Ex-McLaren F1 junior Ugo Ugochukwu claims the Formula 3 championship.

Ugo Ugochukwu clinched the 2026 Formula 3 championship on Sunday, despite entering the Madring weekend as an underdog.

Ugochukwu from Campos Racing and Trident’s Freddie Slater emerged as the primary title rivals during the summer, thanks to their steady performances in feature races. In the initial seven rounds of the season—leading up to the summer break—Slater secured podium finishes in six feature races, while Ugochukwu achieved five; no other competitors managed more than two top-three finishes on Sunday.

Heading Audi’s new Driver Development Programme, Slater had a strong opportunity to gain a significant lead over a less conspicuous Ugochukwu in the upcoming Monza round. However, after finishing second in the sprint race, he gradually fell down the order from pole in the feature race and ultimately retired due to a technical failure.

This left the 18-year-old British driver entering the final round at Madring with only a 15-point lead over the 19-year-old American. This round notably featured three races to compensate for the cancellation of the Bahrain event because of the conflict in Iran.

However, Slater qualified in 17th and eighth positions, which proved detrimental, while Ugochukwu managed to qualify fourth and second in the two sessions.

Freddie Slater leading Yevan David in Sunday's feature race

Ugochukwu finished eighth in the sprint and fourth in the first feature race while Slater was unable to score any points, meaning the title would go to the driver who scored the most points on Sunday.

The Campos driver executed a solid race, maintaining second place without really contending with Tuukka Taponen for the victory or having to defend his standing.

In contrast, his Trident rival lost a position to Yevan David at the start but regained eighth place by overtaking the Sri Lankan around the outside of Turn 1 on lap five. However, this was insufficient to surpass Ugochukwu for the championship.

“It felt like a much longer race than usual,” remarked the American. “It was quite challenging with the dirty air to overtake Tuukka. I gave it my all for a few laps, but I realized I couldn’t quite get close enough. We knew that P2 would seal the title, so I just had to focus on bringing it home.

“Every single kerb sounded louder than usual, and I started hearing strange noises, but I just needed to keep it clean until the end. Once I crossed the finish line, I could finally relax. I was just really relieved.”

Ugo Ugochukwu comes to a halt as F3's new champion

Interestingly, the two had previously competed for the Formula Regional European title over the winter, with Ugochukwu emerging victorious as well.

This achievement will feel like a redemption for Ugochukwu, who departed the McLaren junior program at the end of last year after concluding his first F3 season in 16th place.

“I don’t really know what to feel,” he expressed. “It feels incredible. The effort we put in throughout the entire season has finally paid off. It’s been an amazing campaign, and I want to extend my gratitude to my team, Campos. We worked exceptionally well together all year, and finishing like this is the best possible outcome. Securing the teams’ championship yesterday and now the drivers’ title as well is essentially a perfect season."

“[It’s] extremely special. We set our goals at the beginning of the year, and today we’ve accomplished them. It’s been truly fantastic," he added.

“I believe this weekend was the one that mattered the most. We were exceptionally precise, made no mistakes throughout the entire weekend, and delivered when it counted, accumulating the points. A perfect way to conclude the season.”