Nael sets the pace for Campos Racing in F3 Monaco Practice

Campos Racing Dominates Opening Practice in Monte Carlo

Théophile Nael delivered a commanding performance in Formula 3 Practice at Monte Carlo, guiding Campos Racing to the top of the timesheets with a benchmark lap of 1:25.794. It was a statement session from the Spanish outfit, who placed two cars inside the top three, with Ugo Ugochukwu completing the Campos lockout in third.

Sandwiched between them was TRIDENT's Freddie Slater, who showed genuine pace to split the Campos pair and end the session just 0.069 seconds off the top — a gap that was ultimately far closer than it had been for much of the afternoon.

Red Flag Disruption and a Session Extension

The session was far from straightforward. After an initial benchmark was set by PREMA Racing's James Wharton, DAMS Lucas Oil's Gerrard Xie moved to the front with a 1:28.109 — only for a Red Flag to halt proceedings following a crash for Wharton at Turn 14. The Australian climbed out of his car unharmed, but barrier repairs took time, and officials added 15 extra minutes to the session clock once the circuit was deemed ready.

When the green light returned with 28 minutes remaining, the competitive picture evolved quickly. Nael and teammate Ernesto Rivera moved up the order before Xie briefly reclaimed top spot. Maciej Gladysz then put ART Grand Prix ahead, followed by Brando Badoer for Rodin Motorsport and Bruno del Pino for Van Amersfoort Racing, each driver peeling another layer off the fastest time as the track continued to rubber in.

Nael's Late Charge Seals the Honours

With 13 minutes remaining, del Pino set a 1:26.482 to establish himself as the benchmark, only for Nael to respond almost immediately with a 1:26.460 — splitting himself from del Pino by just 0.022 seconds. Ugochukwu slotted into third shortly after.

Slater then seized the initiative, posting the session's fastest time at that point on a 1:26.135, before Ugochukwu briefly improved further. But Nael had one final answer, breaking into the 1:25s with a 1:25.806 to re-establish the Campos 1-2. Despite traffic through the final corners on his last flying lap, Slater clawed back time to end 0.169s adrift — before Nael's final effort of 1:25.794 sealed the deal and Slater's personal best reduced the gap to just 0.069s at the chequered flag.

Behind the top three, del Pino finished fourth, with Pedro Clerot rounding out the top five. PREMA's Louis Sharp was sixth, ahead of Rivera in seventh. Taito Kato, Noah Stromsted, and Enzo Deligny completed the top ten.

With the qualifying groups for the Monaco weekend now confirmed, attention now turns to Friday morning's qualifying, split across two groups — Group A at 11:05 local time, with Group B following at 11:29. After Campos' emphatic practice showing, all eyes will be on whether Nael can carry that momentum into a front-row grid slot.

Campos Racing Dominates Opening Practice in Monte Carlo