Despite racing at the Albert Park Circuit for the first time, Freddie Slater secured an impressive P3 qualifying result for the 2026 Formula 3 (F3) Australian GP.
The Brit finished just 0.082 seconds behind pole sitter Théophile Naël, with Ugo Ugochukwu taking P2. The result came unexpectedly, as Slater only had the pace for P14 in the earlier Free Practice. Therefore, this result marks a promising turnaround, giving him another opportunity to test his pace in tomorrow’s Sprint Race, where he will start from reverse-grid P10.
Slater on a “very satisfying” result
Speaking in the 2026 Australian GP FIA F3 post-qualifying press conference, attended by Pit Debrief, Slater shared his satisfaction with his P3 result:
“Yeah, I think to come here and be on the second row in P3 against some very experienced drivers in this field is very, very positive. To be on P3 for the first time here, we made a big step from FP this morning. Completely different conditions that we had to adapt to, and then we did the job in the end, so very satisfying in the end.”
The F3 qualifying session was marked by its busy ending, with all drivers heading out on track to complete their final push laps, leading to constant fast lap and position changes.
When asked about how he managed the chaos of the final qualifying minutes, Slater said, “Yeah, it’s a little bit different for me. F3 is very chaotic towards the end of the lap when you’re going for your ultimate lap. Yeah, it was crazy. You have to defend, make sure the tyres are in check, make sure the brakes are the right temperature, all this sort of stuff. To have many cars behind trying to get past you and then you’re trying to pass the cars in front is very crazy, but no, it’s good fun.”
Looking ahead to challenging the front-row Campos drivers in the F3 Feature Race, Slater also shared: “Yeah, I’m ready for the fight, that’s for sure, but it’s obviously a new experience for me. We need to do some digging overnight for the Sprint Race to see if we can learn something before it happens, let’s say, tomorrow, and then trying to learn a bit about the tyres for Sunday to make my life a little bit easier.”
Race preparations
Round 1 of the F3 season always features determined and on-the-attack drivers, as seen in the 2025 Australian GP Sprint Race, which featured plenty of overtakes and eight DNFs. However, despite the excitement of his F3 debut season, Slater explained that his main focus for Saturday’s Sprint Race will be tyre management as he aims to pursue a more conservative strategy.
“Yeah, for me, it’s just about learning the tyre,” he said. “I think that’s just kind of the main focus for tomorrow, to try and get a bit of an understanding of how it’s going to work, especially for Sunday, because obviously that’s the main race. So, I’m sure it’s going to be very crazy from previous years that I’ve seen of replays. So, I’m just excited, you know, to get going now and it should be good fun.”
When asked by Pit Debrief how his approach differs between the Sprint and feature Races, Slater said:
“Yeah, obviously tomorrow you start a bit further back, so maybe the car setup has to be a little bit different compared to what we might have on Sunday. Lots of other factors come into play, especially with the way we approach the race in terms of how much risk we want to take at the right points. And obviously, yeah, generally it’s slower cars at the front, but that’s not always the case. So, you’ve just got to play it by ear and be adaptive in the situation.”
From CTFROT to Formula 3
Before starting the 2026 F3 season, Slater competed in the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship (CTFROT), where he finished second with 310 points.
With this, the Brit acknowledged how this opportunity gave him a chance to improve his form and confidence before the Australian GP opener.
“Yeah, for me, the January warm-up, let’s say, in Oceania was really enjoyable, but also really crucial for myself because, obviously, in F3, you don’t get many track time. You don’t get much track time before you start. So it was kind of very important to get that kind of rhythm under my belt and kind of start. Practising things that I will need for F3. So I think it’s set us in a good place for the Barcelona test. And then now we’re here in Melbourne in P3, so it must have worked,” he concluded, with focus now shifted to the Sprint and Feature Races.
