Round 3 Post Qualifying Press Conference

FIA Formula 3: Hello and welcome to today's FIA Formula 3 press conference, following the qualifying here at Barcelona-Catalunya. Joining us today in third place, Hiyu Yamakoshi for Van Amersfoort Racing. In second place, Ugo Ugochukwu for Campos Racing. And in pole position for the third time this season, Théophile Nael also for Campos Racing. Théo, a third straight pole position for you. How pleased are you with your performance today and on Fridays overall this year? 

Théophile Nael: Yeah, I'm super happy. Third pole position in a row. I’ve started the Championship well in quali. So, it feels great to be on pole once again. This morning in FP, the pace was really strong as well. I think the team did a really good job this morning as well. And we were expecting a big step in grip this afternoon, and I think the team reacted quite well.  

FIA Formula 3: Speaking of pace, you and the team have had a great pace from the very first lap in practice. How confident are you for the remainder of the weekend here? 

Nael: Well, I mean, tomorrow will be a training race to see how the tyres will develop along the race, and I will try to have a fresh idea for the Feature Race on Sunday.  

FIA Formula 3: You started on pole position twice, once in Melbourne, last weekend in Monaco. No Feature Race win so far, but here it's a long run to T1. You must be feeling pretty good about your chances this weekend come Sunday in the Feature Race.

Nael: Yeah, I mean, I made a mistake in Monaco at the start, to be honest. Also, I think Brando had a really good start, starting from second in Monaco. So I'm looking forward to this start on Sunday. I know what to improve compared to Monaco start. 

FIA Formula 3: Well, congratulations. Great job today. Ugo, moving on to you. It's not quite pole position today, but you ran your teammate close all session long. Are you happy with the result overall? Was there maybe, more on the table? 

Ugo Ugochukwu: Overall, it's been a very good weekend. Yeah, strong pace from FP and then building on that into qualifying. So of course, it's a shame to miss out by so little. But still, front row is a really good result, and I'm sure we can score big points from here. 

FIA Formula 3: You two have consistently fought at the front and around Barcelona, especially. What do you put that down to? Is the experience of year two a big help?  

Ugochukwu: Yeah, for sure. I think that's always a help. I think coming into this circuit is usually pretty close. Everyone knows the track pretty well. So I think really trying to maximise the lap, putting everything together in quali is super, super important. I wouldn't say this is my strongest track, but definitely had to work hard, dig deep, and kind of find those last few tenths from FP to quali, and I think overall, pretty positive start to the weekend and pretty happy all in all.  

 FIA Formula 3: As we said, it's a long way to Turn 1 and we've seen a lot can change by the time we get there. Will you be watching previous races back before Sunday? 

Ugochukwu: Yeah, for sure. I think it's always good to analyse what happened in the past and what people could have done better. You know, of course, every situation is a little bit different, so we'll see how the starts is, we'll see how that plays out, and then just focus on really the race run pace, trying to manage the tyres as best as we can. We will see who has the better pace overall throughout the race.  

FIA Formula 3: Well, good job today. Best of luck for the races. Hiyu, moving on to you. Your best F3 qualifying results so far in 2026. You must be thrilled with that lap and the result today? 

Hiyu Yamakoshi: Yeah, especially I think after what happened to me last week. You know, I finished P1 in the Sprint, but in the end, we got disqualified. I felt like I lost some momentum, but we're back on the pace since we came here in Barcelona. And from Free Practice, I had a quite nice feeling. Just felt like I just needed to put everything together. In the end, I did it, and then to get P3 by a tenth from Campos Racing, which for me, I'm really happy with overall, especially, since I think this is one of the best results for the Japanese F3 drivers. Also, it's quite a special one for me. 

 FIA Formula 3: Like you said, it's a great way to bounce back from the disappointment from Saturday in Monte Carlo. How important was it for you to get that result today and maybe regain confidence going into the races? 

Yamakoshi: Yeah, definitely. This gives me extra confidence and extra momentum. I don't think I feel like I lost the momentum after the disqualifying, but still some momentum from the finishing P1, the feeling of crossing the line in P1 is still there, and I just carried a bit of that momentum, and then I got some other momentum for today. We are starting from P3, we know that there is a long straight into P1 after start. I think all the way there is a good chance to start from P3. So, use all the chances and get the maximum points as possible for the team.  

 FIA Formula 3: Maximising the points of course but is the target the win on Sunday? 

Yamakoshi: I'm going to say of course. Winning is the best thing, especially since I lost the trophy, basically. So I need to get my trophy back.  

FIA Formula 3: Well, we'll see on Sunday.