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Ugo Ugochukwu became the first repeat winner of the 2026 FIA Formula 3 season with a commanding Silverstone Sprint Race victory, converting pole into a 17-second win for Campos Racing.
The result underlined the form that had already made him a central figure in the weekend narrative, after Silverstone arrived with a wide-open F3 picture, as outlined in our Formula 3 Silverstone preview. This time, however, there was nothing unpredictable about the winner once Ugochukwu had settled into rhythm.
He held the lead at the start despite early pressure from AIX Racing’s Yevan David, then gradually broke the race open. By halfway, the Campos driver had built a three-second margin, and from there his advantage only grew as the fight behind him intensified.
David delivered a landmark result of his own, becoming the first Sri Lankan driver to finish on the FIA F3 podium. His second place was earned under sustained pressure, particularly as Noah Stromsted, Matteo De Palo and Théophile Nael all moved into contention during a lively second half.
The early order had Ugochukwu leading David, Alessandro Giusti, James Wharton and Stromsted, with the pack tightly grouped inside DRS range by Lap 3. Nael was among the most aggressive movers, first passing Fionn McLaughlin at Brooklands before later attacking Maciej Gladysz and continuing his climb.
Wharton briefly moved up to third with a clean outside pass at Brooklands, but his pace faded as Stromsted and De Palo came alive. Both TRIDENT drivers passed Wharton, only to later compromise each other when they touched at Vale, giving David crucial breathing space.
The closing laps produced the decisive podium twist. De Palo passed Stromsted on the run to Copse and looked set for third, but Nael struck at the final corner to snatch the final podium place in dramatic fashion.
Ugochukwu’s victory moves him to 89 points at the top of the Drivers’ Championship, ahead of Freddie Slater on 66 and Nael on 60. Bruno del Pino sits fourth on 49, with Stromsted fifth on 47.
Campos Racing also lead the Teams’ Standings with 175 points, ahead of TRIDENT on 120 and Van Amersfoort Racing on 109.
After the race, Ugochukwu said: “I’m super happy, second win of the season, but most of all the pace was amazing. Really good second and last part of the race, we managed to pull a big gap, so that fills us with confidence for tomorrow, so I am sure we can come through the field and score some more good points tomorrow.”
The field returns on Sunday morning for the Silverstone Feature Race, with lights out set for 08:25 local time.
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.