After a chaotic qualifying session, Campos Racing’s Théophile Naël claims the first pole position for the F3 2026 season.
After this morning’s practice session, it is Ugo Ugochukwu who hopes to use his momentum to secure pole position for this Sunday’s Feature Race. Since this morning’s practice, both F2 and F1 have driven on the track, so the track is in more favourable conditions. After the tumbling timing screens in F2 practice, a chaotic F3 Qualifying session is expected.
Ugo Ugockuwu’s top time in practice (1:34:607) looks good up against the top time in Qualifying last year in Melbourne. Rafael Câmara set a 1:34.999 last year to earn him pole position in his rookie F3 season. Will Ugockuwu be the one to secure pole position today?
Now, the drivers have 30 minutes to fight for the first pole position of the 2026 season.
First Laps on the Board
The drivers are eager to get out on track, as all 30 drivers make their way out of the pits. It is Mattia Colnaghi first over the line, setting a 1:34:638 as the first flying laps come in. However, he is quickly overtaken as more drivers get over the line. The TRIDENT drivers, Freddie Slater and Noah Strømsted, fight for P1, but it is ultimately Strømsted who gets the one up on his teammate.
And at the 20-minute mark, it is Ugo Ugochukwu at the top of the timings, going four-tenths clear once again, setting a 1:34.208. Similar to practice, it is Noah Strømsted behind Ugochukwu, in 2nd, at this point in Qualifying.
Red Flag Is Out
After pushing hard around Turn 10, Matteo De Palo goes off the racing line, resulting in a drastic slide into the barrier. The clock is stopped with 20 minutes to go, and the drivers remain in the pits until the TRIDENT car is cleared.
Track Limits
Whilst the red flag remains, drivers are dealt a tough blow as track limit violations are handed out. Hitech’s Jin Nakamura is one of the drivers who gets dropped to the bottom of the timing screens. Campos will be hoping for another one of their drivers to join Ugochukwu at the top of the field, but for now, Théophile Naël has had his lap time deleted due to track limits.
The green flag comes out once again, allowing the drivers to get back on track. And it looks like Alessandro Giusti is getting faster, setting a 1:35.074 to put himself into 10th.
Shocking Turn of Events for Ugochukwu
The drivers are all pushing extremely hard, especially around Turn 10. And it appears this turn has become another driver’s downfall. Despite setting a purple sector, contact with a board at the exit results in front wing damage for Ugochukwu. He is, fortunately, able to get himself to the pits for repairs and gets back out on track.
Aussie Hopeful
With no Aussies on the podium in F1, F2 or F3 in the last few years, PREMA’s James Wharton will be hoping to change that statistic. And with 10 minutes remaining, Wharton jumps from outside the top 10 to 2nd after setting a 1:34.621.
Elsewhere, Campos Racing’s Naël sets his first flying lap, climbing from the bottom of the grid to 4th with a 1:34.682. Nobody has yet to beat Ugochukwu’s time, but with five minutes remaining, the drivers are pushing hard to close down the gap.
Final Laps
Colnaghi may be under investigation for an unsafe release, but he sets a purple first sector with a 32.5 and produces a great lap to jump to 3rd.
Slater quickly overtakes Colnaghi to 2nd and closes in on Ugochukwu with a 1:34.269. There is a rapid shift in the timing screens as many drivers jump into the top 10, pushing drivers like Giusti down to 13th. ART’s Taito Kato produces a great lap to push himself up to 4th with a 1:34.612.
A Last Second Steal!
The last-minute rush to the line clears up, leaving Maciej Gładysz with a clear run to the line. He produces an incredible lap, jumping from 14th to 4th with a 1:34.454.
And as the chequered flag comes out, Campos’ Naël produces a purple second sector, jumping to pole position as he crosses the line. He produces a 1:34.187 to go just 0.021s clear of teammate Ugochukwu.
The final top 3 in the session are: Théophile Naël, Ugo Ugochukwu and Freddie Slater.
With the reverse grid format, Bruno Del Pino will start in P1 for tomorrow’s sprint.
Hometown hero, James Wharton, will be starting from 8th in the Feature and 5th in the Sprint tomorrow at 11:15 local time.
Feature Image Credit: Formula 3