Ugo Ugochukwu’s Silverstone Weekend Debrief

Silverstone proved to be a successful weekend for Ugo Ugochukwu. He made history in the Sprint Race by achieving the largest winning margin in Formula 3 history.

That 17-second victory was followed up with a nice fightback through the field. The Campos Racing driver started in P12, crossed the line in sixth, but once post-race penalties took effect, he finished third.

Before leaving the paddock, the championship leader reflected on a dramatic three days…

SPRINT RACE SUCCESS

“I feel good for sure, because it was a tricky start to the week, and that obviously makes it much sweeter, because we had to really work for it. Overall, yesterday was a very nice win to get, and it was a much easier win than I was expecting.

“At the halfway point, my engineer told me to stop pushing, because that was such a big gap. I didn't even realise how far I was into the lead, and I think we just kind of nailed the tyre management.

“We kept our tyres in a really good window, so I was really happy about the race pace.”

FEATURE RACE FIGHTBACK

“Today, I knew it was kind of a case of damage limitation, so I tried to keep my nose clean, and just kind of get some good moves in, which we all managed to do.

“I think P6 is a really good points finish for the championship. It's always risk versus reward with the move on Stromsted and Sharp, but I knew that was my chance and I had to take it.

READ MORE

• PREMA starting to regain ‘momentum’ says Sharp after positive Silverstone weekend
• Gladysz ‘grateful’ to have achieved maiden first F3 win at Silverstone

“It was a bit of a strange race. The leaders' pace wasn’t that quick, which meant everyone was in a DRS train, which made the overtaking a little bit harder, which I wasn't expecting.

“So I knew I had to take those opportunities when they came. I was just in the right position to kind of take the place on the inside in T7. Two places in one lap was super good for the outcome of the race.”

THE TITLE FIGHT MOVING TO SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS

“I'm feeling pretty good. I enjoy Spa, it's a good track. I think that the main thing is to be consistently there at the front.

“This weekend, we were just on the edge of that top 12, and it's not easy in F3 because the field is getting closer every round, so you really need to be on top of your game because those last few tenths can really make a big difference.

“We'll try to stay on top of things and hopefully hit the ground running a little bit better in practice, and then we can attack the weekend from there. Still four rounds to go, so we still need to focus race by race.

“Once we get closer to the end of the season, we'll see where we end up.”