F3: Theophile Nael takes second pole of 2026 in Monte Carlo

Campos Racing’s Theophile Nael maintained his 100% record in Qualifying this season, earning pole position in Monte Carlo with a time of 1m 24.471s.

With the F3 field split into two groups of 15, the Frenchman was made to wait, but once Group B got under way, he was flying.

Nael battled it out with TRIDENT and Audi Development Driver Freddie Slater in the second segment, with the duo swapping provisional pole several times in the early stages.

The Briton looked to be going quicker but made minor contact with the wall ahead of Portier, damaging his front wing.

Slater recovered and had one final roll of the dice, setting the fastest middle sector of the session, but a difficult end to the lap meant he wound up several tenths off Nael, who recorded one final improvement to secure P1.

In Group A, Badoer almost gave Rodin Motorsport their first pole since 2024, but ended up just under two-tenths of a second away from Nael’s fastest time.

With the two groups aggregated together, it means Nael will have Badoer on the front row for company, with Slater going from third and championship leader Ugo Ugochukwu in P4, who finished second in Group B.

Campos’ Ernesto Rivera finished third in Group B, earning himself fifth on the grid in what was his F3 debut following an injury that kept him out of the car for Round 1 back in Melbourne.

For a full report of the F3 Qualifying session from Monte Carlo, head to the official championship website here.