Nigerian-American racing driver Ugo Ugochukwu continued his impressive form by claiming a commanding victory in the Formula 3 Sprint Race at Silverstone, just months after securing the 2026 Formula Regional Oceania Championship in New Zealand.
Starting from pole position, the Campos Racing driver produced a flawless performance, pulling clear of the field to win by an emphatic 17 second margin and record his second victory of the season.
Yevan David delivered a resolute defensive drive to finish second for AIX Racing, becoming the first Sri Lankan driver to reach the Formula 3 podium. Campos Racing celebrated a double podium as Théophile Nael snatched third place from TRIDENT’s Matteo De Palo at the final corner of the race.
Noah Stromsted finished fifth ahead of ART Grand Prix rookie Maciej Gladysz, while PREMA Racing’s Louis Sharp came home in seventh. TRIDENT’s Freddie Slater took eighth, followed by Hitech’s Fionn McLaughlin, with PREMA’s James Wharton completing the points positions in tenth.
Attention now turns to Sunday’s Feature Race at Silverstone, where Slater is scheduled to start from pole position.
Ugochukwu’s latest triumph follows his successful campaign in New Zealand, where he emerged as the 2026 Formula Regional Oceania Champion after a season marked by consistency and speed.
The 18 year old secured the championship with four race victories and multiple podium finishes, ending the campaign 15 points ahead of Audi Formula 1 junior Freddie Slater.
Despite suffering a suspension related technical issue during qualifying on the final weekend, Ugochukwu recovered strongly in the races to earn enough points to seal the championship.
Following his title victory, he took to Instagram to thank his team, writing: “Team work makes the dream work. Thank you to my core team, my IG Family for the constant support and the entire organisation of CTFROT. I am, because of you.”
Born in New York, Ugochukwu is of Nigerian and American heritage. He is the son of Nigerian fashion model Oluchi Onweagba and Italian fashion designer Luca Orlandi.
The championship success came three months after his departure from the McLaren development programme, capping a campaign in which he stood on the podium in every round and finished outside the top 10 only twice in 15 races.
Ugochukwu began his motorsport career in karting, winning multiple titles including the CIK FIA European Championship OKJ. He moved into single seaters in 2022 with British F4, where he finished third overall, before claiming second in Italian F4. He also won the Euro 4 title and finished third in the UAE F4 Championship.
In 2024, he competed in the Formula Regional Middle East and European Championships, finishing seventh and eleventh respectively. He also placed 13th in the GB3 Championship before ending the year with victory at the Macau Grand Prix.Faridah Abdulkadiri
Follow us on:
