Naël turns Barcelona pole into first FIA F3 victory

Théophile Naël turned a Barcelona weekend defined by tire wear and track position into a breakthrough FIA Formula 3 victory, using pole position and a Campos Racing setup to control the Feature Race from start to finish. At Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the long right-hand corners put heavy strain on the front-left tire, forcing drivers to balance outright pace, defense and tire preservation. Naël led every lap on Sunday and held off Hiyu Yamakoshi for his first FIA Formula 3 win, while Campos also celebrated a 1-3 finish at its home event with Ugo Ugochukwu in third.

Naël said careful tire management helped him stay focused at the front, and he credited the pressure from Yamakoshi for keeping him sharp. The Barcelona result came after he took his third straight pole position of the 2026 season and led Friday practice, underlining a weekend in which clean air mattered as much as speed. Analysis of the race said Campos’s setup gave Naël a clear edge in clean air and on the straights, while qualifying was complicated by traffic that made it harder for drivers to find the space they needed, including Maciej Gladysz and Freddie Slater.

The Barcelona round was one of the defining stops of the 2026 season so far, and Naël’s win lifted him to second in the championship, six points behind teammate Ugo Ugochukwu. Naël said the victory, along with his three pole positions, had put him in the title fight, but he stressed that the season was still long and that his focus remained on collecting consistent points. He said he was eager to carry the momentum into the next round at Spielberg, where a tighter layout will bring a different strategic challenge.