Ugo Ugochukwu will start from the front row in Melbourne after qualifying in second position. The Campos Racing driver acknowledged the strong pace he demonstrated during practice. He felt it was a bit unfortunate to miss out on pole.
Ugochukwu’s Qualifying Performance
Ugochukwu reflected on his qualifying session, describing it as a good Friday in Melbourne. He noted the strong pace from practice. He said that going into qualifying, he and the team knew they’d be at the front. He admitted it was a bit unfortunate to miss out on pole by such a narrow margin.
Despite missing out on pole position, Ugochukwu said that P2 is still a good result. He stated that the 1-2 result for the team is really good. He added that the team deserves it, having worked hard all winter. He feels they came out really punchy, making it a perfect start to the season.
Turn 10 Incident
Ugochukwu ran across the grass at Turn 10 during the session. When asked if that changed the course of the session at all, he said it was quickly out of his mind. He also said that doing his best lap on the first lap is not really ideal in F3.
Nael Takes Pole for Campos
Théophile Nael, also for Campos Racing, secured pole position. Nael described the qualifying session as tough and stressful. He didn’t manage to complete the lap at the beginning. He said he had to give everything in the last run. He added that he was happy with the 1-2 result for the team.
Nael said it was very frustrating in the pit lane, waiting for the second set of tyres to close the lap because he wanted to be safe. He said the second run didn’t go as planned, so he had to refocus for the last one. He said it worked well, but it was really stressful until the last lap.
Nael acknowledged there is still work to do before Sunday’s starting race. He said it is very positive to start the season in this position. He added that pre-season testing has been great. He said he was confident coming into this first run and expecting to be at the top, maybe not on pole.
Ugochukwu feels it has been a perfect start to the season for him and the team.