen here in recent years, there’s been a lot of races with a lot of mixed conditions, which throws a little bit of mystery, let’s say, choosing tyre compound and not really knowing which tyre to be on. But I don’t mind. It’s been a while since we’ve been on the wet, I think since round one.
“So, I want to say how the pace is going to stack up for the field. But I’m looking forward to both conditions really. And main thing in the sprint race is to try to move forward a bit and make some places.”
Adapting to new machinery on familiar grounds
While Ugochukwu has prior experience racing at Silverstone in GB3, mastering the circuit in a Formula 3 car is a different beast altogether. The dramatic increase in high-speed cornering demands greater precision and confidence from the drivers, particularly during qualifying.
“No, I actually raced here last year in GB3. That was my first time here. It’s a really, really challenging track.
“In F3, the high speed was a lot, lot quicker. So that was obviously very tricky initially, mainly in FP, just trying to get the confidence and push more and more every lap. And yeah, putting it all together for quali[fying].”
Although navigating Silverstone is undeniably challenging, Ugochukwu explained that it can be incredibly rewarding for drivers who manage to extract maximum performance.
“Obviously, you need to be on the limit, but also there’s no room for mistakes. So it’s really tricky, but I really enjoy it. I think it’s a really good track and it’s really rewarding when you do a good job.”
Carrying confidence forward
Since the opening round of the season, Ugochukwu and his PREMA Racing team have been working to unlock greater one-lap pace and overall race consistency. The encouraging results in Austria signaled that their efforts are beginning to pay off. After a dry spell stretching back to Round 1, Ugochukwu was pleased to see a clear step forward in performance during the Austrian GP.
“Yeah, we definitely had a step in performance these last few races, I would say. The team did a really good job. We managed to find a lot of a one lap pace, but we’ve been more consistent overall as well, which is the main thing in this championship. So yeah, it’s really good fighting at the front and learning a lot more, of course.”
Ugochukwu’s focus is now firmly on sustaining this upward momentum and remaining a contender at the front.
“And I think the main goal for the rest of the season is just keep this positive momentum and just be fighting at the front until the end of the year.”
Mastering the high-speed sections
Ugochukwu highlighted the fine balance required to push to the limit without overstepping—especially during qualifying, where even a small mistake can prove costly.
“Yeah, definitely T9 like Nikola [Tsolov] said, just being on the limit there. It’s quite easy in quali[fying] to go off, but no, I kept it all clean on my side.
“I think in the races it should be all good. You know, we’re going to be tyre saving definitely in high speed, so we won’t be as much on the limit as in the quali[fying] runs.”
Tyre management still a work in progress
Answering a question by Pit Debrief, Ugochukwu admitted it’s been an area of learning, but one that both he and PREMA Racing have been steadily improving.
“Yeah, definitely. It’s been an area to learn and improve on.
“It’s been getting better and better as a team, especially the last few weekends. So we’ll see how it is here. I’m pretty confident.
“The pace has been good. We’ll see if the sprint race is dry, then we can definitely take a lot from it and implement it into the future race to have a better balance and race pace.”
Can Ugochukwu turn his season around?
After a difficult start to the season, Ugochukwu’s breakthrough in Austria has rekindled hope. He may still sit 18th in the championship, but a front-row start at Silverstone offers a chance to make a statement. The American’s adaptability, growing consistency, and confidence in both dry and wet conditions signal a shift in momentum.
With several races left in the season, can Ugo Ugochukwu redeem his campaign and continue fighting at the front? As he put it himself, the key lies in sustaining this momentum – and being “rewarded” for those moments when it all comes together.
