WHAT WE LEARNED: The talking points from Round 1 in Melbourne

10 March 2026

It was an exciting start to the 2026 FIA Formula 3 campaign, as we got our first glimpse of the season to come. Campos Racing laid down a marker, with Théophile Nael earning pole position in a front row lock-out, with teammate Ugo Ugochukwu in P2.

On Sunday, the American driver was able to earn his first F3 victory with an impressive drive to the top step, but he will no doubt have a long list of rivals across the season. Here’s a few details to take away from the opening weekend of the year.

CAMPOS MEANS BUSINESS

After earning their maiden F3 Teams’ Championship title in 2025, Campos Racing are showing no signs of slowing down and relinquishing their crown.

The Spanish outfit were flying in Round 1, locking out the front row and going on to take the first Feature Race victory of 2026 with Ugochukwu.

The American driver put in a solid showing, controlling things from the front, while teammate Nael was perhaps unfortunate to miss out on the podium himself due to a false start.

While they don’t lead the Teams’ Standings leaving Australia (Van Amersfoort Racing lead on 30 points to Campos’ 27), the team look immediately quick and their drivers ultra-competitive.

Campos hit the ground running in Melbourne and look to be carrying on from where they left off in '25

ART RENEWAL

12 months ago, ART Grand Prix were left picking themselves up and dusting themselves off after a torrid time in Melbourne.

The team’s fortunes this time around were completely transformed, and they leave Australia with 26 well-earned points putting them third in the Teams’ Championship, four points from top spot.

Rookies Taito Kato and Maciej Gladysz secured their maiden points of the season, with the former earning a podium in Sunday’s Feature Race in what was a great drive from seventh on the grid.

The team looked much more competitive in testing and that rung true in Melbourne, proving the team’s hard work over the winter has brought improvements across the board both in terms of single-lap pace and speed in the races.

They’ll definitely be looking to make the most of their potential in the early races this season.

MP WITH WORK TO DO

It was not the opening weekend MP Motorsport will have been hoping for. The Dutch squad along with their promising trio of drivers in Tuukka Taponen, Alessandro Giusti and Mattia Colnaghi left Australia with improvements to make.

The team scored just a single point on the opening weekend of the season courtesy of rookie Colnaghi’s P10 on Sunday and missed out on a top 12 in Qualifying with his teammates.

It’s a long season, and a team as capable and successful as MP will have time to make gains and correct their trajectory leaving Melbourne.

Their drivers have proven their abilities and if things come together more harmoniously in future rounds, expect to see them fighting at the sharp end once again.

Qualifying was hugely important around Albert Park but will we see differing strategies going forward?

QUALIFYING REMAINS CRITICAL

Across both the Sprint and Feature Races and combined, there were a possible 22 point-scoring positions on offer across the Melbourne weekend.

Just seven of those went to drivers that started outside of the top 12 in Qualifying, proving that a place in the reverse grid spots is critical to a chance of points in either the Saturday or Sunday event.

If you’re looking at fighting for the top positions, getting it right on a Friday is key to those hopes. Teams will always be looking to get the best conditions for a Qualifying lap, but with yellow or Red Flags a potential hurdle, might we see teams use alternate strategies and run plans to secure a top 12 spot just in case of any trouble?