Ugo Ugochukwu ended the 2025 F3 season in P16. Although he showed stronger form in the second half of his rookie campaign, he failed to capitalise on key moments to convert his pace into results. Only being able to secure 4 points across the first 5 rounds, he brought it back with an additional 39 points in the later stages. See Ugochukwu’s full 2025 F3 season review below, with his key moments and 2026 prospects.
A slow start to the season
Ugochukwu’s maiden year in Formula 3 initially fell short of expectations. Racing with Prema Racing, his third consecutive campaign with the Italian outfit since 2022, the American faced a challenging step up to F3, made all the more difficult by the introduction of the new championship car.
The team struggled to adapt early in the season, with only eight points scored across the first five rounds, four of which came from Ugochukwu himself. He earned 1 point in his Feature Race debut in Australia and followed it up with 3 points in Imola’s Sprint Race.
Round 4 in Monaco proved tricky, as Ugochukwu triggered a brief yellow flag after running wide at Sainte Dévote. Despite this setback, he recovered to start P14 on the grid, although he was unable to score points on either occasion.
Round 5 brought further misfortune in Qualifying as officials deleted his lap time for exceeding track limits, dropping him to P24.. Nevertheless, he showcased his talent and composure through strong recovery drives, making noticeable progress through the field despite being outside the points.
The start to his point scoring run
Ugochukwu appeared to have turned a new leaf in Round 6 at the Red Bull Ring in Austria. He finished Practice in P6, carrying this momentum into Qualifying, where he secured a career-best P8 finish and a third-row start for the Sprint Race. He initially capitalized on this opportunity, crossing the line in P3 to claim a podium finish. However, a 10-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage dropped him down to P16, a frustrating turn of events. Despite this setback, he bounced back in the Feature Race, narrowly missing out on the podium with a P4 finish, bringing home a solid haul of points and marking the first significant boost to his season.
The American driver carried this form into Round 7 at Silverstone. He qualified impressively in P2, showcasing his pace and confidence. In the Sprint Race, Ugochukwu made the most of Formula 3’s reverse grid format, executing a strong drive from P11 to P5 and adding more points to his tally. Unfortunately, the Feature Race proved more challenging. With wet and rainy conditions on Sunday, his decision to start on slick tyres proved costly, as he slipped down the order and eventually finished P21. Despite the disappointment, these rounds demonstrated both his potential and resilience, highlighting that Ugochukwu had begun to find consistency and speed as the season progressed.
In the wrong place at the wrong time
At Spa, Ugochukwu continued to show promising pace, qualifying in P6 and carrying momentum from his Sprint Race performance. Unfortunately, torrential rain forced officials to call off the Feature Race, denying him the chance to convert his strong qualifying into points. Round 9 in Budapest brought similar fortunes. In the Sprint Race, he impressed once again, finishing P2, but the Feature Race proved more challenging. Starting from P7, Ugochukwu made steady progress to P5, only to collide with Gerrard Xie while challenging for P4. Both drivers were forced out of the race, with Xie also receiving a penalty for the incident.
The final round in Monza offered Ugochukwu another opportunity to showcase his growth. He qualified on the front row and fought hard for the race win, demonstrating clear pace. However, a spin into the gravel ended his challenge, leaving him without points despite his evident speed.
Overall, the latter stages of the 2025 F3 season reviewed Ugochukwu’s increasing confidence and consistency behind the wheel. While a few misfortunes and incidents prevented him from fully capitalizing on his potential, the progress he made is a strong foundation to carry into his 2026 campaign, where expectations are high.
Ugochukwu’s 2026 prospects
Ugochukwu has already been confirmed as part of Campos Racing’s 2026 Formula 3 lineup, alongside Théophile Nael and Ernesto Riviera. In the two post-season tests, Ugochukwu was fastest overall in Jerez and led the field on the first day of the Barcelona test, making a strong statement ahead of the 2026 season, even before it has officially begun.
