Ugochukwu optimistic heading into title-deciding races after topping Madrid test

Ugo Ugochukwu left the Madring with an unofficial FIA Formula 3 lap record, finishing the two-day event with the fastest time overall: 1:49.034.

The Campos Racing driver was quickest in both morning sessions in Madrid and was very pleased with the work he and the team carried out across the event.

It could prove crucial, with the finale taking place at the brand-new Spanish venue, with an extra Feature Race included.

Speaking in the paddock after getting out of the car on Day 2, Ugochukwu says that the team were able to be on the pace right away.

“It's definitely been a good test,” he said. “It's good to get back into the car after a little time away over the summer break and immediately I felt quite at one with the track.

“It's a very challenging circuit. We've had multiple red flags, so it'll definitely be a factor when we come here for the race weekend.

“But I definitely feeling good around here which is a positive note and hopefully we can bring this good pace into the race weekend for the last rounds.”

The new circuit caught several drivers out but with the fast speeds and tricky layout, the drivers were enthusiastic about the challenge posed by the Madring.

Ugochukwu echoed that and said that it was an exciting venue to drive, especially over a flying lap. He added that he was able to build into his fastest effort over the course of the test and get closer to the absolute limit.

“There's definitely not a lot of room. I think as we put more new tyres on the car we kind of pushed more and more and I think every lap was closer and closer to the wall. I felt that lap was nicely on the limit which is what you need around this place.

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“You're right on the limit, but without going over, which isn't easy. I’ll be trying to replicate that in quali on the race weekend.

"As with every street circuit there's no room for mistakes but around here there's definitely some corners which are very high speed and a bit blind, and so it's not so easy.

“Monaco is a different type of street track and challenge, while here there's more high-speed bits which can be a deciding factor when it comes to the race weekend.”

With an eight point deficit to make up in the final two rounds, Ugochukwu will be hoping to have already overhauled title rival Freddie Slater by the time F3 returns to Madrid for the season finale.

It made the two days of testing all the more important, with the pair very closely matched across the season. In fact, they shared two sessions apiece at the top of the times from the four in total.

The Campos driver topped both mornings while in the afternoon it was Slater in P1 on both days. It sets up an incredible final few races, with Ugochukwu certain the team will have a strong platform for the last race of the season following their extensive work across the test.

“I think, we learned the little bits that we needed to. It was good to experience the real track because before we only had the sim to go off.

“We get a rough idea of how it's going to be but actually driving here I think the team can really see how everything correlates - how the tyres react around here, when it's best to do your quick lap - all the stuff we need to maximise in the final round.”