Day 2-
Wharton got a great start to retain the lead on the run to Turn 1, but it was a nightmare scenario for Trident, as Noah Stromsted and Freddie Slater collided, leaving the Brit out of the race.
Clerot had been trying to get by Rivera on the run to Turn 4 before the Safety Car was deployed to neutralise the action.
The race resumed entering Lap 4, with Wharton able to retain his advantage at the head of the pack but with Rivera keeping him half a second back in P2.
Nakamura got a great restart and passed Clerot on the run to the first corner.
Lap 5 and Taito Kato was on the move after losing ground on the opening lap, taking seventh from Hiyu Yamakoshi into Turn 4. Alessandro Giusti followed through with a brace move of his own at Turn 6 around the outside of the Van Amersfoort Racing driver for eighth.
The Virtual Safety Car was deployed at the end of Lap 6 with a front wing on the back straight. Fionn McLaughlin was the driver with damage having had contact with Enzo Deligny on the exit of Turn 3.
At the restart, Wharton was able to put some distance between himself and Rivera, who had been within DRS range prior to the VSC.
The Campos driver closed the gap back down in the next couple of laps and on Lap 11, the pair went wheel-to-wheel. Rivera tried a move at Turn 3, and they made light contact, but the PREMA driver repelled the Mexican at Turns 4 and 5 to hold the lead.
DRS open on the next lap, Rivera looked to the outside at Turn 4, but Wharton closed the space enough to hold him off once again.
Behind them, Clerot tried a pass on the outside of Nakamura through Turns 6 and 7, but the Japanese driver retained P3.
Lap 13 and Rivera set up a switchback at Turn 4 to try the outside pass at Turn 6. But Wharton was smart enough to place his PREMA in the right place to deter any attempt from the Campos driver behind.
Rivera got the ideal exit from Turn 3 on the following lap, and he was able to use DRS to draw alongside and clear Wharton on the approach to Turn 4 to take the lead.
Lap 16 and Clerot renewed his efforts in passing Nakamura for third place, but the Hitech driver defended well through Turns 4, 5 and 6 to keep the Brazilian at bay.
Stromsted was making great progress after his racing incident with Slater on the opening lap and with a DRS pass on Tuukka Taponen on Lap 19, he made his way up to sixth place.
Clerot once again tried the outside move at Turn 6 but couldn’t get it done, skirting the gravel trap on corner exit as he continued to push for a spot on the podium.
Onto the final lap and Rivera broke out of DRS range to Wharton behind and up to Turn 3, Clerot dived to the outside to move ahead of Nakamura and he wasn’t done.
With DRS into Turn 4, the Rodin driver surged past Wharton to take two places in two corners. Nakamura was able to follow through to demote the reverse grid pole sitter down to fourth.
Rivera coasted home and earned his maiden F3 victory with a strong performance. Clerot and Nakamura’s final lap moves put them on the podium ahead of Wharton and Stromsted, who moved into the top five on the final lap.
Day 3-
Hiyu Yamakoshi covered off Ugochukwu on the run to Turn 1 to retain the lead. But the Campos driver got a great exit and was side-by-side with the polesitter, and claimed the lead at Turn 3.
Into third place was Stromsted, who made a place on Tuukka Taponen, he was followed through by teammate Slater ahead of Turn 6 to cap off to a good start for Trident.
The Safety Car was then deployed with Maciej Gladysz and Yevan David off the road and out of the race.
Racing got back underway entering Lap 4, and Ugochukwu opted to get going ahead of Turn 9 to establish a half-second buffer across the line.
Slater was on the move, and he past teammate Stromsted around the outside of Turn 3, and he was immediately into the slipstream of Yamakoshi.
With another dive to the outside, the Briton claimed second place at Turn 4, with his attentions turning to title rival Ugochukwu.
The Virtual Safety Car was deployed on Lap 5 after Woohyun Shin was left in the gravel at Turn 5 following a battle with Fernando Barrichello.
Virtual Safety Car was withdrawn on lap 7, Taponen was the driver most alert and he was able to catch Stromsted out to re-take fourth position on the run to Turn 4. The Dane was back down the inside of the Finn on the following lap at Turn 3 to restore himself back up a position.
Lap 9 and Slater pounced on the race lead, diving down the inside at Turn 3 to take the lead from Ugochukwu. The Campos driver was then forced to defend from Yamakoshi at Turn 4 to retain second place.
Their fighting allowed Stromsted to join the lead battle with the top four drivers covered by just 1.5s with 10 laps ticked off.
Yamakoshi lined up a move on Ugochukwu at Turn 3, braked late and cleared the American driver for second place on Lap 11.
Onto Lap 15 and Ugochukwu had stabilised his pace and attacked Yamakoshi for P2. The Japanese driver held firm, closing the door on the exit of Turn 4 to hold onto the place.
Taito Kato was on the move after a wide moment at the penultimate corner left Alessandro Giusti without momentum, allowing the ART Grand Prix driver to profit up to 5th.
The Frenchman fell down to P9, with Kin Nakamura and Pedro Clerot also gaining positions.
Ugochukwu was back on the attack on Lap 18 at Turn 4. But once again Yamakoshi was able to defend from the American driver to retain P2.
One lap later though and it was third time’s the charm for the Campos driver, as he dived to the inside at Turn 4 to relieve Yamakoshi of second place.
Slater was wide at the final corners on Lap 20, putting him under threat from Ugochukwu up to the hill. The Trident driver defended the inside line but on exit, he had Yamakoshi to deal with too.
Somehow the Brit dealt with both and retained the lead at Turn 4, while Stromsted took advantage of the battling up ahead to sneak his way through for third, passing Yamakoshi at Turn 7.
Lap 22 and Ugochukwu set up a pass at Turn 4 with superior traction out of T3, taking the lead back from Slater with five laps to go.
Onto Lap 23 and it was roles reversed as Slater put a firm move on his rival at Turn 4 to re-take the lead. Teammate Stromsted took advantage once more from the battling ahead to move himself up to second at Turn 6.
Three laps remaining and Slater was back on defence, covering the inside of Turn 3, but he was powerless to stop Stromsted from passing him on the run to Turn 4.
Kato was on the hunt for a late-race pass of his own and made a bold dive a Turn 1 to briefly take fourth from Yamakoshi. The Van Amersfoort driver re-claimed the place with a better exit, but the ART rookie dived down the inside to take the spot back.
It turned into a six-car fight as Kato went wide out of Turn 4, and Nakamura and Clerot put move on the Japanese driver in the middle sector. Clerot’s bravery won him fourth as he rounded both to take P4 at Turn 6.
Onto the last lap Ugochukwu and Slater were side-by-side once again at Turn 4, and despite minor contact between the two, the American somehow found the room to take second place from his rival.
Stromsted however was untroubled in front, and he became the eighth winner of the 2026 season. Ugochukwu and Slater completed the podium after their last-lap battle, with Clerot and Nakamura rounding out the top five.
Jordan's Track Talk 
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