Théophile Nael victorious in first Formula 3 Sprint Race at the Madring
Finishing off the final Sprint Race of the 2026 Formula 3 season in style, Théophile Nael crossed the line in first becoming the weekends first winner at the newly established Madring.
Despite the chaotic weekend so far, the Sprint Race was clean with Nael taking the top spot with a dominant, 7-second lead. It was James Wharton who took second, followed by fellow Prema driver Alex Powell.
How it happened
On lights out it was a fierce race into Turn 1 with Nael taking the lead after starting in second. However, in a scrappy bid to retake the lead reverse grid pole sitter, Wharton claimed first once again.
The first sector saw a few midfield cars cut the chicane in an attempt to navigate the new, unfamiliar territory. Further back and as Lap 1 concluded, championship leader Freddie Slater who started in P17, found himself dropping further to P18.
In Lap 2, a yellow flag was called for debris on the track. However, it was not long until the track was clear and Nael once again regained the lead from the Australian behind.
As Lap 4 rolled around, Nael created a favourable gap to the remainder of the grid, stretching his lead 1.2 seconds ahead of Wharton.
Taking the opportunity to use this race as a points booster, Slater’s main championship rival Ugo Ugochukwu sat confident in ninth, hoping to gain valuable points for his championship bid.
Lap 6 marked the beginning of an exciting three car battle in fourth, fifth and six, with Bruno Del Pino, Alessandro Giusti and Ernesto Rivera battling within 1 second of each other all wanting clinch fourth, inching themselves closer to the podium.
As the race reached the halfway mark the complexity of the Madring became apparent. With overtaking becoming trickier, the grid remained stagnant through to Lap 16.
As the race drew to a close, 7.4-seconds ahead of the field, Nael was victorious taking his third win in Formula 3. He was followed by Wharton who was unable to regain the lead after Lap 2 but had an impressive race nonetheless.
In third, in an impressive second weekend in Formula 3, Powell claimed his maiden podium for the series, an impressive performance in what could become a full time seat next season.
What’s next
Feature Race 1 will take place later today at 6:00PM CEST as the fight for the championship continues with the 2026 Formula 3 season drawing closer to an end.
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