Ugo Ugochukwu Tops Opening Practice as F3 Drivers Hit Albert Park
Ugo Ugochukwu set the pace in the opening Melbourne session as f3 drivers completed Free Practice ahead of Qualifying later today at 14: 00 ET. Ugochukwu posted a best lap of 1: 34. 607 to lead the field, with Brando Badoer and Noah Stromsted locked in behind him. The session ended early when Mattia Colnaghi stopped on track and brought out a red flag.
F3 Drivers: Practice breakdown
The Campos Racing driver’s 1: 34. 607 put clear daylight between him and the pack; Rodin Motorsport’s Brando Badoer finished 0. 427 seconds back and TRIDENT’s Noah Stromsted was third. Ugochukwu first moved to the front with a 1: 34. 859 before lowering the benchmark later in the hour to the 1: 34. 607 that would stand as the fastest lap. Earlier runs saw Bruno del Pino top the times for Van Amersfoort Racing with a 1: 36. 589, only for PREMA Racing’s Louis Sharp to shave 0. 511 seconds off that early benchmark.
As track conditions improved the top spot rotated through several drivers: Stromsted, José Garfias, Brad Benavides and Alessandro Giusti each enjoyed brief time at P1 before Ugochukwu asserted control. With roughly 20 minutes remaining Ugochukwu led while Stromsted had closed to within 0. 197 seconds and Campos team-mate Théophile Nael sat third. A late push saw Badoer jump to P2 and Pedro Clerot climb to seventh, but the session was halted with just over five minutes left when Mattia Colnaghi stopped at Turn 1; flames were reported from the back of his car before he pulled aside and smoke continued to trail from the machine.
The red flag removed any chance for a final scramble and left the top ten as Ugochukwu, Badoer, Stromsted, Nael and Giusti. Benavides was sixth ahead of Clerot, Nicola Lacorte, Christian Ho and Sharp. Practice produced several off-track moments and lock-ups, and Patrick Heuzenroeder completed laps in his first outing at Albert Park deputising for an injured team-mate.
Immediate reactions from the garage
Ugo Ugochukwu, Campos Racing driver, said he was feeling confident ahead of Qualifying. Louis Sharp, PREMA Racing driver, described himself as “feeling good” ahead of the opening round at the “tricky” Melbourne circuit. Team engineers and crew shifted quickly after Colnaghi’s stoppage to clear the track and ensure cars were ready for the afternoon sessions.
Quick context and what’s next
This session opened the Melbourne weekend and marked the first competitive running of the FIA Formula 3 opening round for the season. Practice ran an hour and was cut short by the incident at Turn 1, leaving teams to refine setups ahead of the knockout running later today.
Qualifying will determine the grid and starts at 14: 00 ET; teams will use the hours between sessions to analyse tyre performance, revise setups and prepare for a tighter fight for the top spots. Expect lap times to tumble and for the order to change once drivers are able to run uninterrupted qualifying laps, with f3 drivers chasing tenths and position as the weekend unfolds.
