F3 Silverstone Wrap; Ugochukwu commands Sprint, extends championship lead, Gladysz wins Feature after post-race penalties

• Freddie Slater claimed his maiden Formula 3 pole position at Silverstone and extended his streak of podium finishes to every round this season, despite missing out on a home victory.
• Ugo Ugochukwu dominated the Sprint Race and inherited third in the Feature after a series of post-race penalties, extending his championship lead to 18 points.
• Maciej Gladysz secured his maiden Formula 3 victory after Matteo De Palo was disqualified from the Feature Race, while penalties also cost Ernesto Rivera and James Wharton podium finishes.

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Slater’s maiden pole on home soil

While he was disqualified from Practice for a breach of the technical regulations, Freddie Slater delivered when it mattered by claiming pole position for the Formula 3 Feature Race at Silverstone.

It was also Trident’s first pole position of the season, with Slater beating a late effort from Théophile Naël, who had been under pressure after sitting 29th before delivering a rapid lap. Prema’s Louis Sharp rounded out the top three.

Championship leader Ugo Ugochukwu qualified 12th overall but benefited from starting on the reverse-grid pole for the Sprint.

Slater was unable to convert pole into a coveted home victory on Sunday, though he still secured a podium with a second-place finish after crossing seventh in the Sprint.

Ugochukwu commands the Sprint

The championship leader had not won a race since the Feature Race at the opening round in Albert Park back in March, until he produced a commanding Sprint victory at Silverstone.

Making the most of reverse-grid pole, Ugochukwu got the launch he needed despite early pressure from Yevan David, who went on to finish second and became the first Sri Lankan driver to score a Formula 3 podium.

Alessandro Giusti held third at the start ahead of James Wharton and Noah Strømsted, but it was all about the American out front as he stormed to victory by a remarkable 17-second margin.

Behind David, Naël made a decisive final-corner move on Matteo De Palo, who had been running third, to snatch the final podium position.

Gladysz wins Feature after De Palo gets DSQ’d

Maciej Gladysz did not even finish in the top three on the road during the Silverstone Feature Race, crossing the line fourth, but inherited his maiden Formula 3 victory after a string of post-race penalties for the drivers ahead.

De Palo earned a deserved victory after starting fifth, only for a technical infringement after his car failed the minimum ride-height requirements to result in his disqualification.

Naël was handed a 10-second time penalty for his role in an incident with Sharp, dropping the Prema driver to 16th.

This promoted the Polish driver onto the podium, while Ernesto Rivera and James Wharton also received post-race penalties that dropped them out of the top three.

Following all the penalties, it was Slater who finished second behind Gladysz, with championship leader Ugochukwu inheriting third.

Rivera, Wharton also lose Feature podiums

The chaotic Feature Race also saw penalties handed to Rivera and Wharton, who otherwise would have finished on the podium.

Both drivers received five-second time penalties for failing to follow the Race Director’s competition notes regarding weaving after the bridge between Turns 14 and 15.

Rivera was judged to have weaved on the approach to Turn 15, while Wharton was also found to have breached the instructions between Turns 14 and 15.

Giusti was likewise relegated out of the top 10 with the same five-second penalty, while Thai driver Nandhuvad Bhirombhakdi was penalised for repeated track limits violations.

Championship gap extends

Ugochukwu has now extended his championship lead to 18 points over Slater, who continues his remarkable streak of scoring a podium at every round this season.

The Briton is, however, still searching for his first victory of 2026, while the championship leader has now claimed two wins and three consecutive podium finishes.

At least for Slater, his nearest challenger behind him, Naël, now trails by 26 points, allowing the Audi junior to focus solely on closing the gap to the top.

Formula 3 now heads to Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgian round before the final event prior to the summer break in Hungary.

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Written by

Jawad Yaqub

An eCommerce Specialist by day and reporting on F1 by night. Jawad is passionate about motorsport, having provided accredited F1 coverage for more than a decade and is a member of the AIPS (International Sports Press Association). Live blogging (almost) every grand prix too since 2014, as well as articles on the Supercars Championship. Also keen on sustainability, photography, collecting vinyl, (trying to) expertly barbeque and learning to Dad.

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