Madrid, September 13, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Teenager Ugo Ugochukwu made history on Sunday by becoming the first American driver to win the Formula 3 championship after securing second place in the final feature race of the season in Madrid.
Driving for Campos Racing, the 19-year-old finished the championship with 159 points, 14 ahead of rival Freddie Slater, who ended the season on 145 points. Finland’s Tuukka Taponen finished third in the drivers’ standings after winning Sunday’s feature race.
Ugochukwu entered the season finale tied on points with Slater but held the advantage on the championship tiebreaker. The American started the final race from second on the grid, while Slater began eighth after failing to finish Saturday’s feature race following a crash.
Ugochukwu kept his composure throughout Sunday’s race, eventually finishing second to secure the championship. Slater finished eighth, the same position from which he started.
“We did it, FIA F3 Champions! Super, super happy, and I can’t thank the team enough for an amazing year. Today was not a bad race with P2,” Ugochukwu said after clinching the title.
“We knew we just had to keep it clean to clinch the title, and that’s what we did. No mistakes, brought it home and super pleased,” he added.
Taponen’s victory lifted him to third in the championship with 109 points, four ahead of Taito Kato, who finished the season on 105.
Campos Racing had already secured the 2026 Teams’ Championship following the first feature race, in which Ugochukwu finished fourth, with teammates Ernesto Rivera and Théophile Nael taking eighth and ninth respectively.
Campos Racing ended the season with 334 points, comfortably ahead of Trident on 217.
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