Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton was among those to congratulate Ugo Ugochukwu after the 19-year-old secured the 2026 FIA Formula 3 Championship in a tense season finale in Madrid. The Campos driver became the first American to win the F3 title after entering the final Feature Race level on points with Freddie Slater and doing enough with second place to secure the championship.
For Ugochukwu, the result completed a significant breakthrough season and added another milestone to a junior career already featuring championship success. The American also received a congratulatory message on social media from Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton, who greeted the newly crowned champion after the Madrid decider.
Ugo Ugochukwu seals historic F3 title in Madrid
Ugochukwu and Trident driver Freddie Slater arrived at Sunday morning’s final Formula 3 Feature Race tied on 146 points. With everything resting on one race, their respective starting positions became particularly important around Madring, where making progress through the field had proved difficult during the weekend.
The Campos driver lined up second and retained that position to the chequered flag. Slater, an Audi Formula 1 junior, started eighth and ultimately finished in the same position. That outcome was enough to crown Ugochukwu champion, with the final standings given as 159 points for the American and 145 for the British driver.
The championship completed a comeback that had developed through the latter part of the campaign, including Monza, and made Ugochukwu the first driver from the United States to claim the FIA Formula 3 crown.
The 6ft 4in driver finished his second full season in the category with two victories and seven podium finishes for Campos. It was also another feeder-series championship for Ugochukwu after his Euro 4 Championship success in 2023.
Lewis Hamilton congratulates the new F3 champion
Lewis Hamilton was among several figures who greeted Ugochukwu following the title victory. Ugochukwu has Nigerian heritage and is among the relatively small number of drivers of colour competing at the higher levels of the motorsport ladder, giving the interaction with the seven-time Formula 1 world champion additional significance.
The Ferrari driver also shared a congratulatory message for the 19-year-old on social media as attention begins to turn towards what could be the next stage of Ugochukwu’s career.
Reflecting on the championship decider, Ugochukwu admitted that he had not expected to enter the final race level on points with his title rival, although he felt that circumstance had made the finale particularly exciting. He believed Campos had executed the weekend well, putting him in a strong position through qualifying and the races before Sunday’s decisive contest.
His task in the Feature Race was ultimately about execution rather than chasing victory. Ugochukwu considered second place a satisfactory result and explained that tyre management had been a priority because he knew that position was sufficient to secure the championship. Once that became clear, the objective was simply to bring the car home.
Ugochukwu also felt the title reflected his development as a driver. He described continued improvement as one of his main objectives for the coming years and viewed the championship as evidence of the progress achieved through his work with Campos.
The success was also a double celebration for the team. Campos had already secured the Teams’ Championship the previous day before Ugochukwu completed the job in the drivers’ standings, leaving the new champion delighted with what he regarded as an almost perfect campaign for the team.
Formula 2 is the logical next step for Ugo Ugochukwu
Attention now turns to 2027 and a potential move into Formula 2. Ugochukwu acknowledged that F2 represents the natural next step on the ladder towards the ultimate ambition shared by junior drivers of reaching Formula 1. For the moment, however, he intends to enjoy his F3 championship before determining what comes next.
The American described 2026 as a very successful year in which he had won two championships and indicated that his focus would soon move towards discovering what opportunities 2027 might bring.
His path to this point has already included links with several Formula 1 organisations. Ugochukwu began his junior career as part of McLaren’s young-driver structure before the two sides separated in 2025. He then received his first opportunity to drive Formula 1 machinery with Alpine during a Testing of Previous Cars programme at Monza in 2026.
Ugochukwu has also been linked with a move to the Red Bull Junior Team for 2027. Combined with the expected progression towards Formula 2, his F3 championship ensures that his next career decision will attract considerable attention as he continues moving up the single-seater ladder.
The Madrid weekend therefore ended with more than just a championship trophy for the young American. It delivered a historic first for the United States in FIA Formula 3, recognition from one of Formula 1’s most successful drivers and another important step towards the higher levels of the sport. The wider Madrid Formula 1 weekend provided the backdrop to a defining moment in Ugochukwu’s developing career.
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