Ugo Ugochukwu achieved his inaugural victory in the FIA Formula 3 Championship with a stellar performance in the Melbourne Feature Race.
The Campos Racing driver, who experienced a sluggish start that saw him drop to third position, mounted a determined comeback to clinch the win ahead of Freddie Slater from TRIDENT. Taito Kato of ART Grand Prix secured the final podium place after penalties were handed to Theophile Nael and Noah Stromsted.
Nael held the pole position at the commencement of the race, maintaining his lead into the first corner, while Slater managed to overtake Ugochukwu right at the start, moving up to second. Slater attempted to challenge Nael for the first place on the first lap but was unable to accomplish the maneuver.
Ugochukwu regained his rhythm quickly, overtaking Slater on lap two to reclaim the second spot. He soon closed in on Nael and executed a decisive maneuver to take the lead.
Further back in the field, Kato was advancing steadily, having passed Stromsted to improve his ranking. As the race continued, the leading trio created a gap from the rest of the competitors. However, the action was interrupted on lap nine when Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi crashed at Turn 12, necessitating the deployment of the Safety Car.
Upon the resumption of racing, Ugochukwu widened his lead while Nael faced pressure from Slater. Concurrently, various skirmishes occurred behind them, including a fierce contest for the remaining podium positions involving Nicola Lacorte and several others.
Nael was later issued a five-second penalty for a false start, with Stromsted receiving a ten-second penalty for causing a collision. Slater succeeded in passing Nael with the help of DRS, moving into second place.
As the race progressed, another Safety Car was deployed when Woohyun Shin experienced suspension issues and halted on track. The race concluded under Safety Car regulations, solidifying Ugochukwu's first Formula 3 win ahead of Slater, while Kato moved into third as a result of penalties to other competitors.
Bruno del Pino finished in fourth place after his earlier Sprint Race victory during the weekend, with Maciej Gladysz and Enzo Deligny following him. Brad Benavides secured seventh place for AIX Racing, in front of Pedro Clerot and Jin Nakamura, while Mattia Colnaghi completed the top ten.
In his post-race comments, Ugochukwu expressed his excitement about achieving his first Formula 3 win. “I’m super pleased with a win here in Melbourne after what has been a perfect start to the season. Although I fell back a little at the beginning, I managed to rally back to the lead with a comfortable gap until the last Safety Car. A huge thanks to my team for their support,” he stated.
Following the first round of the season, Ugochukwu holds the leading position in the drivers' championship standings with 25 points, ahead of Slater and Del Pino, both at 18 points. Kato ranks fourth with 16 points, while Deligny is in fifth place with 12.
In the team rankings, Van Amersfoort Racing currently tops the chart with 30 points, followed by Campos Racing with 27 and ART Grand Prix at 26 points. TRIDENT is in fourth place with 20 points, while Rodin Motorsport occupies the fifth position.
Ugochukwu, the son of Nigerian supermodel Oluchi Onweagba and her Italian husband, fashion designer Luca Orlandi, previously placed third in the F4 British Championship with Carlin and was the runner-up in the 2023 Italian F4 Championship with Prema. He has also participated in the Formula Regional European Championship and was notably the first American to win the Macau Grand Prix in 43 years in 2024. Ugochukwu was part of the McLaren Driver Development Programme from 2021 to 2025.
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