Théophile Nael won the Formula 3 Sprint at the Hungaroring after starting sixth. The Campos Racing driver took the lead from Kanato Le and finished 2.7 seconds ahead.
Le earned his first Formula 3 podium in second place. Ernesto Rivera completed the top three and gave Campos two places on the podium.
A fast start moved Nael into the leading group
Gerrard Xie made the best launch from fourth on the grid. He reached the first corner ahead of Le, Nael and Rivera.
The order changed almost immediately after contact near the front. Jin Nakamura hit Xie before making further contact with Maciej Gładysz.
Nakamura and Gładysz retired from the race. Xie reached the pits with a damaged right-rear tyre and returned at the back.
The safety car collected the field while marshals cleared the stopped cars. Le then led the restart from Nael and Rivera.
Nael had gained four positions before the race settled. His opening lap placed him directly behind the new leader.
Rivera also avoided the first-lap trouble. The second Campos car held third when racing resumed on lap four.
The neutralised laps removed the advantage created by the first start. Nael still kept the track position earned before the safety car appeared.
The lead changed at the first corner
Le kept Nael behind for several laps after the restart. The gap remained small enough for Nael to use DRS on the main straight.
Nael waited until lap nine before making his move. He braked late and completed the overtake at the first corner.
Le stayed close after losing the position. He remained inside DRS range and prevented Nael from building an immediate advantage.
Rivera followed the pair and briefly reduced the gap. The three drivers separated from most of the midfield during the middle phase.
Nael then found more pace as the tyres aged. He moved beyond DRS range and controlled the final part of the Sprint.
Le focused on keeping second place. Rivera stayed near enough to attack but could not complete a pass before the finish.
The Hungaroring offers few easy passing places. Nael completed the decisive move on the longest straight and avoided a late defensive battle.
Five added seconds push Ugochukwu out of the points
Championship leader Ugo Ugochukwu started outside the leading group. He passed Nicola Lacorte and Brando Badoer during his early recovery.
The stewards then gave him a five-second penalty. They judged that he had left the track and gained an advantage on the opening lap.
His pace also dropped during the second half. Badoer reclaimed a place, while Tuukka Taponen and Lacorte later moved ahead.
| Winner | Théophile Nael |
|---|---|
| Team | Campos Racing |
| Start | Sixth |
| Podium | Nael, Le, Rivera |
The penalty pushed Ugochukwu outside the points after the chequered flag. His result changed the position of his closest championship rival.
Freddie Slater inherited the final point. That single point brought him level with Ugochukwu before the Sunday Feature Race.
Both drivers now hold 104 points. The equality came from Slater’s late gain rather than a fight between them at the front.
Ugochukwu’s early overtakes therefore brought no final reward. The time penalty and falling pace removed the progress made after the restart.
Le and Rivera join Nael on the podium
Nael crossed the line 2.7 seconds ahead of Le. The victory was his second of the Formula 3 season.
Le resisted Rivera through the closing laps. Second place gave the ART Grand Prix rookie his first podium in the championship.
Rivera finished third after staying with the leading pair for most of the race. His result followed a recent victory at Spa.
Mattia Colnaghi took fourth place. Badoer and qualifying winner Taponen completed the next two positions.
Lacorte finished seventh, while James Wharton recovered from fifteenth to eighth. Fernando Barrichello climbed from seventeenth to ninth.
Slater completed the points positions after the penalty was applied. Ugochukwu was classified behind the drivers who scored.
Wharton and Barrichello produced the largest climbs inside the top ten. Their recoveries added another contest behind the fight for the podium.
Nael and Rivera keep Campos ahead in the team standings
Nael’s win and Rivera’s third place gave Campos Racing a large team score. The team retained the championship lead after the Sprint.
Trident remained second, while Van Amersfoort Racing held third in the team standings. Rivera moved into the leading group after his second consecutive podium weekend.
The result also tightened the contest between Ugochukwu and Slater at the top. Sunday’s longer race uses the normal qualifying order.
Taponen starts from pole after beating Slater by a narrow margin on Friday. The Sprint has already changed the championship picture.
Nael converted sixth place on the grid into a controlled victory for Campos. Nael’s race combined a strong launch with one clean pass for the lead.
He then protected his tyres while extending the final gap. Rivera supported that result by staying close to the leaders throughout the race. Campos therefore left the Sprint with points from two very different drives.
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