Championship leader Ugo Ugochukwu left the 2026 F3 Spielberg Round with another strong haul of points after finishing second in an action-packed FIA Formula 3 Feature Race. Although the Campos Racing driver led on multiple occasions and spent much of the race battling Freddie Slater for victory, he ultimately had to settle for the runner-up spot behind Noah Strømsted. Nevertheless, the American viewed the result as another positive step in his title campaign, particularly after retaining the championship lead heading into Silverstone.
Reflecting on the race, Ugochukwu described an afternoon filled with constant wheel-to-wheel action, admitting that leading the race without having the outright pace made for a difficult challenge.
“Yeah, it was definitely a crazy race. Crazy battles throughout the whole race, really. Yeah, being in the lead and feeling I wasn’t super quick was obviously not so fun.
“But I felt my pace started to improve again in the middle of the race when I was able to get back into the lead. But, obviously, really difficult with the three DRS zones back-to-back. So, yeah, I fell back to P3 at the end.”
Despite eventually recovering to finish second after a dramatic final-lap battle, Ugochukwu felt stronger pace in the opening laps could have allowed him to better manage his tyres and control the race.
“I think, probably, if we had a little bit better pace at the start, it would have been a bit easier to manage the tyres. But, all in all, I think it was a really positive race. P2 is, again, good points, so we take it.”
Intense battle with Slater throughout the Feature Race
Much of the F3 Spielberg Feature Race centred on Ugochukwu’s intense fight with TRIDENT’s Freddie Slater, with the pair exchanging the lead several times and making light contact in the closing laps. While acknowledging the aggressive nature of the battle, Ugochukwu said he always had the championship picture in mind and avoided taking unnecessary risks.
“I think, in the back of your mind, you always want to finish the race to pick up points for the championship. So, yeah, Freddie was quite aggressive. I tried to avoid a crash on the outside of some corners.
“But I mean, it didn’t do any damage to the race. Well, a little bit of damage, but, yeah, it didn’t really affect the race.
The second-place finish means Ugochukwu extends his run of consistent results and heads to Silverstone still leading the FIA Formula 3 Drivers’ Championship. After finishing Qualifying in P2 in last years Silverstone Round, the Campos driver is optimistic about a positive result next weekend.
“Yeah, I’m definitely looking forward to Silverstone. It’s one of my favourite tracks, for sure, on the calendar. Really good quali result last year. So we’ll see, try to hit the ground running again.”
