Ernesto Rivera claimed victory during the Feature Race at the 2026 F3 Spa-Francorchamps Round at the Belgian GP, view the full race report here.
The sixth round of the 2026 F3 season kicked off with a dramatic Sprint Race, which saw Jin Nakamura take his maiden Formula 3 win. The race also saw several incidents, including a collision between championship rivals Ugo Ugochukwu and Freddie Slater, which left Slater with a DNF.
Now, for Sunday’s Feature Race, Slater lined up in pole alongside Tuukka Taponen in P2 and Hiyu Yamakoshi in P3. Campos Racing’s Ernesto Rivera started behind in P4 as Mattia Colnaghi completed the top five. Notably, post-Qualifying penalties reshuffled the original starting grid, with 11 drivers receiving penalties for infringements such as causing a collision, driving unnecessarily slowly, and weaving.
Lights out for the 2026 F3 Spa-Francorchamps Feature Race
As the five lights went out, Slater suffered from a slow start, dropping down to P3 as Taponen took the lead with Yamakoshi in P2. Taponen’s lead didn’t last long as Yamakoshi made a move past on the Kemmel Straight. Drama struck early as Ugochukwu went wide after making contact with Théophile Naël, who hit the rear of Taito Kato earlier. Naël was forced to pit due to a broken front wing and a puncture.
Meanwhile, Yevan David retired after going off into the gravel, while Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi and Matteo De Palo joined the list of DNFs. A Safety car was brought out to retrieve David’s machiery.
Slater makes a comeback
Yamakoshi led the field away at the race restart on Lap 4. However, the Japanese driver had a moment at the final corner, allowing Taponen and Slater to close in. Further back, Ugochukwu made his way into P9, while Race Control noted James Wharton and Enzo Deligny for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.
With DRS enabled, Slater got past Taponen on Lap 7 before retaking the race lead down the Kemmel Straight on the next lap. In the meantime, Rivera joined the battle for the podium, overtaking Taponen for P3 into Les Combes. However, after braking late, the Campos Racing driver slightly got the rear of Yamakoshi, losing his front wing endplate.
Despite the damage, Rivera continued his charge up the field, overtaking Yamakoshi on the following lap, while Taponen went wide at Turn 1, allowing Colnaghi through.
Rivera continuing his charge to P1
On Lap 10, Slater defended Rivera into Les Combes, while Maciej Gładysz overtook Taponen for P5. Slater lost the race lead on Lap 12 as Rivera used DRS to get by, immediately building a 1.2s gap at the front. Ugochukwu, who was struggling to maintain a position within the points, continued to drop down the order.
By Lap 13, Yamakoshi moved past Slater for P2 as the Briton’s tyres faded. Running in P19, Race Control handed Deligny a 5-second time penalty for track limits. On the penultimate lap, Gładysz, Colnaghi, and Slater began a close battle for the final spot on the podium. However, Slater managed to hold off the two, crossing the line in P3, behind Yamakoshi and winner Rivera.
Rivera secured his first F3 Feature Race win at the 2026 Spa-Francorchamps Round at the Belgian GP. Yamakoshi finished in P2, with Slater in P3. Slater’s strong points haul from the Feature Race allowed him to close the gap to Ugochukwu, with only 1 point now separating the drivers for the Championship lead.
