The 2026 FIA Formula 3 (F3) weekend at Silverstone delivered everything fans have come to expect from the British GP. Record-breaking performances, breakthrough results, dramatic overtakes and post-race penalties combined to produce one of the most eventful rounds of the season, with the final Feature Race classification changing hours after the chequered flag.
Some drivers left Silverstone with career-best results and valuable championship momentum, while others saw strong weekends unravel through penalties, technical infringements or a lack of pace. With the title fight tightening and the second half of the season now underway, here are the biggest winners and losers from the FIA F3 at Silverstone.
Winners of the 2026 F3 Silverstone Round at the British GP
Ugo Ugochukwu – Campos Racing
Ugo Ugochukwu further strengthened his grip on the 2026 FIA Formula 3 Drivers’ Championship with another exceptional weekend at Silverstone. Friday’s Qualifying did not go to plan after his opening lap times were deleted for track limits, leaving him under pressure heading into his final run. Despite the setback, the Campos Racing driver recovered to qualify 12th, earning a front-row start for the reverse-grid Sprint Race.
From there, Ugochukwu was untouchable. He controlled Saturday’s Sprint Race from lights to flag, expertly managing his tyres before pulling away from the field to win by more than 17 seconds, the largest winning margin in FIA Formula 3 history. Sunday’s Feature Race required a very different approach, with the championship leader climbing from P12 through the field. He crossed the line sixth, but post-race penalties and Matteo De Palo’s disqualification promoted him to third, capping off another podium finish.
Silverstone proved to be another statement weekend for Ugochukwu. He left the British Grand Prix with 104 championship points, extending his lead at the top of the standings to 18 points. Even after a difficult Qualifying session, the American maximised every opportunity available, once again showing why he remains the benchmark in the 2026 title fight.
Yevan David – AIX Racing
Yevan David enjoyed the strongest Formula 3 weekend of his career at Silverstone, delivering standout performances across both Qualifying and the Sprint Race. The AIX Racing driver recorded his best-ever F3 qualifying result with 11th, which placed him on the front row for Saturday’s reverse-grid Sprint Race alongside Ugo Ugochukwu.
Although Ugochukwu eventually pulled clear at the front, David faced relentless pressure from the chasing pack throughout the Sprint. With drivers including Noah Strømsted, Matteo De Palo and Théophile Naël all closing in during the final laps, the Sri Lankan produced a composed defensive drive to hold on to second place and secure his maiden FIA Formula 3 podium. It was a landmark result for both David and AIX Racing, showcasing his maturity under pressure in one of the most intense races of the season.
Maciej Gładysz – ART Grand Prix
Maciej Gładysz enjoyed a breakthrough weekend at Silverstone, producing his strongest FIA Formula 3 performance of the season. The ART Grand Prix rookie qualified eighth on Friday before scoring points in both races. After finishing eighth in the Sprint Race, he added another point before putting together an impressive drive in Sunday’s Feature Race.
During the Feature, Gładysz made several decisive overtakes as he worked his way through the field, including passes on Ernesto Rivera, Fionn McLaughlin and Freddie Slater during the closing stages. He crossed the line fourth on the road, but was initially promoted to third after Théophile Naël received a 10-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. Hours later, the classification changed again. Matteo De Palo was disqualified for a technical infringement, while Rivera received a five-second time penalty for forcing another driver off the track, promoting Gładysz from third to race winner.
In the space of a few hours, the Polish driver went from believing he had secured his maiden Formula 3 podium to celebrating his maiden Formula 3 victory. The inherited win earned Gładysz 25 championship points from the Feature Race, and combined with his Sprint Race point, he left Silverstone with 26 points, the biggest points haul of his Formula 3 career and a major confidence boost heading into the second half of the season.
Losers of the 2026 F3 Silverstone Round at the British GP
Matteo De Palo – TRIDENT
Matteo De Palo experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows during what should have been the best FIA Formula 3 weekend of his career.
