Jordan's Track Talk

Tag: Ugo Ugochukwu

  • F3 – RND 1 – Day 2 & 3

    Day 2-

    It was a great start for the all-Van Amersfoort front row, with Del Pino keeping the lead ahead of Deligny, while Badoer got ahead of Noah Stromsted to take P3 at Turn 1.

    It was a bad start for the home favourite Wharton, however, as having started fifth, he was down to P8 by the end of the first lap. The PREMA Racing driver ran deep into the first corner after trying to avoid colliding with the rear of Stromsted’s car.

    On to Lap 2, Mattia Colnaghi ran wide and into the gravel at the exit of Turn 12. The MP Motorsport driver had been battling with Maciej Gladysz for P6, but was now at the back of the field after returning to the track.

    By the start of Lap 6, Del Pino had built a 1.3s lead over Deligny, who was coming under pressure from Badoer and Stromsted. The top four had built a nice buffer and were two seconds clear of Taito Kato in P5.

    Campos Racing’s Ugo Ugochukwu then went around the outside of Nicola Lacorte at Turn 9 to move up to ninth.

    Just ahead of Ugochukwu, Wharton and Louis Sharp went wheel-to-wheel throughout the opening sector on Lap 8 but made contact at the entry to Turn 6, which sent them both into the barrier.

    With both the cars and the track needing to be cleared and the barriers having to be repaired, the red flags were waved, before the stewards later confirmed that the race would not be resumed.

    This gave VAR their second consecutive victory in the Melbourne Sprint Race with Del Pino winning ahead of Deligny, while Badoer took a maiden podium in third.

    As a result of more than 25% of the racing laps having been completed, only the top five are awarded points, leaving Stromsted in P4 and Kato in P5 as the only other point scorers.

    Day 3-

    Polesitter Nael kept the lead into Turn 1, while Slater got ahead of Ugochukwu to take second place at the opening corner.

    Slater’s strong opening lap continued as he tried to go around the outside of Nael at Turn 3 only for the Campos driver to shut the door.

    Kato was also on the move for ART Grand Prix, as he managed to make a move around the outside of Trident’s Stromsted at the penultimate corner for P8.

    On to Lap 2, Ugochukwu was within one second of Slater and overtook his rival at Turn 9 to get back to P2. Ugochukwu then closed in on Nael rapidly after and once again made a move at Turn 9, this time to take the lead of the race.

    Just behind them, Kato and Mattia Colnaghi went side-by-side through Turns 9 and 10, with the ART driver taking P7.

    Out in front, the top three had separated themselves and were two seconds clear of Maciej Gladysz at the start of Lap 8.

    Brando Badoer and Nicola Lacorte had been battling for P5 with the former having lost the place to the DAMS Lucas Oil driver earlier in the lap. As he looked to regain the position, he spun at the final corner, dropping him down to P12.

    The Safety Car was then called upon on Lap 9 with Nandhavud having found the barrier at Turn 12.
    Racing then resumed at the start of Lap 12, and Ugochuwku pulled out a 1.1s gap to Nael, who was coming under pressure from Slater after running wide at the exit of Turn 4.

    The Campos driver was holding on to P2, but Gladysz lost P4 to Lacorte at Turn 9, while Bruno del Pino was up to eighth ahead of Colagni after making a move at the same corner.

    Lacorte was charging towards the podium and was right on the back of Slater at the start of Lap 15, and before taking P3 on the brakes at Turn 12.

    Moments later, Nael was given a five second time penalty for a false start.

    Slater though was struggling on Lap 15, coming under pressure from teammate Stromsted, who had just overtaken Gladysz for P5 at Turn 12.

    Lacorte’s hopes of a podium were damaged on the next lap, losing out to Slater, before contact with Stromsted gave him front wing damage. The Stewards then handed the DAMS driver a five second penalty for a false start, while Stromsted was later handed a 10 second time penalty for causing a collision with the Italian.

    Slater had recovered things nicely and was within 0.5s of Nael for P2 by the start of Lap 20. The Trident driver used the DRS to overtake the Frenchman at Turn 9 to get up to second.

    Just as Nael was fighting Stromsted for the final spot on the podium, the Safety Car was called upon with Woohyun Shin having pulled over at the side of the road with rear suspension damage.

    The track could not be cleared in time for a restart with the race ending under Safety Car conditions, leaving Ugochukwu to take a first victory in F3 ahead of Slater. With Nael and Stromsted’s penalties taking effect, Kato inherited P3.

  • Campos completes 2026 lineup

    Campos Racing have confirmed that Ugo Ugochukwu will be racing for the team next season, completing their lineup for the 2026 campaign.

    Ugochukwu, who will race alongside Theophile Nael and Ernesto Riviera, returns for a second year in Formula 3 after a rookie season in which he achieved two podiums and finished 16th in the Drivers’ Championship.

