The Red Bull Ring delivered another action-packed weekend of Formula 3 racing, with fierce battles, dramatic overtakes and plenty of twists across both the Sprint and Feature Races. While some drivers left Spielberg celebrating breakthrough performances and valuable championship gains, others departed Austria wondering what might have been. Here are the biggest winners and losers from the Spielberg Round of the 2026 F3 season.
Winners of the 2026 Austrian GP F3 Spielberg Round
Ernesto Rivera – Campos Racing
Few drivers left the 2026 F3 Spielberg Round with a bigger confidence boost than Ernesto Rivera. The Campos Racing rookie claimed his maiden FIA Formula 3 victory in Saturday’s Sprint Race after producing a patient drive, waiting several laps before making a decisive pass on James Wharton at Turn 4 to take the lead. Rivera held on despite a late tyre lock-up to secure his first podium and first win in the category, a reward for the pace he has shown in recent rounds. While Sunday’s Feature Race ended in disappointment following an early incident, the Mexican still departed Austria with a breakthrough victory, valuable race experience and the belief that he can become a regular contender at the front.
Ugo Ugochukwu – Campos Racing
After qualifying just 0.015s behind Hiyu Yamakoshi on Friday, Ugo Ugochukwu looked well placed to challenge for a strong result in Sunday’s Feature Race. The race delivered exactly the kind of wheel-to-wheel action the Red Bull Ring is known for, with the circuit’s three DRS zones creating constant overtaking opportunities. Ugochukwu spent much of the race in the fight for victory, leading several laps and going wheel-to-wheel with Freddie Slater before coming under late pressure from Noah Strømsted.
Although he ultimately had to settle for second, the American collected valuable championship points. Combined with ninth place in the Sprint Race, his Spielberg haul allowed him to extend his championship lead, increasing his advantage over Slater to 16 points heading into Silverstone.
Pedro Clerot – Rodin Motorsport
Few drivers left Spielberg with a bigger confidence boost than Pedro Clerot. After a difficult start to his rookie FIA Formula 3 campaign, the Rodin Motorsport driver finally converted his pace into results, producing his strongest weekend of the season. Having qualified 10th on Friday, Clerot started on the second row for Saturday’s reverse-grid Sprint Race and made the most of the opportunity. After dropping back at the start, Clerot fought his way back through the field before executing two superb overtakes on the final lap to secure his maiden Formula 3 podium in second. Rather than fading on Sunday, the Brazilian backed it up with another impressive drive, climbing from 10th on the grid to fourth in the Feature Race after a bold final-lap move.
Jin Nakamura – Hitech TGR
Jin Nakamura enjoyed a breakthrough weekend in Spielberg, securing his maiden FIA Formula 3 podium in Saturday’s reverse-grid Sprint Race. The Hitech TGR rookie spent much of the race defending from Pedro Clerot before losing out late on, but capitalised on a mistake from James Wharton on the final lap to snatch third place. While he narrowly missed out on another top result after finishing fifth in the Feature Race, the Japanese driver’s performances across the weekend represented his strongest showing of the season and provided a welcome boost for both himself and Hitech after a challenging start to the campaign.
Freddie Slater and Noah Strømsted – TRIDENT
Despite a dramatic Sprint Race that saw Freddie Slater eliminated following contact with teammate Noah Strømsted, TRIDENT emerged from Spielberg with plenty to celebrate. Both drivers bounced back with outstanding performances in Sunday’s Feature Race, reinforcing the team’s status as one of the benchmark outfits in Formula 3.
Slater recovered from his Sprint disappointment to finish third in an action-packed Feature Race, spending much of the afternoon battling championship leader Ugo Ugochukwu and briefly leading before ultimately crossing the line on the final step of the podium. The result, combined with several title rivals enduring difficult weekends, promoted the Briton to second in the Drivers’ Championship on 62 points, cutting the gap to Ugochukwu heading into Silverstone.
Strømsted, meanwhile, enjoyed the strongest points haul of any driver across the 2026 F3 Austrian GP Spielberg weekend. The Dane followed sixth place in the Sprint Race with a superb second-place finish in the Feature Race, adding the fastest lap bonus point to leave Austria with 32 points. His consistency across both races strengthened his championship challenge and capped another highly successful weekend for TRIDENT.
Losers of the 2026 Austrian GP F3 Spielberg Round
Théophile Naël – Campos Racing
Spielberg proved to be a weekend to forget for Théophile Naël, whose FIA Formula 3 title challenge suffered a significant setback. The Campos Racing driver endured a difficult Qualifying session, failing to put together a clean lap and leaving himself 24th on the grid with a mountain to climb across both races. Although Naël showed encouraging pace and recovered to finish 15th in both the Sprint and Feature Races, it wasn’t enough to break into the points. With championship rivals Ugochukwu and Slater both standing on the Feature Race podium, the Frenchman left Austria empty-handed, admitting that a strategic call during Qualifying had ultimately compromised his entire weekend.
Brando Badoer – Rodin Motorsport
Brando Badoer endured another frustrating weekend in Spielberg, losing valuable ground in the Formula 3 title fight. The Rodin Motorsport driver’s hopes of a strong points haul were effectively over after a difficult Qualifying session left him 29th on the grid, forcing him onto the back foot for both races. Although the Red Bull Ring is renowned for its overtaking opportunities, Badoer was unable to make significant progress, finishing 21st in both the Sprint and Feature Races. With several of his championship rivals scoring heavily across the weekend, the Italian left Austria empty-handed and with work to do as the series heads to Silverstone.
Bruno del Pino – Van Amersfoort Racing
Bruno del Pino’s remarkable run of consistency finally came to an end in Spielberg, dealing a blow to his FIA Formula 3 title aspirations. After qualifying 13th, the Van Amersfoort Racing driver narrowly missed out on reverse-grid pole for the Sprint Race, leaving himself with plenty of work to do across the weekend. Although he initially finished 11th in the Sprint, he inherited the final points-paying position following a post-race disqualification ahead of him. However, the Spaniard was unable to replicate that result in Sunday’s Feature Race, crossing the line in 17th. As the only driver to have scored points in every race before Austria, failing to finish inside the top 10 in the Feature brought that impressive streak to an end. More importantly, it allowed several of his championship rivals to pull further ahead at a pivotal stage of the season.
Fionn McLaughlin – Hitech TGR
The 2026 Austrian GP F3 Spielberg Round offered another frustrating weekend for Fionn McLaughlin, whose rookie season continues to lack momentum. Despite a circuit that traditionally rewards bold overtaking and recovery drives, the Hitech TGR driver was once again unable to make significant progress across the two races. While others around him capitalised on opportunities to climb through the order and strengthen their campaigns, McLaughlin struggled to gain ground, continuing a trend that has left him searching for a breakthrough result. With Silverstone next on the calendar, he’ll be aiming to finally turn promising pace into meaningful points.
