Jin Nakamura claimed his first FIA Formula 3 victory in the Sprint Race at Spa-Francorchamps. The Hitech driver started fourth on the reverse grid and reached second during the opening corners. He later passed Brando Badoer after a Safety Car restart and led the remaining laps.
Badoer finished second for Rodin Motorsport, while team-mate Pedro Clerot took third. Nakamura controlled another late restart and caught a snap of oversteer before the finish. The official race distance was 12 laps.
Two opening-lap passes moved Nakamura into second
Nakamura began behind three cars but gained two positions almost immediately. He passed Mattia Colnaghi and Clerot through the opening sequence. That placed him directly behind Badoer before the first Safety Car period.
The early Safety Car followed contact between championship leader Ugo Ugochukwu and Freddie Slater at Turn 6. Slater’s Trident stopped, while Ugochukwu returned to the pits with damage. The stewards judged their contact to be a racing incident.
Ugochukwu continued and finished 29th, one lap behind. Slater was recorded as a retirement. Their incident removed both leading championship contenders from the fight for Sprint Race points.
A restart created the pass for the lead
Badoer controlled the field when racing resumed after the opening incident. Nakamura remained close during the approach to the halfway point. He then used the next restart to move ahead of the Rodin driver.
The pass gave Hitech control of the race. Badoer stayed within reach on the long Spa straights, but he did not retake first place. Clerot remained third as the two Rodin cars continued their own fight behind the leader.
Nakamura’s position changed from fourth at the start to first before the second half was complete. Each gain came in a recorded race phase: two places in the opening corners and the final place after a Safety Car restart.
A late Safety Car reset the gap again
The race was neutralised again before the finish. The second Safety Car removed the time gaps and placed Badoer behind Nakamura once more. The final restart preserved Nakamura’s lead to the chequered flag.
Nakamura suffered a snap of oversteer as the race returned to green. He corrected the car without leaving the lead. Badoer stayed second and Clerot remained third through the final lap.
The official top three crossed the line in that order. The late slide did not change the result or produce a steward investigation. Nakamura completed all 12 laps and secured Hitech’s victory.
The points positions extended to tenth place
| Winner | Jin Nakamura, Hitech |
|---|---|
| Starting position | Fourth |
| Race distance | 12 laps |
| Podium | Nakamura, Badoer, Clerot |
Colnaghi finished fourth after losing positions to Nakamura at the start. Taito Kato took fifth for ART Grand Prix. Theophile Nael followed in sixth.
Tuukka Taponen finished seventh, ahead of Ernesto Rivera in eighth. Alessandro Giusti and Noah Stromsted completed the points positions in ninth and tenth. Those ten drivers received the available Sprint Race points.
The feeder-series weekend also included Nikola Tsolov’s confirmed reserve role with Racing Bulls.
Badoer and Clerot gave Rodin a double podium. Hitech took the win through Nakamura. The result also brought points to five other teams across the remaining positions.
The title rivals faced a different Feature Race order
Slater was due to start the Sunday Feature Race from pole. Ugochukwu carried two separate grid penalties issued after Friday qualifying. Their Sprint collision did not remove those existing decisions.
The Feature Race was scheduled for 08:30 local time on Sunday. It used the main qualifying order rather than the reversed Sprint grid. Nakamura’s Saturday victory therefore remained a separate result.
His first Formula 3 win came from a complete official sequence. Nakamura started fourth, reached second on lap one, passed Badoer after a restart and led after the final Safety Car. Badoer and Clerot completed the podium.
The complete top ten covered seven teams
Nakamura won for Hitech, while Badoer and Clerot gave Rodin second and third. Colnaghi finished fourth. Kato completed the first five for ART Grand Prix.
Nael was sixth and Taponen seventh. Rivera took eighth, Giusti ninth and Stromsted tenth. Those drivers filled the remaining Sprint Race points positions.
The race result contains 12 completed laps. Nakamura started fourth and gained two places during the opening sequence. His pass on Badoer after the restart supplied the final change at the front.
Ugochukwu finished 29th and one lap behind after returning to the pits. Slater retired after their Turn 6 contact. The stewards recorded the incident as a racing incident.
Sunday’s Feature Race uses a different starting order. Slater qualified on pole for that event. Ugochukwu carried two penalties into the remainder of the weekend.
The result is Nakamura’s first win in the category
Nakamura had not won an FIA Formula 3 race before the Spa Sprint. The official result therefore records a first victory for the Hitech driver.
Badoer remained within the podium positions but did not regain the lead. Clerot’s third place completed Rodin’s two-car podium.
Nakamura leaves the Spa Sprint with his first Formula 3 victory. Badoer finished second and Clerot third, while Slater retains pole for Sunday’s separately qualified Feature Race.
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