Naël secures runner-up finish in Monaco as Ugochukwu extends championship lead
Campos Racing concluded the FIA Formula 3 weekend in Monaco with another valuable haul of points and results. Ugo Ugochukwu strengthened his position at the top of the Drivers’ Championship after scoring in both races around the Principality, while Théophile Naël’s efforts were rewarded with a well-deserved podium finish that had cruelly eluded him in Melbourne through no fault of his own. The Frenchman, once again the benchmark in qualifying by securing his second consecutive pole position, now has only one step left to take: victory. As for Ernesto Rivera’s debut in the category, it could hardly have been more impressive. The Mexican Red Bull-backed driver, who missed the Australian round due to injury, finished fifth in his first FIA Formula 3 appearance—and in Monaco, no less.
During Thursday’s Free Practice session, Naël immediately made his intentions clear. Despite the session being interrupted for nearly half an hour following an accident, the French driver wasted no time after the restart, setting an outstanding lap of 1:25.794 that none of his rivals could match. Ugochukwu finished third with a best time of 1:26.089, while Rivera completed an excellent collective performance from Campos Racing in seventh place. The Mexican demonstrated he was fully fit by posting a 1:26.291.
Qualifying, divided into even-numbered drivers first and odd-numbered drivers afterwards, presented another demanding challenge, as overnight rain had washed away much of the rubber laid down on the circuit. Ugochukwu attacked from the outset in Group A and moved to the top of the timesheets with a lap of 1:25.706 with five minutes remaining. The American remained firmly in contention throughout the session and continued to find precious tenths of a second. He eventually dipped below the 1:25 barrier with a 1:24.963, but Brando Badoer managed to edge him out at the very end.
In the odd-numbered session, Naël was determined to leave nothing to chance. He quickly established himself at the top of the standings, though he knew he needed to beat Badoer’s benchmark to secure pole position. Despite pressure from Freddie Slater, Naël produced a stunning lap of 1:24.471, finishing four tenths clear of the Briton and comfortably eclipsing Badoer’s effort. The result earned him pole position, his second of the season, along with the two bonus points awarded for the achievement. Rivera was magnificent on his Monaco debut, securing third place in his group with a lap of 1:24.882.
Saturday morning’s Sprint Race represented another difficult challenge, as all three Campos Racing drivers started in the highly competitive section of the reversed-grid top twelve. Rivera lined up eighth, Ugochukwu ninth and Naël twelfth. When the lights went out, all three Campos Racing drivers narrowly avoided the incidents that immediately triggered a Safety Car and later a red flag, with four cars stranded around the circuit. After more than thirty minutes to clear the track, the race resumed with just twenty-three minutes remaining on the clock. Unfortunately, the restart proved costly for Rivera and Naël. At the Fairmont Hairpin, Slater attempted a move on the inside of Rivera, sending the Mexican into a spin. The three cars became entangled as Naël had nowhere to go and made contact with the rear of Slater’s car. Although both Campos Racing drivers were able to continue, pit stops for repairs dropped them to the back of the field. Ugochukwu, meanwhile, enjoyed a trouble-free race and crossed the line in seventh place. He also set the fastest lap of the race, adding an extra championship point to his tally.
The Feature Race got underway shortly before eight o’clock on Sunday morning. As the field launched away from the grid, excessive wheelspin from Naël’s car allowed Badoer to snatch the lead into the first corner. Behind them, Ugochukwu retained fourth place with Rivera tucked in directly behind. Following a Safety Car intervention after an off-track incident, racing resumed on lap five. Overtaking opportunities were extremely limited, but Naël never stopped searching for a way past during the 27-lap contest. Aside from occasionally dropping back to cool his tyres and brakes, the Frenchman remained glued to Badoer’s gearbox throughout the race. In the end, despite applying relentless pressure and attempting to force a mistake from the race leader, the opportunity never came. Naël crossed the finish line in second place, just half a second adrift of victory. Ugochukwu was likewise unable to find a way past Slater for third position, but fourth place still yielded another twelve valuable championship points.Behind him, Rivera delivered another flawless performance. The Mexican rookie demonstrated that he is a newcomer worth watching closely and one capable of producing surprises from the very beginning. His fifth-place finish offers an exciting glimpse of what may still be to come.
Ugochukwu continues to lead the Drivers’ Championship with 43 points, extending his advantage at the top to eight points. Naël climbs to fifth place with 22 points, while Rivera enters the standings in style with 10 points. In the Teams’ Championship, Campos Racing strengthens its hold on first place with 75 points, twenty-eight more than its nearest rival.
The next round will take place next weekend at a venue familiar to everyone: Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
