WHAT WE LEARNED: Nael taking the fight to the favourites

With Round 3 in the books, we take a look back at all the talking points and trends from Barcelona, as Théophile Nael earned his maiden win in the F3 Championship.

While Campos Racing are the form team, there are others enjoying a bright spot in form while the title challengers will hope to stop Nael’s building momentum.

CAMPOS REMAIN THE TEAM TO BEAT

After the team secured their second of a possible three Feature Race wins in 2026, there was no denying that the Spanish outfit remain the benchmark in FIA Formula 3 this season.

All three drivers were vying for the top spots on Friday in Qualifying, with Nael taking his third consecutive pole position of the year.

Behind him on the grid, teammate Ugo Ugochukwu wound up third, with rookie teammate Ernesto Rivera securing P5 on his second F3 weekend.

For the Mexican driver, after being thrown in at the deep end in Monte Carlo, he was able to demonstrate competitive pace despite his relative inexperience versus Ugochukwu and Nael.

Though his Sprint Race ended early, he rebounded to secure P7 and a second consecutive Feature Race top 10.

Ugochukwu’s weekend was also mixed, after a spin put him on the sidelines on Saturday, he added another podium to his 2026 record with P3 in the Feature Race.

For Nael though, he has to be considered the most in-form driver of the moment, and a first F3 victory will only fuel his confidence heading to Spielberg.

Campos are the benchmark currently, and well worthy of their lead in the Teams’ Standings, now up to 27 points over Van Amersfoort Racing.

VAN AMERSFOORT AND RODIN IN FORM

For the Dutch team, the progress in 2026 has been clear, as they now sit second in the Championship after three rounds with a 1-2 finish under their belt and a further two P2 results.

The team’s form is arguably the best they’ve ever had in F3 since joining the Championship back in 2022 and they actually led the Standings earlier this year for the first time.

In Barcelona, VAR was the only team that achieve a perfect 6/6 possible scoring results, with all three drivers in the points in both races. That included a best finish for Hiyu Yamakoshi as he wound up P2 on Sunday, along with taking the fastest lap bonus point.

Rodin Motorsport are one of three teams to score points in every race so far this season along with VAR and TRIDENT.

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The team achieved two top 10s in Barcelona and carried on impressive form from Monaco. Brando Badoer claimed two points finishes, P4 in the Feature Race the best result of the weekend for the team.

They sit fourth in the Teams’ Standings one point clear of TRIDENT, and with three podiums, they are joint-second for the highest number of rostrum visits so far in 2026.

Both outfits have been consistently challenging for the top places in Qualifying this season and are enjoying a great patch of form.

These two teams will be targeting more of the same in Spielberg, a venue neither has taken victory around so far in F3. But either squad could put that right when the paddock arrives at the Red Bull Ring next weekend.

DON’T COUNT NAEL OUT

While Ugo Ugochukwu and Freddie Slater grabbed pre-season headlines before Melbourne, Théophile Nael has been going about his business and turning in a few statement performances of his own.

A year of F3 last season under his belt and then going on to win in Macau at the tail end of 2025 has given the Frenchman a solid foundation that he is continuing to build on with each weekend.

His Qualifying record this year is unmatched as he remains unbeaten on Fridays, taking pole position at all three rounds so far this year.

A time penalty relegated him off the podium in Melbourne, but since then he has finished no lower than second in Feature Races, finally taking a maiden victory in the Championship at the weekend in Barcelona.

He is carrying a confidence into each round and when the pressure is on, delivering the performances to match.

Last year, it was during the European phase of the season that he scored the majority of his points and if he continues in the vein of form he’s currently in, his momentum will be hard to stop with so many races in such a short time span.