Theophile Nael stamps his authority on Barcelona with maiden victory

Theophile Nael delivered a masterclass in Barcelona, taking a lights-to-flag victory to claim his first FIA Formula 3 win. Starting from pole, the Campos Racing man faced early pressure from Van Amersfoort Racing’s Hiyu Yamakoshi, but once he found his rhythm, Nael simply pulled away. It was a beautiful display of control that left the field scrambling in his wake.

Behind him, Yamakoshi held on to take his first F3 podium in second. Campos celebrated a one-three finish at their home circuit as Ugo Ugochukwu recovered from a sluggish start to secure third. Further back, Rodin Motorsport’s Brando Badoer grabbed fourth, followed by the Van Amersfoort Racing pair of Enzo Deligny and Bruno del Pino.

It was a strong day for the Campos garage, with Red Bull Junior Ernesto Rivera rounding out their points haul in seventh. He moved up after TRIDENT’s Freddie Slater received a five-second time penalty for gaining an advantage off the track at the start, leaving Slater in eighth ahead of ART Grand Prix drivers Taito Kato and Maciej Gladysz.