Ernesto Rivera continued his strong Formula 3 season at the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, taking the final podium position in the Sprint Race.
The Red Bull junior missed the opening round of the 2026 season due to an injury; however, since his return, he’s found consistent points and results.
He’s taken two wins at the Red Bull Ring and Spa Francorchamps. He reflected on the Sprint Race and how he made the most of the tyre degradation.
Rivera told the media, including Motorsport Week: “The start was quite good, but I was on the outside on Turn 1, so it was difficult to stay there.
“I think I lost one position, but then managed to avoid the crash into Turn 2, which was really good.
“A very tricky race for me. I was struggling a lot with the front tyres and yeah, trying to manage it as best as possible, but towards the end I was really struggling. I had one chance to pass Kanato, but he defended quite well, so yeah.”
With another race tomorrow, Rivera admitted his goal is to ‘be better’
“We need to have a look and be better tomorrow,” He said.
Tyre degradation and overtaking
It was hot on track for the Sprint Race, and without any pit stops, the tyre degradation was severe. Rivera admitted that the tyre management had a large impact as the race went on, as it affected the car balance.
“The balance was understeery since the beginning, and when you have a little bit of understeer, each lap gets a bit worse, and when you grain the tyre, it’s so difficult to get it back.
“So yeah, let’s see what we can do for tomorrow, but for sure we can improve a lot.”
Hungary is likened to Monaco, often picking up the nickname “Monaco without the walls”. It gained the name due to the close walls and winding corners.
“It’s super, super difficult to follow here, especially sector two on the dirty air; super easy to grain the front tyre.” He told media.
“That’s why I was trying to leave a gap and push some of the laps to try to get close to Kanato, but yeah, if I got close to him, I would just have more understeer and damage the tyre more.
“So, yeah, what Theophile did is very good: go to the lead, and he just managed his tyres better. So, but yeah, tomorrow will be difficult as I’m starting P8, but we’ll see what we can do.”
“It is very good points for the championship. I think right now I would be fourth, if I’m correct. Missing a race in Melbourne and being fourth in the championship is very good for me.
“I think we are in a strong position for tomorrow. I know what we can improve, so yeah, I think it will be good.”
Campos’ strength
Campos Racing have proved themselves to be one of the top teams in both F2 and F3, with Nikola Tsolov leading the championship in F2 and all three drivers in F3 fighting at the top. Rivera spoke about the team’s dynamics and environment.
“We have a very good environment in Campos. The team is working very hard. We are all pushing a lot. I’ve learned a lot from Theo.”
“We are very fast drivers. We are all in the top five. So, we scored good points today. I think all three Campos drivers are the only drivers on the grid that have won two races each. You can see that we are a very strong line-up”
With a longer race in the Feature and more points on the line, it will be a battle of endurance and tyre management for the drivers. Rivera confessed that it will be a ‘tough race’.
“I think tomorrow it will be a very tough race. Today we had one little safety car at the beginning, and the race is shorter.
“Tomorrow, for sure, the colder track will help, but still, it will be a very tough race. Five more laps. So, yeah, we need to see how we can improve from my side and the car side, as well.”
The Red Bull junior starts the Feature Race further down the grid and will face an uphill climb starting from eighth.
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