Stromsted gives Trident first 2026 F3 win at Red Bull Ring

Photo: Formula Motorsport Ltd

Noah Stromsted secured victory for Trident in the FIA Formula 3 feature race at the Red Bull Ring.

Freddie Slater made it a one-three finish for Trident, whose drivers were split by Campos Racing’s championship leader Ugo Ugochukwu.

Having claimed his maiden pole position on Friday, Van Amersfoort Racing’s Hiyu Yamakoshi converted his pole position into the race lead at turn 1, with Ugochukwu in close pursuit behind.

The Japanese driver’s lead didn’t last long though as exiting turn 1, Ugochukwu pulled alongside and charged in front, while Stromsted and Tuukka Taponen were also looking for a way past.

Slater and Taponen went wheel-to-wheel into turn 4 with the top five already pulling clear of sixth-placed Jin Nakamura. Their gap didn’t last the full opening lap though as the safety car was required after Yevan David and Macej Gladysz found the barriers at turn 1, both having tried to avoid the spinning Ernesto Rivera.

By lap 4 running resumed and Slater was quick to act as he looked for a way past his teammate ahead. The British driver charged around the outside of Stromsted into turn 3 and followed it up by getting past Yamakoshi into turn 4, ending lap 4 in second place.

Having briefly slipped behind Taponen, Stromsted began to close up to the back of Yamakoshi, who was clinging onto Slater, who was in turn just 0.195s behind Ugochukwu on lap 9.

Into turn 4, Slater claimed the lead with Yamakoshi looking to follow through. Yamakoshi moved alongside Ugochukwu into turn 4 but found himself forced onto the gravel, leaving him stuck in third. But just a couple of laps later, Yamakoshi made the move stick, this time into turn 3, forcing his way up the inside and into second.

With just a third of the race left, Ugochukwu fought back against the front two. The American dispatched of Yamakoshi into turn 4 effortlessly with Stromsted following suit behind. The top four ran wheel-to-wheel through turn 4 with Slater holding on to his lead.

On the following lap Ugochukwu was finally successful, banging wheels with Slater on his way to the race lead. Slater though found his way back past, heading down to turn 4 he shot around the outside with Stromsted following suit into turn 5.

With two laps remaining Stromsted made his bid for the lead, barging past his teammate down towards turn 4 with the Audi junior defenceless to the Dane’s charge. Things got worse for Slater as second place slipped from his grasp when Ugochukwu found a way past on the following lap into turn 4.

Further back Kato was clinging on to fourth place with a swarm of cars behind him. The ART driver was defenseless to the charges from Pedro Clerot and Nakamura who snatched fourth and fifth from the Japanese driver’s grasp.

Stromsted though was able to come home for his and Trident’s first win of 2026 after his heroics in the closing stages. Ugochukwu and Slater continued to lock horns in the dying stages but it was the championship leader who clung on to second place.

Race results (26 laps)