TRIDENT’s Noah Strømsted claimed victory in an action-packed F3 Feature Race at the 2026 Austrian GP, full report below.
On Friday, Hiyu Yamakoshi stormed to his maiden pole position, edging out Ugo Ugochukwu and Tuukka Taponen to the top. However, Saturday’s Sprint Race belonged to Campos Racing and Ernesto Rivera, who claimed his maiden podium and victory after an action-packed race, with Pedro Clerot and Jin Nakamura completing the top three.
No driver has won a race more than once so far during the 2026 F3 season. But after losing his maiden victory in Monaco to a post-race disqualification, there will be no doubt that Yamakoshi will be hoping to return to the top step of the podium this weekend. The Japanese driver will start on the front row of the grid alongside Ugochukwu.
Time for the F3 Feature Race at the 2026 Austrian GP!
As the lights went out, a timely launch off the line for Yamakoshi saw him lead the pack down to Turn 1, as he cut across the track to defend from Ugochukwu. But with a great exit out of Turn 1, the American quickly found himself side-by-side with Yamakoshi down to Turn 3 and claimed the lead from the VAR driver.
Meanwhile, the Tridents of Noah Strømsted and Freddie Slater had found themselves in a fight with Tuukka Taponen for P3. Lunging down the inside of the Finn, Strømsted and Slater sailed past the MP Motorsport driver.
Soon, a safety car was deployed on Lap 2 after Yevan David and Maciej Gładysz collided while trying to avoid a spinning Rivera. The Mexican managed to get going once again and joined the back of the field.
Slater making moves up the field
After an opening lap retirement yesterday, Slater wasted no time in making moves. Around the outside of Strømsted, the Briton sailed past his teammate and Yamakoshi, climbing to P2 in two corners. Woohyun Shin and Fernando Barrichello marked the next retirements of the race, with both cars stopped on the side of the track. Subsequently, a virtual safety car was deployed.
On Lap 7, the race resumed once again. Having started further down the field, Alessandro Giusti managed to make his way up to P6. After losing a position to Taponen, Strømsted lunged down the inside of the Finnish driver to reclaim P4.
The fight for the top three continued to intensify between Slater, Ugochukwu and Yamakoshi. However, with a bold lunge down the inside, Slater eventually claimed the lead from the American. Further down the field, Mattia Colnaghi received a five-second time penalty for a VSC infringement.
Fight between Ugochukwu and Yamakoshi continues
Having lost a position to Yamakoshi, Ugochukwu held his ground. Chasing down the Campos driver, Strømsted joined the fight. As the race continued to unfold, the top four started to break away from the rest of the field. Meanwhile, Giusti ran wide at the exit of the final corner, dropping down to P9 behind Nakamura and Clerot.
Having been stuck behind Yamakoshi for several laps, Ugochukwu attempted a move around the outside but chose to slot back in behind. Soon enough, the American found his way past the Japanese driver to claim a provisional P2 finish. Out of the final corner, Slater dipped two wheels into the gravel, allowing Ugochukwu to close in on the Briton.
Intra-team battle between the Tridents
The fight for the podium places became a five-way battle. For several laps, drivers found themselves fighting side-by-side on the closing stages of the race. With strong race pace, Strømsted sailed past Ugochukwu. The Campos driver made contact with the back of Slater’s car as he lost his front wing end plate.
From P5 to P10, every driver in the points-scoring positions found themselves battling for a final chance to score more points. On the last lap, Clerot made a move around the outside of Nakamura and Kato to claim P4 on-track. However, out in front, a last-lap lunge around the outside for Ugochukwu saw him claim P2 from Slater.
But after a tough start to his 2026 F3 season, Strømsted returned to the podium and claimed a well-deserved victory.
