Formula 3 Go Mad at the Testing Round at the Madring

With Formula 3 as close as ever this year, testing began at the new Madring circuit, as our two championship leaders fought it out on track.

(Image credit to Formula 3)

With a brief hiatus in the Formula 3 season during the summer break, Formula 3 testing got underway with a two-day test at the Madring circuit. Our first glimpse of the new track was an interrupted one, with red flags flying multiple times across the two days. Championship leaders Freddie Slater and Ugo Ugochukwu were battling for track position on the circuit, trading lap time leads.

Day 1

Day 1 saw Freddie Slater top the timesheets as he finished the day on a 1:50.343 lap time in the afternoon session, with Ugo Ugochukwu putting in a 1:51.901 in the morning session.

While action was limited in the first part of testing, Yevan David set the fastest lap after the first hour. Action was stopped halfway through the morning session, though, as Christian Ho found the barriers at Turn 18. With an hour left to go, Jin Nakamura set the fastest time of the session, with Slater just 0.029s down.

Times were decreasing, with Bruno Del Pino, Enzo Deligny and Ugo Ugochukwu all setting the fastest lap times. Green flag running was short-lived, though, as Del Pino came to a stop at Turn 12, bringing out another red flag.

Finishing second in the times, in the morning session, it was Ugo Ugochukwu who set the fastest lap time, with Deligny, Nakamura and Slater in the top five.

With cooler conditions in the afternoon, teams were taking advantage of plenty of track time. This was cut short when Fernando Barrichello found the barriers at Turn 17, as the red flag came out again. Slater topped the times just before another red flag came out at Turn 17, this time for Jin Nakamura, who was in the barriers.

ART Grand Prix looked strong as the session resumed, going 1-2 with Maciej Gladysz leading Taito Kato. Gladysz, however, caused another interruption as he contacted the barriers at Turns 5-6. Another red flag was called after someone took a spin, but the session resumed as the car managed to recover.

Kato and Theophile Nael topped the times, but they were usurped by Freddie Slater setting the 1:50.343 time. His time in the afternoon session was cut short, though, as he clipped the wall at Turn 10, stopping on track and causing another red flag. The session resumed with seven minutes to go, but no one was able to beat Slater's time.

(Image credit to Formula 3 Website)

Day 2

Day 2 followed a similar pattern to Day 1, with Ugo Ugochukwu setting a 1:49.034 in the morning session, two-tenths of a second clear, as Freddie Slater topped the afternoon session with a 1:49.685.

As the day repeated itself, Fernando Barrichello set an early red flag in the session after a spin at Turn 8. Barrichello was able to drive to the pit lane without major damage, and the session resumed. Theophile Nael and Ernesto Rivera were early leaders at the top of the timesheets, but Taito Kato beat that effort before the end of the first hour.

Yevan David bested the time but shortly afterwards caused the second red flag of the day as the Sri Lankan driver stopped on track but managed to drive back to the pit lane. There were two more red flags during the morning session, with Woohyun Shin finding the barriers at Turn 5 and Hiyu Yamakoshi doing the same at Turn 11.

In the final hour, Ugo Ugochukwu set down the gauntlet with a 1:49.034, but no one could improve on the time. Yamakoshi finished in second, Enzo Deligny in third, Rivera in fourth, and Tuukka Taponen in fifth, with Slater down in fifteenth.

In the afternoon session, Ugo Ugochukwu again set the pace with a 1:49.790, but another red flag brought the session to a pause, with Fionn McLaughlin crashing into the barriers at Turn 14. He was OK as the car was cleared before the session resumed with two and a half hours to go.

Many drivers and teams prioritised a race run, and the times did not move at the top.

The session was stopped by another red flag, as Matteo De Palo was stationary on track, although his car was recovered and the session resumed with just under two hours to go. There was another quickfire red flag as Mattia Colnaghi lost his front wing at Turn 7, before another red flag came out for Nicola Lacorte at Turn 14. The DAMS Lucas Oil driver was able to recover to the pit lane after he made slight contact with the barriers.

As the final hour got underway, Freddie Slater beat Ugochukwu at the top of the timing sheets with a 1:49.685, before another red flag at Turn 7. It was Kanato Le who contacted the barriers, with another red flag caused by Barrichello as he crashed into the barriers at Turn 3.

He was OK, but the session was stopped with 25 minutes to go, leaving Slater fastest, followed by Ugochukwu, Nael, David and Rivera.

With Formula 3 going racing in Monza in just over a week, we will see if it is Slater or Ugochukwu who tops the standings, as it is all to play for in the championship as the season reaches its conclusion

Article Written by Amy Powis