The TRIDENT rookie qualified fifth, comfortably his strongest qualifying performance of the season, before backing it up with points in Saturday’s Sprint Race. Sunday’s Feature Race was where De Palo truly showcased his potential. After an excellent start, he charged through the field with decisive moves on Louis Sharp, Théophile Naël and teammate Freddie Slater to take the race lead. Despite severe front tyre graining and a late Safety Car setting up a one-lap sprint to the finish, the Italian defended brilliantly in a thrilling battle with Slater to cross the line and claim what appeared to be his maiden Formula 3 victory.
However, the celebrations were short-lived. Following post-race scrutineering, De Palo was disqualified from the Feature Race due to a technical infringement, stripping him of the victory and the 25 championship points that came with it. Instead of leaving Silverstone with one of the biggest points hauls of the season, he departed with only the points scored in the Sprint Race, his first points of the 2026 campaign. While the weekend proved De Palo has the pace to fight for victories, the disqualification turned what should have been a career-defining breakthrough into one of the cruellest moments of the season.
Bruno del Pino – Van Amersfoort Racing
Bruno del Pino entered Silverstone as one of the form drivers in the FIA Formula 3 field, having scored points in every race before the Spielberg Feature Race. However, the Van Amersfoort Racing driver’s momentum has stalled over the past two rounds, with both Spielberg and Silverstone proving to be difficult weekends.
Unlike the opening half of the season, where Del Pino consistently qualified near the front and converted those positions into points, he struggled to find the same pace in both Austria and Great Britain. Starting further down the order left him with too much work to do in both the Sprint and Feature Races, and he was unable to recover into the points despite his usual racecraft.
For a driver who had built his championship campaign on consistency, leaving both Spielberg and Silverstone without scoring was a significant blow. After being the only driver to score points in every race through the opening rounds of the season, Del Pino has now endured three consecutive point-less races. With the championship entering its second half, Van Amersfoort Racing will be hoping to rediscover the pace that made the Spaniard one of the standout performers earlier in the year.
Brando Badoer – Rodin Motorsport
Brando Badoer endured a frustrating weekend at Silverstone after qualifying 16th, leaving himself with plenty of work to do across both races. Unlike many of the drivers around him who were able to make significant progress through the field, the Rodin Motorsport driver spent much of the weekend stuck in the tightly packed midfield, where overtaking opportunities were limited despite the constant DRS trains.
In Saturday’s Sprint Race, Badoer was unable to make meaningful progress and finished outside the points in 14th. Sunday’s Feature Race followed a similar pattern. Although the race produced plenty of overtaking, Badoer remained trapped in battles further down the order and crossed the line outside the points. Even after the post-race penalties and disqualification reshuffled the final classification, he still failed to score.
After showing strong pace earlier in the season, Silverstone marked one of Badoer’s toughest weekends of 2026. Missing out on points in both races allowed several rivals around him in the Drivers’ Championship to close the gap, making it a weekend the Italian will be keen to put behind him heading into the next round.
Théophile Naël – Campos Racing
Théophile Naël had all the ingredients for one of the standout weekends at Silverstone, but it ultimately ended in disappointment after a costly post-race penalty denied him a huge haul of championship points.
The Campos Racing driver produced an outstanding recovery in Friday’s Qualifying. After having his opening two laps deleted for track limits, Naël had everything resting on his final attempt. He delivered under pressure, setting a lap good enough for second on the grid for Sunday’s Feature Race. On Saturday, he started the reverse-grid Sprint from 11th and drove brilliantly through the field, managing his tyres to perfection before making a sensational last-corner pass on Matteo De Palo to secure third place.
Sunday’s Feature Race looked set to complete a near-perfect weekend. Naël battled at the front throughout the race and crossed the line in second, putting himself in position for another podium and a major championship points haul. However, moments after the chequered flag, he was handed a 10-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining a lasting advantage, dropping him from second to 16th and out of the points altogether. Instead of leaving Silverstone with two podium finishes, Naël departed with just the Sprint Race podium to show for what had otherwise been an exceptional weekend. The penalty proved to be one of the biggest turning points of the weekend, costing him valuable ground in the championship fight.
