F3: Ugochukwu is crowned 2026 champion as Taponen earns maiden win

Ugo Ugochukwu has won the F3 Drivers’ Championship, taking the title in the final race of the season in Madrid to beat Freddie Slater to the title.

Ugochukwu finished P2 on the road to become the first F3 Champion from the United States, while Tuukka Taponen became the first Finnish driver to win an F3 race as he secured top spot in Feature Race 2 on Sunday.

Taponen was able to hold the lead into Turn 1 from pole position, the first driver to do so all weekend around the Madring.

From there, the MP Motorsport driver controlled the gap to Ugochukwu behind, with the Campos Racing car staying within touching distance and DRS range throughout.

A late-race Safety Car set up a final lap sprint to the finish, but Taponen remained calm and collected to take his first F3 victory in the final race of the 2026 season.

The result means Ugochukwu is the 2026 FIA Formula 3 Drivers' Champion, finishing on 159 points. Slater winds up second in the standings on 145 points. Taponen's win lifts the Finn up to third in the Championship.

Entering the day level on points with Slater and starting from P2, the Campos driver kept himself out of trouble to earn a podium to complete a turnaround, having trailed the Briton in the points coming into this weekend.

Pedro Clerot was on the podium once again in Madrid after taking his first F3 victory in Feature Race 1 on Saturday, rounding out the rostrum in third position for Rodin Motorsport.

Slater, the TRIDENT and Audi Development Driver, finished where he started in eighth position, leaving him second in the points having been level with Ugochukwu heading into the day.

For an in-depth report of the final FIA Formula 3 Feature Race of 2026, head to the official website here.