Jin Nakamura secured his maiden F3 win at Spa, capitalizing on a clash between title contenders Ugo Ugochukwu and Freddie Slater. The incident left Slater sidelined and Ugochukwu limping home a lap down.
Jin Nakamura made a statement at Spa-Francorchamps by claiming his first FIA Formula 3 win for Hitech. Starting from fourth, the Japanese driver quickly surged past MP Motorsport’s Mattia Colnaghi and Rodin Motorsport's Pedro Clerot to take second place. A deft move at the Safety Car restart allowed Nakamura to grab the lead from Brando Badoer, and despite a late scare of oversteer, he held firm until the chequered flag.
Rodin drivers Badoer and Clerot kept things lively with an intra-team tussle, rounding out the podium in second and third respectively. Colnaghi finished in fourth, with ART Grand Prix’s Taito Kato in fifth. Theophile Nael, Tuukka Taponen, Ernesto Rivera, Alessandro Giusti, and Noah Stromsted completed the top ten.
Drama unfolded right from the start when championship leader Ugo Ugochukwu and his closest rival Freddie Slater tangled at Turn 6. Ugochukwu attempted a maneuver at Les Combes, but the resulting contact left Slater's TRIDENT out of action. Ugochukwu managed to continue but finished a lap down in 29th. Stewards deemed the clash a racing incident, leaving Ugochukwu with damage but no penalty.
Looking ahead, the Feature Race on Sunday will see Slater on pole, eager to recover and close the points gap. Ugochukwu, meanwhile, will have to contend with two grid penalties from Friday’s qualifying session.
For those wanting more on the FIA Formula 3 Sprint Race, the official report is available on the series' website.