Leader of the Formula 3 championship, Freddie Slater clinched on Friday (the 4th) the pole position for the penultimate round of the 2026 season. In the qualifying at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza in Italy, the Trident driver posted his best lap at 1:38.114, securing the top spot for Sunday’s race, in addition to 12th place due to the grid inversion for the Sprint.
The session was conducted with all 30 drivers split into two groups, and saw Matteo de Palo, in another Trident car, secure second place by leading his group with a time of 1:38.143. From there, the positions are determined by alternating the order of each group. Nicola Lacorte, in a DAMS car, starts third, with Kanato Le, from ART Grand Prix, in fourth. Ernesto Rivera, of Campos Racing, and Taiyo Kato, of ART Grand Prix, complete the top six.
Fastest in the free practice, Alessandro Giusti starts seventh in Sunday’s race with MP Motorsport, lining up on the fourth row alongside Hiyu Yamakoshi of Van Amersfoort. Mattia Colnaghi, from MP Motorsport, starts ninth, followed by Fernando Barrichello, tenth with AIX Racing in his best finish of the year. Pedro Clerot, from Rodin Motorsport, starts 11th, while Tuukka Taponen, from MP Motorsport, was 12th and will start at the front for the Sprint.
The qualifying session also produced a notable setback for the championship’s vice-leader, Ugo Ugochukwu. The Campos Racing driver made a mistake on his quickest lap and finished only tenth in his group, which would have granted him 20th on the grid. However, the driver of car number 2 carries a five-position penalty to be served on the grids of both races, placing him 25th for both the Sprint and the main race.
The Formula 3 travels back to Monza this Saturday (the 4th), starting at 4:30 a.m., for the Sprint. The main race of the penultimate round of the 2026 season is scheduled for Sunday, with a start at 3:15 a.m.
