Formula 3 In Hungary: New Winners And The Title Battle Get Closer

As Formula 3 goes into the summer break, a shift in the championship has taken place as both new and repeat winners came to the fore.

(Image credit to Formula 3)

As the lights went out at the Hungaroring, Formula 3 went to battle. With incidents affecting both the Sprint and Feature Races, there were significant changes at the top of the championship as the fight tightened. A new championship leader and another repeat race winner have changed the landscape of Formula 3 as the series heads into the summer break.

Sprint Race

Kanato Le took the lead off the line, but a first-lap incident between Jin Nakamura and Gerrard Xie, who had made a great start and briefly taken the lead before contacting Maciej Gładysz, led to an early Safety Car. This brought Nakamura and Gładysz's races to an end, while Xie dropped to the back of the field after suffering a right-rear puncture.

Théophile Naël managed to gain places at the start, jumping from fourth to second as Le extended his lead until lap nine, when Naël made his move for the lead. Championship leader Ugo Ugochukwu battled Brando Badoer for sixth position. However, an opening-lap move involving tomorrow's pole sitter, Tuukka Taponen, earned him a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.

Freddie Slater, another championship contender, had a quiet race after a disappointing qualifying session on Friday, fighting on the fringes of the points. However, Ugochukwu's penalty meant he ultimately finished outside the points. Slater crossed the line in tenth position, leaving the pair level on points heading into the Feature Race.

Théophile Naël led the field by around two seconds until the chequered flag, becoming the second repeat winner of the season. He was joined on the podium by Kanato Le, who claimed his first Formula 3 podium, and Ernesto Rivera. Mattia Colnaghi finished a consistent fourth, while Brando Badoer came home sixth. Tuukka Taponen, Nicola Lacorte, James Wharton, Fernando Barrichello, who climbed from seventeenth to ninth, and Freddie Slater completed the top ten.

Feature Race

After a good pole lap, Tuukka Taponen led us off the line after taking pole position in the main race, with Freddie Slater and Mattia Colnaghi keeping second and third position, with Brando Badoer following closely behind. Slater was pressuring Taponen for first position, with the two making contact, with Slater losing part of his front wing and Taponen gaining a puncture. This was briefly under investigation but was deemed to require no further action. 

The lead changed hands after Taponen pitted, while those involved in the Sprint Race incident collided once again. Maciej Gładysz and Gerrard Xie ended up in the barriers after Xie made contact with Jin Nakamura, putting all three drivers out of the race.

Taponen dropped to sixth, and a stoppage for Salim Hanna triggered a Virtual Safety Car. Once racing resumed, Colnaghi came under pressure from Badoer and Ugochukwu, but Ugochukwu was able to overtake them both in one section of the racetrack. 

Another Virtual Safety Car was called after Kanato Le stopped at Turn 12, before a full Safety Car was deployed following a collision involving Fernando Barrichello, Yevan David and Enzo Deligny. Barrichello and Deligny retired from the race, while David received a ten-second penalty for causing the incident.

Behind the leaders, Naël and Taponen went wheel-to-wheel over several laps, with Taponen becoming increasingly frustrated over team radio, believing he had been forced off the circuit by his Campos Racing rival. The result remained unchanged, with Naël staying ahead of Taponen in the championship standings.

Following the final Safety Car restart, Freddie Slater took on the Ministry of Defence mantle as he kept Ugo Ugochukwu behind. Although Ugochukwu repeatedly used DRS down the straights, it was not enough to find a way past. Slater secured his first Formula 3 victory and, with it, the championship lead.

Brando Badoer completed the podium, while Colnaghi finished fourth. Naël, Taponen, Rivera, Nicola Lacorte and the PREMA Racing duo of James Wharton and Louis Sharp rounded out the top ten.

Championship Standings

Ugochukwu's penalty in the Sprint Race meant he finished outside the points, allowing Freddie Slater to draw level in the championship before the Feature Race. Everything changed on Sunday, however, as Slater claimed his first Formula 3 victory. With Ugochukwu finishing second, Slater leaves Hungary with an eight-point championship lead, helped further by securing the fastest lap. With three rounds remaining, the fight for the title is still very much alive heading into the summer break.

With his success in the sprint race and finishing just out of the podium on the second race, Theophile Nael maintains the third-place position, with Brando Badoer jumping into fourth place and Ernesto Rivera finishing in the top five.

In the Teams' Championship, Campos Racing remained at the top thanks to the consistent performances of Ugochukwu and Naël. Trident remained second, with Noah Strømsted and Freddie Slater continuing to score strongly, while Van Amersfoort Racing sit third. Rodin Motorsport occupies fourth, with ART Grand Prix completing the top five.

As the series heads into its final four races, the championship battle is closer than ever. Will it be Freddie Slater or Ugo Ugochukwu who comes out on top? The wait continues until Monza, where all eyes will turn to the Temple of Speed.

Article Written by Amy Powis