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Ernesto Rivera produced a measured drive to win the Formula 3 Feature Race at Spa-Francorchamps, securing his second victory in the category and his first in a Feature Race. The Campos driver executed a series of well-timed overtakes across 15 laps to finish ahead of VAR’s Hiyu Yamakoshi and Trident pole-sitter Freddie Slater.
Slater’s third-place finish still carried significant championship value. With points leader Ugo Ugochukwu classified only 22nd on the road after a difficult weekend, the Trident driver reduced the gap at the top of the standings to one point.
The result also marked a season-best finish for MP Motorsport’s Mattia Colnaghi, who took fourth. ART Grand Prix’s Maciej Gładysz and Taito Kato followed in fifth and sixth, ahead of MP Motorsport team-mates Tuukka Taponen and Alessandro Giusti. Hitech’s Jin Nakamura, fresh from his maiden Formula 3 Sprint victory at Spa, finished ninth, with Rodin Motorsport’s Brando Badoer completing the top 10.
Slater made a slow start from pole, immediately losing ground to Taponen and Yamakoshi. He narrowly defended third from Rivera and Colnaghi through the opening corners, while several drivers ran wide behind. Ugochukwu and Campos team-mate Théophile Naël made contact in the second sector, triggering a Safety Car for Yevan David’s stranded AIX Racing car. DAMS driver Nandhavud Bhirombakdi also retired after pulling into the pits, while Naël’s incident forced him to stop at the end of the opening lap.
Racing resumed on Lap 4 with Yamakoshi ahead of Taponen and Slater. Rivera soon passed Colnaghi and then moved beyond Taponen, before Slater took second and subsequently the lead with a pass on Yamakoshi at Les Combes on Lap 8.
Rivera’s first attempt to pass Yamakoshi damaged the left-hand endplate of his front wing, but he remained composed. He completed the move on Lap 10 and, two laps later, overtook Slater for the lead. The Campos driver immediately established a 1.3-second advantage.
Slater’s early pace faded late in the race, allowing Yamakoshi to take second on Lap 13. Under pressure from Colnaghi, Slater held third to the flag as Rivera controlled the closing laps and claimed a composed Feature Race victory.
Rivera led Yamakoshi and Slater, followed by Colnaghi, Gładysz, Kato, Taponen, Giusti, Nakamura and Badoer. Four drivers—Fernando Barrichello, Matteo De Palo, Bhirombakdi and David—were classified as DNFs.
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.