    Prior to that, the 19 year old finished third in the 2025 Formula Regional Middle East Championship, after winning the 2024 Macau Grand Prix and becoming the 2023 Euro 4 Champion.

    The American driver is now set to continue in F3 for a second season, and he is excited about the prospect of doing so with the reigning Teams’ Champions.

    I’m really excited to be joining Campos Racing for the 2026 FIA Formula 3 season. It will be my second year in the category, so I’ll bring more experience with me. The team comes from winning the Teams’ title last season, so I know I’ll be in a very strong environment. I’m confident that together we can achieve great results in the upcoming season.
    Ugochukwu on the news.

    We are thrilled to welcome Ugo on board for next season. Alongside Théophile and Ernesto, we have been able to build a very strong line-up. Despite his young age, Ugo already brings valuable experience and an impressive record both in karting and single-seaters, which speaks volumes about his capabilities for the future. We are eager to start this new chapter together and see what we can achieve.
    Adrian Campos, Campos Racing Team Principal.

  • Ugo Ugochukwu signs with Prema for 2025

    PREMA Racing have confirmed that Ugo Ugochukwu is set to make the step up to FIA Formula 3 with the Italian team next season – which is their first driver signing for the 2025 season.

    After a trophy-laden karting career, the McLaren Driver Development programme member graduated to single seater racing in 2022, going on to finish third in the British F4 Championship.

    Ugochukwu then had a successful 2023 with PREMA, winning the Euro 4 Championship while he also finished second in Italian F4 and third in the Formula 4 UAE Championships.

    He then went on to race with PREMA again this year in the Formula Regional European Championship where he has achieved a podium and numerous points finishes.

    Following the announcement, Ugochukwu, who previously took part at all three 2023 post-season tests with Rodin Motorsport, is now looking forward to making the step-up full time.

    I’m really happy to announce that I will be racing with PREMA in the 2025 FIA Formula 3 Championship. Working with all the people here is special, the chemistry is excellent and it makes the work really enjoyable on and off the track. We have had two positive seasons together and I’m looking forward to building on that and I’m sure we will have a good year.
    Ugochukwu on the news.

    We enjoyed working with Ugo in the last two years from Formula 4 to Formula Regional, and we think he has great potential. We are convinced that he will be a great fit for FIA Formula 3 next year in terms of approach and driving style. We will soon start preparations and we look forward to helping him make a smooth and successful transition to the new series.
    Rene Rosin, PREMA Racing Team Principal.

  • NEOM McLaren announce Rookies for Berlin

    NEOM McLaren announce Ugo Ugochukwu and Gregoire Saucy for the Berlin Rookie Test.

    Ugochukwu, from New York City, US, has had an impressive junior career to date and is currently a member of the McLaren Driver Development programme, having initially signed with the team in 2021.

    In his short career so far, he’s sealed the FIA OK-Junior European Karting Championship title, amongst other karting achievements.
    Moving up to single seaters, he finished his rookie season third overall and winning the Rookie trophy, and his second season as Italian Formula 4 vice champion and Euro 4 Champion, where he grabbed a total of 11 wins and 44 podiums to his name.

    This season he is competing in the Formula Regional European Championship and at selected rounds of the GB3 Championship, whilst continuing his progression with the McLaren Driver Development programme where he will be supported in his journey from junior motorsport to professional racing driver.
    Ugochukwu has already spent time in the Formula E simulator at the MTC as part of his current role.

    Gregoire Saucy, from Switzerland, began racing on his family kart track at three years old and quickly established himself as a talent, where he became the youngest licensed competitor at just seven years old.

    His early career saw him regularly on the podium throughout karting championships and in 2015 he progressed to single seaters, claiming his first title in the Formula Regional Championship in 2021.
    He currently competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship with United Autosports, in partnership with McLaren Motorsport.

    I’m looking forward to the Berlin Rookie Test in May with the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team. It’s an amazing opportunity to take the Nissan e-4ORCE 04 to track and I’m grateful to be given this chance through the McLaren Driver Development programme. I’m excited to learn and develop my driving further with a new category of car. I’ll be working closely with the great team at Bicester and MTC in the build-up, getting prepared for the test and making sure I’m as prepared as possible to help the team.
    Ugo on the news.

    I’m really excited to start this new challenge. It will be my first time in a Formula E car. I’ve been driving single seater cars up until last year, before changing direction for this season, competing in GT3 and LMP2, so it will be nice to step into a single seater again. I want to thank the NEOM McLaren team for this opportunity. I’m looking forward to discovering Formula E first hand. See you in Berlin.
    Saucy on the news.

    It’s great to see that Formula E is continuing to provide opportunities for talented drivers to show what they are capable of, by hosting another official rookie test this season. It is also a good way for us as teams to evaluate these drivers in the current GEN3 machinery. I’m especially excited about our line-up for this test; both Ugo and Grégoire have stood out in the categories they’ve competed in to date. I look forward to seeing them hit the track in Berlin.
    Ian James, Team Principal & Managing Director.