Theophile Nael has experienced a Formula 3 season marked by his speed and his mistakes. Despite achieving three poles and three victories, the French driver has only finished fifth in the overall standings, 71 points behind champion Ugo Ugochukwu, his teammate at Campos Racing.
At 19 years old, Nael has proven to be a formidable competitor, but he has made mistakes that have cost him crucial times. “Speed was present, qualifying was my strong point, especially at the beginning of the season, but some penalties prevented me from accumulating as many points as I could have,” comments the driver.
Following his victory at the Macau Grand Prix, Nael began the season with great confidence. His performance as a rookie with Van Amersfoort Racing had provided him the foundation to continue battling with the best. This allowed him to adapt quickly to Campos Racing, one of the top teams in the category.
His momentum continued in the early races, achieving three poles in the initial trials. “My goal wasn’t to be on pole every weekend, but the three consecutive poles were impressive,” he acknowledges.
The first pole in Melbourne was especially memorable for him, achieved without any preparation lap and with a quick tire setup. His confidence grew with each race, but track errors affected his final results, putting him under pressure in several situations.
Although he secured a victory in Barcelona, this was not enough to offset the penalties he had accumulated throughout the year. After earning 52 points in the first three races, he only added 32 points in the next seven.
Nael admits that, starting from Barcelona, his results declined due to a lack of consistency. “I didn’t manage my emotions and what competitions involve properly,” he explains. His errors included excursions outside the track limits and race situations where pressure played against him.
The driver has recognized the importance of his team, which has shown excellent performance and great cohesion. “I was surprised by their working method. They can adapt the car setup to meet the needs of each driver,” he comments.
Finally, Nael reflects on his season and acknowledges that if he had avoided the penalties, his result would have been better. The lessons learned are clear: more refined emotional control and greater discipline could be key for his future career in Formula 2.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
SourceID: SRC_46393a7b54c2bef3d9f685ea2d719227f9c103e3