F3: Theophile Nael wins first-ever Madring race

Campos Racing’s Theophile Nael secured his third win of the 2026 FIA Formula 3 season in Madrid, dominating the Sprint Race and securing fastest lap en route to victory.

The Frenchman started from second on the grid, but out-launched reverse grid polesitter James Wharton to take the lead into Turn 1.

The PREMA Racing driver looked to have a move completed into Turn 5 but overshot the chicane and was forced to hand the position back before the end of the lap.

After that, Nael went untroubled and set a string of fastest laps to cap off a dominant win ahead of Wharton and PREMA team mate Alex Powell.

Wharton’s P2 finish was his second podium of the year, while Powell’s P3 finish was his maiden visit to the F3 rostrum in just his second weekend in the Championship.

In the title fight, Ugo Ugochukwu added three potentially important points to his tally. The American driver went onto 129 points and closed the gap to leader Freddie Slater down to 12 ahead of the first Feature Race later on Saturday.

Ugochukwu will start from ninth on the grid, while Slater will go from P17 after a tough Qualifying 1 session.

For a full report of the FIA Formula 3 Sprint Race in Madrid, head to the official website here.