Seven race weekends. Seven podiums. Since stepping into Formula 3 as the reigning Formula Regional European champion, Freddie Slater has made his first season in the category count. The Audi Revolut F1® Team Driver Development Programme member has turned speed, consistency and racecraft into a campaign that now places him at the top of the championship standings. Freddie was the first driver signed to Audi’s junior programme in January. Since then, his Formula 3 season with Trident Motorsport has taken him to some of F1®’s most celebrated circuits, from Melbourne and Monaco to Silverstone, Spa and Budapest. Before turning 18, he has already collected podiums at every round, multiple pole positions and a maiden Formula 3 win. 

The season began in Melbourne, where Freddie started his Formula 3 debut weekend from third and converted it into second place in the Feature Race. It was an early signal of what would follow: immediate pace, control under pressure and the ability to turn strong qualifying positions into major results. After the cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia rounds created a long break in the calendar, Freddie returned to racing on the streets of Monaco. Again, he secured a third-place start. Again, he left with a Feature Race podium. On one of the most demanding circuits of the season, the momentum continued. Barcelona and Spielberg brought more complicated weekends. Qualifying setbacks at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and a first-lap collision in Spielberg put Freddie under pressure, but both weekends still brought more silverware. A Sprint Race podium from the second row of the reverse grid in Barcelona was followed by another Feature Race top three, extending a run of results that kept him firmly in the title conversation. 

Then came two of motorsport’s most iconic tracks. Back-to-back pole positions at Silverstone and Spa strengthened Freddie’s place in the championship fight. His maiden pole arrived on home soil at Silverstone, where post-race penalties for other drivers promoted him to second in front of home support. At Spa, another third-place finish in the Feature Race kept the podium streak alive. Freddie’s consistency continued to pay off in Budapest. A single point in the Sprint Race was enough to draw him level with championship leader Ugo Ugochukwu. But the defining moment of the weekend came later. In the Feature Race, Freddie held off his title rival after a wheel-to-wheel battle to take his maiden Formula 3 victory. It was more than a first win. It was a result that brought together the qualities that have shaped his season so far: speed, determination and consistency. It also sent him into the summer break as the Formula 3 championship leader for the first time. 

Formula 3 has now reached the decisive part of its season. Two race weekends remain, with Monza and the all-new MADRING in Madrid still to come. The so-called Temple of Speed will offer one of the championship’s most historic stages, before Madrid hosts the final round of the year. The season finale will come with an extra test. As announced by the FIA in July, the final Formula 3 weekend at MADRING will feature two qualifying sessions and three races, including an additional Feature Race. For the title contenders, it will demand speed, consistency and control across a heavier-than-usual weekend format. 

Freddie heads into the final two rounds with an eight-point lead in the standings. In a 30-car field that has already produced 11 different race winners in 2026, nothing is settled. Formula 3 rarely offers certainty, and title fights can come down to the final corner of the final lap. For Freddie, the path is clear. The rookie season has already delivered podiums, poles and a first win. Now, with two weekends left, Audi Revolut F1® Team will be backing him all the way to the finish line.