Freddie Slater Holds Off Ugochukwu for Maiden Formula 3 Victory in Hungary
Slater withstands late pressure at the Hungaroring
Freddie Slater converted a composed drive into his maiden Formula 3 victory at the Hungaroring, holding off championship rival Ugo Ugochukwu after a race repeatedly interrupted by safety-car periods.
Tuukka Taponen made the strongest start from historic pole position and held the lead through Turn 1, while Ugochukwu surged into fifth during the opening lap. The complexion of the race changed before Lap 2, however, when a collision involving Maciej Gladysz, Gerrard Xie and Jin Nakamura ended all three driversâ races.
Contact between Slater and Taponen at Turn 12 then forced the MP driver into the pits. Taponen surrendered the lead but recovered to seventh, while Slater moved ahead of Mattia Colnaghi and Brando Badoer. A safety car was deployed on Lap 4 to clear debris.
The restart on Lap 6 was brief. Salim Hanna stopped before the final corner, obstructing the circuit and prompting another neutralisation under the virtual safety car. When racing resumed, Ugochukwu made the decisive early move, passing Colnaghi and Badoer in a double overtake at Hamilton corner to put himself directly into the fight for victory.
The raceâs repeated interruptions echoed the chaotic action from Theophile Naelâs Formula 3 Sprint victory in Hungary, but the feature race developed into a direct contest between the two championship protagonists.
Championship rivals separated by composure
Slater and Ugochukwu ran wheel-to-wheel through the middle phase, with the leading pair maintaining a tense battle around every corner. Further back, Naelâs move on Colnaghi on Lap 11 nearly sent the Campos driver into the gravel, while a technical issue for Kanato Le brought out a third yellow flag on Lap 13.
A fourth safety-car period followed Lap 15 after Fernando Barrichello collided with teammate Yevan David and MP Motorsportsâ Enzo Deligny. Barrichello and Deligny retired, while David fell to the back of the field.
Once the safety car ended on Lap 17, Slater produced a strong restart and established an advantage. Ugochukwu continued to close in during the final laps, but Slater absorbed the pressure and crossed the line first. Ugochukwu finished second, with Badoer completing the podium. Colnaghi and Nael rounded out the top five.
Whatâs next
With Slater now leading the championship, the 2026 Formula 3 season resumes after the summer break at Monza for Round 8, scheduled for 4â6 September.
Simone Scanu
Il est ingénieur logiciel et passionné de Formule 1 et de sport automobile. Il a cofondé Formula Live Pulse afin de rendre les données télémétriques en direct et les informations sur les courses accessibles, visuelles et faciles à suivre.