Ernesto Rivera won Sunday’s Formula 3 race at Spa-Francorchamps after starting fourth. The Campos Racing rookie did not lead at the start. He waited while the order changed ahead of him. During the middle part, he passed three rivals. Hiyu Yamakoshi finished second for Van Amersfoort Racing. Freddie Slater took third for Trident.
The result gave Rivera his first main Formula 3 victory. It was his second win of the season. It also changed the championship picture. Ugo Ugochukwu kept first place with 104 points, but Slater moved to 103. Rivera rose to fifth with 56 points. The next round begins in Budapest on July 24.
A poor launch changed the order before Turn 1
Slater started from pole, but Tuukka Taponen made the best launch. Taponen reached Turn 1 in front, with Yamakoshi second and Slater third. Rivera stayed fourth through the opening corners. The first four drivers remained close before the Safety Car period.
Yamakoshi attacked Taponen on the run to Les Combes. The Japanese driver completed the pass at Turn 5 and became the second leader of the opening lap. Behind them, contact between team-mates Theophile Nael and Ugochukwu sent the championship leader into the gravel. Nael had already damaged his front wing in an earlier touch with Taito Kato.
Yevan David then stopped in the gravel, so the Safety Car entered at the end of lap one. Ugochukwu continued in tenth, while Nael had to visit the pits for repairs. The interruption reduced the first-lap gaps. It also gave every driver time to check tyre temperatures before a restart on lap four.
Slater recovered first, but Rivera kept his tyres alive
Yamakoshi made a large slide near the end of the first racing lap after the restart. Taponen closed in, but Slater attacked first at La Source. Taponen held second with a better exit. Slater stayed close and completed the pass on the Kemmel Straight three laps later, once DRS was available.
On lap eight, Slater passed Yamakoshi at Les Combes and returned to the lead. Rivera remained fourth and stayed within range of the three cars ahead. The race order then changed on three consecutive laps.
| Winner | Ernesto Rivera, Campos Racing |
|---|---|
| Podium | Hiyu Yamakoshi second, Freddie Slater third |
| Driver standings | Ugo Ugochukwu 104, Freddie Slater 103 |
| Next round | Budapest, July 24-26 |
Rivera passed Taponen at Les Combes on lap nine. He passed Yamakoshi at the same corner one lap later. These two moves placed him directly behind Slater before lap twelve.
Three passes on the same part of the circuit
Rivera passed Taponen for third at Turn 5 on lap nine. Rivera made light contact with Yamakoshi’s right-rear tyre. The Campos driver lost part of his front-wing endplate. The damage did not end his pace. One lap later, he used the same approach to pass Yamakoshi and move into second place.
Slater was now the only car ahead. Rivera stayed close through the opening corners of lap twelve and used DRS on the Kemmel Straight. He cleared the Trident before Turn 5. Each pass followed the same sequence. Rivera exited strongly, stayed stable through Eau Rouge and completed the move before Les Combes.
Rivera did not need to defend immediately after taking first place. Slater fell outside DRS range, while Yamakoshi passed him one lap later. That fight gave Rivera more space. He controlled the final laps despite the missing front-wing piece. Rivera reached the flag without facing another direct challenge.
The Formula 2 race on the same programme ended with Rafael Camara winning after a red flag and two Safety Car periods.
Yamakoshi secured second as the points fight tightened
Yamakoshi’s second place was his reward for an active race. He had led, lost positions and then returned to the podium fight. His late pass on Slater settled the order behind Rivera. Slater remained third and gained valuable points on Ugochukwu. The American finished outside the top ten after opening-lap contact.
Mattia Colnaghi held fourth against Maciej Gladysz on the last lap. Kato finished sixth. Jin Nakamura won a close fight for eighth against Alessandro Giusti and Brando Badoer. The lower points positions changed several times during the closing laps. However, the first three cars had already separated.
The championship gap is now only one point. Ugochukwu has 104 and Slater has 103. Nael remains third with 65, while Noah Stromsted has 58. Rivera’s 25 points moved him to 56. One clean Sunday transformed his position before the short trip from Belgium to Hungary.
Campos leave Belgium with control of both battles
Campos Racing lead the teams’ standings with 225 points. Trident are second on 168, and Van Amersfoort Racing hold third with 131. Rivera’s win added a large score for Campos on a day when several title contenders lost points. The team now carries a 57-point advantage into round seven.
Rivera completed three passes for the lead between laps nine and twelve. He did so despite losing part of his front-wing endplate. The damaged car still completed the remaining distance without another position change.
The next Formula 3 round is scheduled in Budapest from July 24 to 26. Ugochukwu enters that weekend one point ahead of Slater. Rivera starts the round fifth with 56 points.
The official top three were Rivera, Yamakoshi and Slater. Rivera began fourth and took the lead on lap twelve. He remained first until the chequered flag.
Slater’s third place moved him within one point of Ugochukwu. Yamakoshi earned second after passing Slater during the closing phase. Ugochukwu did not score after the first-lap contact.
Rivera finished the Spa weekend with 56 championship points and two wins in his rookie season. Campos scored more team points in Belgium than any rival. Formula 3 returns at the Hungaroring for practice on July 24. Sunday’s main race will close the weekend on July 26.
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