Ugo Ugochukwu heads into the Formula 3 Hungarian Grand Prix weekend hoping to bounce back after leaving a disappointing weekend in Spa without points.
The Campos Racing driver has been delivering an impressive performance this F3 season, putting him at the top of the Drivers’ Standings. Ahead of the weekend, Ugochukwu told the media, including Motorsport Week, that there have not been big differences in him as a driver from the start of the season to now.
“I think as a driver, not too much changes. Just wanting to do the best possible job each weekend. Maybe in terms of mindset and mentality at a different point of the championship, so that’s a little bit different. There’s for sure a lot of points and a lot of topics that I’ve learned and picked up throughout the season.
“But I wouldn’t say too much has changed for myself. So approaching the weekends, trying to do the best possible job and get a good result, which we’ve been doing throughout the year, which puts us in a good position now in the championship. So, it’s about trying to finish the year strong for me.”
Championship battle and Hungarian GP expectations
With 104 points, Ugochukwu heads into the Hungarian GP weekend only one point ahead of Freddie Slater in second place. The championship battle has been immensely close, and in F3, consistency and strong performances are both crucial for a chance to win the title.
Motorsport Week asked the American how important a good result in Budapest is for him as the next F3 Round does not take place until September in Monza. Ugochukwu reflected: “Yeah, of course it’ll be nice to have a good result going into the summer break. It would be a good way to end off this first part of the season. So we’ll see how it goes.
“Don’t have big expectations; try to have a bit cleaner of a Friday and a quali session because Spa was a bit messy. It was unfortunate to not get any points there. But yeah, try to get back to our usual results and to have a good round here will be nice mentally going into the break for Monza.”
Ugochukwu began the season on a high note with a Feature Race victory in Melbourne. From there on, the podium steps have consistently seen the American driver.
Asked by Motorsport Week to rate his season, the Campos driver said: “I would say an 8 or a 9. It’s been a really strong year. I think the main thing is we started really well.
“We started on the front foot at the ground running in Melbourne, which was good. We kept consistency since then. So yeah, it’s really been the season you want to kind of mount that championship stack. But yeah, still the last few important bits to go, so we’ll try to end off well.”
The next steps on the path to Formula 1 are not a main topic
For most racing drivers, Formula 1 remains the ultimate goal. However, as Ugochukwu is still in his second season of F3, there is plenty of time to consider the future.
Asked about where he is on the path to F1, and the conversations revolving around Cadillac, the American said: “I think there have been a lot of conversations around, but I think for myself right now, it’s not the main topic on my mind or something that needs to be discussed.
“Still focusing on my F3 year and finishing this year on a high, and we still have F2, which is the next step in the feeder series, which comes first. So that’s what I’m focusing on right now.”
When he was asked again about being ready for F1, Ugochukwu reiterated that he is not worried about it at the moment.
“As I said, I’m not thinking that far in advance. Of course, as an American, it’s super cool to see an American team on the F1 grid. But I’ll leave those discussions to my management. I just focus on my racing this season.”
The Campos driver appears to be more focused on the present than on the future. With the F3 Championship battle being immensely close, it is more than understandable that his priority would be on that.
Consistency and possibilities of an F2 seat
Ugochukwu has been fighting at the front of the grid for most of the season. The last round in Spa was a setback for the racer, as he took home zero points. However, until then, the driver had been immensely consistent with his performance.
Speaking about the importance of maintaining consistency heading into the last few rounds, Ugochukwu said:
“It’s going to be really important, of course. I feel I’ve been pretty on top of that until Spa. So, Spa was a bit frustrating to miss out on some important points, but it is what it is. Try to bounce back from that. As I said, I try to have a bit cleaner of a Friday. It’s really important, and FP really sets up the weekend.
“So yeah, don’t have too big expectations. But a nice quali inside the top three would be nice to kind of set off the weekend and head into the summer break in a good position, still fighting for the championship.”
The Campos driver has been strong this season, and with his performance come questions of a possibility in F2 next season. When asked where he is in the discussion for a seat, Ugochukwu said: “I think this is the point in the year when people start deciding what they’re going to do in the following season.
“Yeah, nothing’s been announced on my side. So, nothing’s coming on that.”
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