Ugo Ugochukwu delivered a dominant performance to claim his first victory in the FIA Formula 3 Championship, winning the season-opening Feature Race in Melbourne, Australia.
Driving for Campos Racing, the Nigerian-American driver started second on the grid but slipped to third at the opening corner. The 18-year-old quickly fought back, overtaking Freddie Slater and his teammate Théophile Naël to seize the lead early in the race.
Once out in front, Ugochukwu controlled the pace of the 23-lap contest and at one stage built a gap of nearly seven seconds over the field. The race eventually finished behind a safety car following a late incident, but he comfortably held the lead to take the chequered flag.
Slater finished second for Trident, while rookie Taito Kato of ART Grand Prix secured third place and his first podium in the series. Naël had initially crossed the line in third but was handed a five-second penalty for a false start.
Behind them, Bruno del Pino finished fourth, followed by Maciej Gładysz and Enzo Deligny. Brad Benavides, Pedro Clerot, Jin Nakamura and Mattia Colnaghi rounded out the top ten.
The victory represents a significant milestone for Ugochukwu, who is widely regarded as one of the rising stars in junior single-seater racing, and gives him early momentum at the start of the 2026 Formula 3 season.
The teenager admitted the start was not ideal after losing positions into the first corner but said the car’s strong pace allowed him to quickly recover.
“It was a bit tight into Turn 1, so I lost out and fell back to P3, but I felt the pace at the beginning was really good. I went for the moves and got into the lead just to try to manage my race from there in clean air,” he said.
Ugochukwu also highlighted tyre management as a key factor during the race.
“Tyre management was really crucial. Just trying to manage the tyres as best as possible,” he added.
The win puts Ugochukwu at the top of the drivers’ championship standings with 25 points after the opening round.
Born in New York City to Nigerian supermodel Oluchi Onweagba and an Italian father, Ugochukwu progressed through the junior racing ranks before stepping up to Formula 3. He previously finished third in the British Formula 4 Championship with Carlin and was runner-up in the Italian Formula 4 Championship with Prema Racing in 2023.
