Formula 3: Ernesto Rivera secures maiden win at Red Bull Ring in Sprint Race victory

Credit: Formula 3 via X

Ernesto Rivera was victorious on Saturday morning claiming the first win of Round 4 for the 2026 Formula 3 season and a maiden victory for his personal Formula 3 campaign. To kickstart the Sprint Race in Spielberg, Austria, it was PREMA's James Wharton who started on pole holding strong pace for the duration of the race. However, it was Pedro Clerot who finished in second and Jin Nakamura in third.

How it happened

With the grid reversed, Wharton held pole position upon race start marking his second front row launch for the season and, he was joined alongside Campos Racing driver Rivera. With the sun shining on the Red Bull Ring, the drivers were bound for an intense race.

Off the line Wharton held strong closely followed by Rivera, Clerot and Nakamura who were battling to solidify a position in second.

Shortly into Lap 1, Freddie Slater made contact with Trident teammate Noah Stomsted causing the first yellow flag of the race. With Slaters’ rear suspension irreparably damaged, he was out of the race.

In Lap 3 through the exit of Turn 8, it was back racing with Wharton once again securing a steady, strong pace off race restart.

A small mistake into Lap 6 saw Red Bull backed driver Fionn McLaughlin make contact with the rear of Enzo Deligny’s Red Bull livery ahead, losing his front wing and causing a virtual safety car. Mclaughlin dropped down the order into 29^th position.

In Lap 6, DRS was enabled prompting small shifts within the grid. Rivera began to gain strong pace, offering him the opportunity to make an attacking move on race leader, Wharton.

Into Lap 11, a brave move by Rivera caused slight contact with Wharton, however both drivers held steady to continue their battle into Lap 12. It remained wheel-to-wheel between the leading drivers.

At the halfway point, in third and fourth Nakamura and Clerot were also in battle, aiming to cement a position on the podium. Whilst Nakamura remained steady in third, the top four drivers were engaging in an intense competition.

Into Lap 14, after numerous attempts to clinch first position, Red Bull Junior Rivera found a gap through Turn 4 around the outside of Wharton to acquire the lead.

Rodin Motorsport driver Christian Ho fell ten places down the order in an incident in the transition from Lap 17 and 18.

As the closing laps approached, it was still wheel-to-wheel between Nakamura and Clerot, with Clerot getting closer through every turn. However, Nakamura consistently held steady to maintain his position.

In the penultimate lap, a mistake from Wharton cost him a podium as his wheel clipped the gravel he quickly lost pace leaving him vulnerable to both Nakamura and Clerot. Both Nakamura and Clerot utilised their DRS advantages on the PREMA driver to pass him, placing them in second and third respectively.

With assertive pace in the second half of the race, Rivera found the checkered flag in first to secure his maiden win in Formula 3, marking another fitting win for a Red Bull Junior at the Red Bull Ring.

Rivera was followed by Clerot in second and Nakamura in third, with Wharton crossing the line in fourth.

What’s next

Round 4 of the Formula 3 season continues in Spielberg at the Red Bull Ring on Sunday for the Feature Race at 8:40AM CEST.

Written by Teagan Strachan