Campos Racing aims to head into the summer break by strengthening its position as the FIA Formula 3 benchmark
The seventh round of the FIA Formula 3 season at the Hungaroring will also mark the final event before the summer break. Once the championship resumes in September, only Monza and the inaugural Madring event, featuring a three-race format instead of the usual two, will remain on the calendar. As a result, finishing this final event before the holidays on a high note will be crucial in order to head into the break with maximum momentum while extending the team's advantage in both championship standings as much as possible.
Campos Racing currently tops the Teams' Championship with 225 points, holding a commanding 56-point advantage over its closest rival. This achievement has been made possible by the exceptional performances of Ugo Ugochukwu, who also arrives in Hungary as championship leader, together with Théophile Naël and Ernesto Rivera, who currently occupy third and fifth places respectively in the Drivers' standings.
Ugochukwu endured a challenging weekend at Spa-Francorchamps after receiving grid penalties that significantly compromised his results. Despite those setbacks, the American driver still leads the championship with 104 points, ahead of Freddie Slater. Ugochukwu already knows what it takes to win in FIA Formula 3, having claimed victory in the Feature Race at Albert Park before adding another success in the Silverstone Sprint Race, where he also recorded the largest winning margin in the history of the championship. A second-place finish at the Red Bull Ring and third places in Barcelona and Silverstone further underline the consistency of his campaign.
Naël also faced a difficult weekend in Belgium. Like Ugochukwu, the Frenchman received a post-qualifying penalty that affected the remainder of his weekend. Naël dominated the Barcelona Feature Race to secure his maiden FIA Formula 3 victory after previously finishing second on the streets of Monaco. His third podium of the season came at Silverstone, where he finished third in the Sprint Race. Having also secured three pole positions, Naël currently sits third in the championship with 65 points.
Rivera has emerged as one of the revelations of the season in what is his debut campaign in an international championship as demanding as FIA Formula 3. The young Red Bull Junior Team driver was forced to miss Melbourne through injury but immediately showcased his talent on his return in Monaco, where he finished fifth. After another points-finish in Barcelona, he claimed his maiden victory at the Red Bull Ring by winning the Sprint Race thanks to a performance that perfectly combined speed, tyre management and racecraft. Rivera then went one step further only a few days ago by taking his maiden FIA Formula 3 Feature Race victory at Spa-Francorchamps, once again displaying maturity well beyond his years. Following those results, the Mexican occupies fifth place in the championship with 56 points.
The Hungaroring has firmly established itself as one of the iconic venues on the calendar. Since hosting its first Hungarian Grand Prix in 1986, the circuit has become renowned for its technical sequence of corners, which offers drivers very little respite throughout a lap. Its relatively short main straight, measuring just 908 metres, occasionally encourages bold overtaking attempts such as Nelson Piquet's famous move on Ayrton Senna during Formula 1's first visit to the circuit. Although temperatures are expected to remain below 30°C this weekend, the track surface can still become extremely demanding on tyre performance. There is also the possibility of isolated showers on Sunday, which could further increase the uncertainty. As always at the Hungaroring, qualifying is expected to be almost as decisive as it is in Monaco.
Free Practice will take place on Friday at 09:55, followed by Qualifying at 15:00. The Sprint Race is scheduled for Saturday at 10:05, while Sunday's Feature Race will begin at 08:40. All times are CET. Adrián Campos (Campos Racing Team Principal): "We arrive at the Hungaroring in a very strong position in both championships, but we know there is still a long way to go and we cannot afford to relax. This is an important weekend because it is the final round before the summer break, and we want to head into the upcoming weeks by maintaining the excellent momentum we have built throughout the season. We have three highly competitive drivers capable of fighting at the front at any circuit, and we are confident we can score another strong haul of points to further strengthen our position at the top of both championships."
