Theophile Nael delivered a dominant victory in the inaugural FIA Formula 3 sprint race at the Madring street circuit in Madrid. The Campos Racing driver led from the first lap and was untouchable to the chequered flag.
Nael, who started from second on the grid, made a superb getaway to snatch the lead from pole-sitter James Wharton at Turn 1. Wharton attempted to retake the position with a move around the outside at the Turn 5 chicane, but ran wide and had to give the place back, ensuring Nael stayed ahead.
Behind the leaders, Wharton's Prema teammate Alex Powell completed the podium in third. It marked a maiden F3 podium for the American-Jamaican driver in only his second weekend with the Italian team. Meanwhile, Bruno Del Pino of Van Amersfoort and MP Motorsport's Alessandro Giusti rounded out the top five.
The race also proved significant for Ugo Ugochukwu in the title fight. The Campos Racing driver closed the gap to championship leader Freddie Slater to just 12 points. Slater, who started 17th after a fraught qualifying, struggled to make progress on the narrow Madring circuit.
Ugochukwu himself had to fight hard to finish eighth, after a fierce battle with Giusti. Fortune smiled on him when Enzo Deligny received a 10-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage, promoting Ugochukwu to eighth at the flag.
Further back, ART Grand Prix's Taito Kato produced a spectacular move on lap 12, going around the outside at the first chicane to take 10th from Tuukka Taponen. However, Kato had to settle for ninth, with Taponen completing the top 10.
This victory was Nael's third of the season, cementing his status as a title contender. For Ugochukwu, the result keeps his championship hopes alive, with Slater still leading but with a reduced margin.
The F3 sprint race in Madrid also highlighted the difficulty of overtaking on the fast but narrow street circuit. Any mistake is severely punished, as seen with Deligny. Drivers were required to be precise throughout the race.
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