Australian Feature Race

Date
Sat 7th March 2026 (UTC)
Sun 8th March 2026 (Local)

Timestamp
2026-03-07T21:50:00

Time

21:50:00 UTC (08:50:00 Local)

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League
Formula 3

Season
2026

Round
1

Status
Match Finished

Location

Video Highlights

Play on YouTube

Event Statistics

Description

The 2026 FIA Formula 3 season reaches its peak with the Feature Race at the Albert Park Circuit. Unlike the reversed-grid Sprint, the Feature Race grid is determined by the outright speed shown in Friday's Qualifying session, putting the championship's early pace-setters at the front for the most points-heavy race of the weekend.

The story of the weekend is the utter dominance of Campos Racing, who secured a front-row lockout. Théophile Naël starts from pole position after a dramatic last-second lap, just ahead of his teammate Ugo Ugochukwu. Both drivers have shown blistering speed on the Medium Pirelli compound, but they face a major threat from Trident’s Freddie Slater, who starts third and has been the most consistent rookie through the practice sessions. With the high-speed nature of the track and four DRS zones, tire management will be the deciding factor—drivers who push too hard in the opening laps often find themselves defenseless against the DRS train in the closing stages.

Reports

Result List

01	Ugo Ugochukwu	42:59.653
02	Freddie Slater	43:00.346
03	Taito Kato	43:01.925

Result Description

1 /U. Ugochukwu /Campos Racing /42:59.653
2 /F. Slater /TRIDENT /43:00.346
3 /T. Kato /ART Grand Prix /43:01.925
4 /B. Del Pino /Van Amersfoort Racing /43:02.369
5 /M. Gładysz /ART Grand Prix /43:02.906
6 /E. Deligny /Van Amersfoort Racing /43:03.229
7 /B. Benavides /AIX Racing /43:04.369
8 /P. Clerot /Rodin Motorsport /43:04.616
9 /J. Nakamura /Hitech TGR /43:04.999
10 /M. Colnaghi /MP Motorsport /43:05.437
11 /H. Yamakoshi /Van Amersfoort Racing /43:05.636
12 /T. Naël /Campos Racing /43:05.943
13 /T. Taponen /MP Motorsport /43:06.182
14 /F. McLaughlin /Hitech TGR /43:06.455
15 /A. Giusti /MP Motorsport /43:06.871
16 /B. Badoer /Rodin Motorsport /43:07.431
17 /P. Heuzenroeder /Campos Racing /43:08.136
18 /F. Barrichello /AIX Racing /43:08.489
19 /G. Xie /DAMS Lucas Oil /43:09.054
20 /Y. David /AIX Racing /43:09.630
21 /C. Ho /Rodin Motorsport /43:10.126
22 /M. De Palo /TRIDENT /43:10.835
23 /N. Strømsted /TRIDENT /43:11.274
24 /J. Garfias /PREMA Racing /43:11.524
25 /N. Lacorte /DAMS Lucas Oil /43:18.795
26 /W. Shin /Hitech TGR /DNF
27 /N. Bhirombhakdi /DAMS Lucas Oil /DNF
28 /K. Le /ART Grand Prix /DNF

Ugo Ugochukwu (Campos Racing) delivered a clinical performance to claim his maiden FIA Formula 3 victory in the season-opening Feature Race. Despite losing a position at the start to a surging Freddie Slater, the American driver utilized the DRS to reclaim second before pulling off a decisive overtake on his teammate Théophile Naël for the lead on Lap 4. Once in clean air, Ugochukwu showcased superior pace, building a seven-second lead that was only erased by a late-race Safety Car. He crossed the line under caution to secure the win and the early lead in the Drivers' Championship.

The race was defined by high-stakes drama and a flurry of post-race penalties that reshaped the podium. While Naël finished second on the road, a five-second penalty for a false start dropped him out of the points. This promoted Freddie Slater (Trident) to second place and allowed Taito Kato (ART Grand Prix) to secure a remarkable podium on his debut weekend. Bruno del Pino (Van Amersfoort Racing) followed up his Sprint victory with a steady drive to fourth, while Maciej Gładysz and Enzo Deligny rounded out the top six. The event was marred by a heavy crash for Michael Shin that brought out the final Safety Car, and the withdrawal of PREMA drivers James Wharton and Louis Sharp following a Saturday collision, leaving the Italian squad with a difficult start to the 2026 campaign.

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