Nigerian-American Ugochukwu claims maiden FIA formula 3 victory in Melbourne

Nigerian-American driver Ugo Ugochukwu produced an outstanding drive to claim his first FIA Formula 3 victory in the Feature Race in Melbourne, recovering from an early setback to finish ahead of Britain’s Freddie Slater, Sport360NG reports.

The Campos Racing driver made a strong start but slipped to third position at the opening corner, falling behind pole-sitter Théophile Nael and Slater.

The 18-year-old quickly regrouped and began mounting a comeback through the field. By the second lap, Ugochukwu had reduced the gap to Slater to within a second and executed a decisive move at Turn 9 to reclaim second place. Moments later, he used the same corner to overtake Nael and take control of the race.

Once in front, Ugochukwu managed the pace effectively and gradually extended his advantage. By Lap 8, the leading trio had opened a gap of about two seconds over the chasing pack.

The race was temporarily neutralised on Lap 9 when Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi crashed into the barriers at Turn 12, triggering a Safety Car. Racing resumed on Lap 12, with Ugochukwu maintaining his lead and stretching the margin to more than a second over Nael, who was under pressure from Slater.

Further incidents later affected the order as several drivers were penalised. Nael received a five-second penalty for a false start, while Noah Stromsted was handed a 10-second penalty for causing a collision with Nicola Lacorte.

Slater eventually overtook Nael on Lap 20 using DRS at Turn 9 to move into second place. The race saw another interruption when Woohyun Shin stopped on track with rear suspension damage, prompting another Safety Car period.

The race ultimately finished under Safety Car conditions, confirming Ugochukwu’s maiden Formula 3 triumph ahead of Slater. Japan’s Taito Kato moved up to third for ART Grand Prix after time penalties were applied to Nael and Stromsted.

The victory places Ugochukwu at the top of the drivers’ standings with 25 points after the opening round of the season.

Born and raised in New York City, Ugochukwu is the son of Nigerian supermodel Oluchi Onweagba and her Italian husband.

Prior to his step up to Formula 3, he finished third in the British F4 Championship with Carlin and was runner-up in the Italian F4 Championship in 2023 with Prema. He also competed in the Formula Regional European Championship and made history in 2024 by becoming the first American driver in 43 years to win the Macau Grand Prix.

Ugochukwu, who was part of the McLaren Driver Development Programme between 2021 and 2025, has now taken an early lead in the championship following his strong start to the season.