Theophile Nael took a commanding Formula 3 Spanish Grand Prix victory amidst a calm first race at the Madring.
The Campos driver was trailed by James Wharton and Alex Powell, who fought hard to secure a double PREMA podium finish.
James Wharton was starting on Sprint Pole with Theophile Nael alongside him, both drivers looking to hold the lead into the first corner.
However, attention was further down the grid, where championship leader Freddie Slater and Ugo Ugochukwu started further down the order in 17th and ninth.
Nael took an early lead
As the lights went out, Wharton and Nael went wheel to wheel. Into the opening corners, Wharton held on to the lead, but as the duo battled, Nael made a move on the PREMA driver. Wharton ran wide on the corner but maintained the position, but the Campos driver was quick on the radio, asking for the position back.
On the second lap, Wharton gave Nael back the position, putting the Campos driver in the lead of the race.
The Campos driver was quick to build a gap out front, with 1.3 seconds standing between him and Wharton by Lap 5.
Meanwhile, towards the back of the grid, Slater was down in 18th, using the Sprint Race as a s learning experience rather than a fight for points. Ugochukwu was sitting just outside of the points, eager to bring down the championship gap as much as possible.
On Lap 8, Ugochukwu had slipped out of Jin Nakamura’s DRS and had Tuukka Taponen closing in on his rear.
As the race went on, track-limit violations flooded in for the grid, with many focused on Turn 19.
Enzo Deligny received a 10-second penalty for his battle with Nakamura for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. The penalty was perfectly timed for Ugochukwu, which would move him into the final points position.
With just two laps left, Nael was dominantly leading the pack with nearly a 7-second gap out front. Wharton was trying to hold on to the Frenchman, but the win seemed all but guaranteed. Alex Powell was in third, a stunning result for the PREMA driver who replaced Louis Sharp in Monza.
A dominant first victory around Madring
Nael took the chequered flag, with a commanding home victory for Campos, with the PREMA duo of Wharton and Powell behind him on the podium.
Bruno Del Pino was close behind in fourth, with Alessandro Guisti and Rivera crossing the line in fifth and sixth. Nakamure finished seventh, with Ugochukwu taking three points in his campaign. Taito Kato and Tuukka Taponen rounded out the top ten.
READ MORE: Taito Kato and Tuukka Taponen roar to pole at the F3 Spanish GP double qualifying
Discussion about this post