NEW F3 CHAMPION UGO UGOCHUKWU COULD BE TOO TALL TO RACE IN F1
Ugo Ugochukwu is the new FIA Formula 3 champion. The 19-year-old from New York sealed the title in the final race of the season in Madrid, finishing second to end the year on 159 points, 14 more than Freddie Slater. He is the first American to win the F3 championship, and he also helped Campos take the Teams’ title.
It is a big turnaround. McLaren signed him in 2021, when he was just 13, but let him go in November 2025 after he finished 16th in his first F3 season. This year he also won the Formula Regional Oceania title, and he now has enough points for an F1 Super Licence. Since F3 champions cannot race in the series again, his next step is Formula 2 in 2027.
Several F1 teams are watching him. In July, RACER reported that Alpine had evaluated him and that Cadillac was also interested, while PlanetF1 reported that he is set to move to F2 with Red Bull backing. Red Bull is said to be keen to have an American on its books, while Cadillac joined F1 this year as an American team.
The problem is his size. Ugochukwu is reported to be 1.92m tall, although no official figure has ever been published. That would put him close to the tallest driver in F1 history, Hans-Joachim Stuck, at 1.94m. The tallest driver on the current grid, Oliver Bearman, is 1.88m.
According to reports, Ugochukwu would need a seat and cockpit built specifically around him, and Gwen Lagrue is reluctant to give up that much aerodynamic performance to make it happen. Lagrue, who spent eleven years at Mercedes and helped discover Kimi Antonelli, will lead the Red Bull Junior Programme from 2027.
This is not a new issue. For his first ever F1 test, with Alpine at Monza in June, he reportedly needed special permission to move the pedals forward. During that test he spun at the Ascari chicane and hit the tyre barrier, although the impact was low and he was not hurt.
There is a precedent for making it work. In 2002, Justin Wilson, 1.93m, could not fit into the Minardi, and he only made his debut the following year after the team lowered the seat and moved the pedals forward. The rules have also changed to help bigger drivers: since 2019, a minimum weight for the driver and his equipment means heavier drivers are no longer at a disadvantage.
F1 has been looking for an American star for years, and Ugochukwu now has the title to prove his talent. Whether a team is ready to build a car around him could decide if he ever reaches the grid.
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