Ugo Ugochukwu has been one of the standout drivers in the 2026 F3 pre-season testing, with Campos Racing’s American driver showing strong pace throughout the sessions in Barcelona. Leading the team in the afternoon session of Day 2, Ugochukwu’s performance highlighted his growing confidence as he adapts to life with Campos.
Ugochukwu leads Campos Racing 1-2-3 in the afternoon session on Day2 of preseason testing in Barcelona
Ugochukwu capped off Day 2 of pre-season testing by finishing fastest in the afternoon session, demonstrating his impressive ability to handle the car under race conditions. With the team focusing on long-run pace and fine-tuning their strategies, Ugochukwu posted a strong 1:28.241, securing the top spot for the afternoon. His teammates, Patrick Heuzenroeder and Théophile Nael, followed in second and third, rounding out a dominant performance for Campos Racing.
Reflecting on the day, Ugochukwu, while speaking to Formula 3, said: “Overall, I’d say it’s a pretty positive day. We tried a few things in the car, and race runs were positive as well. It was a pretty good end to the day on the quali run. Pace was really good, so I’d say pretty decent. There are still a few things that we want to improve.”
Despite topping the session, Ugochukwu remained pragmatic about his performance. He acknowledged that there is still work to be done before the season begins.
“There’s one more day tomorrow to try and find a bit more time. But overall, I’d say a pretty good start to the season.”
Ugochukwu looking to adapt and improve as he prepares for sophomore F3 season
The American driver has consistently shown that he’s not simply relying on his early success, but aiming to make continual improvements. When asked about the areas where he hoped to improve during the test, Ugochukwu noted, “I’d say there’s always a few things that could be better, could be improved. But I think at the end of the day, we’re just trying to adapt on each new tyre set just to kind of get the car as nailed down as possible.”
Ugochukwu also acknowledged that testing in Barcelona, a track well known to most drivers, is a key opportunity to experiment with setups and unlock performance.
“I think Barcelona is a track that everyone drives quite a lot and the times here are usually quite close in quali. So, I think during these testing days, there’s more kind of set-up items being thrown around and trying to find a bit more lap time.”
With one more day of testing remaining, Ugochukwu is eager to continue pushing for improvements:
“But I’d say we went through everything and kind of learned what we had to. I think we can be pretty confident that when we come to the race weekend, we can put it all together and be in a good place.”
Ugochukwu on 2026 F3 pre-season testing and the road to Melbourne
Despite his strong performances, Ugochukwu remains cautious about reading too much into pre-season times, especially given the nature of testing where teams often hide their true pace. The uncertainty of how much other teams are holding back makes it difficult to accurately assess where Campos Racing stands ahead of the season opener in Melbourne.
“It’s always hard to say in testing, of course,” he remarked. “You don’t know how much other teams are holding back or not wanting to show. It’s always hard to say. I think going into Melbourne in FP, we’ll have our first true kind of results, let’s say. So you know where we stand. But I think it’s going to be kind of different.”
However, Ugochukwu remains confident that he and the team are on the right track. He pointed out that while every weekend may bring new challenges, the experience gained during testing will help them face those challenges with a strong foundation:
“But I think each weekend we’ll have our strengths and weaknesses. But Melbourne is quite a unique track and it’s definitely way less running than we have in Barcelona. So I think until we get there, it’s going to be hard to say who’s going to be at the front and stuff.”
A positive start with Campos Racing
This pre-season testing marks the start Ugochukwu’s first season with Campos Racing, and he has already made a strong impression. His feedback on his relationship with the team has been positive, emphasising the good teamwork and momentum that has carried over from the end of last season.
“It’s been really good, to be honest, working with the team,” Ugochukwu said. “Obviously I got my first taste back end of last year in postseason, and it’s good to carry that momentum to now, into the preseason. I think everyone is working really well. They came off a good end of the season last year. So I think everyone is pretty confident we can go into 2026 with the same kind of results.”
Campos Racing’s strong performance in Barcelona seems to reflect the confidence Ugochukwu has in his new team. With the groundwork laid, he looks forward to continuing the progress they’ve made, confident that the right steps have been taken to build a competitive package for the upcoming season.
A busy final day in Barcelona to close out F3 pre-season testing
Looking ahead to the final day of testing, Ugochukwu expects the team to stick to their tried-and-tested strategy: more qualifying simulations in the morning, followed by race runs in the afternoon. He stressed the importance of race pace as an indicator of where they stand compared to their rivals.
“I definitely expect a few more quali runs and definitely a few more race runs in the afternoon of tomorrow,” Ugochukwu said. “Race run pace is usually a very good indicator when it comes to actually where we stack up, and it’s really important on a race weekend. So I think we’re pretty good on that side and I think we’ll see that tomorrow.”
As the final day of testing approaches, Ugochukwu and Campos Racing will be looking to maximise every opportunity to fine-tune their setup and confirm their position ahead of the first race in Melbourne. The anticipation is high, and for Ugochukwu, the momentum continues to build as he prepares for his season with the team.
