Théophile Naël, second in Monaco: "I already know what I need to improve for the future."

Théophile Naël finished second in the Formula 3 feature race in Monaco, equaling his best result in the category. Starting from pole position, the driver from Saint-Étienne was unable to maintain his lead after a difficult start, but leaves the Principality with 18 valuable points ahead of Barcelona.

Victory was within reach. Théophile Naël had secured pole position and displayed a dominant pace throughout the Monaco weekend—just as in Melbourne at the season opener, the Campos driver proved competitive on street circuits. But a poor start changed everything. Brando Badoer, with a perfect launch, took the lead and never relinquished it, despite constant pressure from the Frenchman.

"To be honest, it was a difficult start. I think my reaction time was good, but then I had quite a bit of wheelspin in the second gear.", explains driver Campos in the post-race press conference. "We've analyzed some data and I already know what I need to improve for the future at Barcelona." An error identified, analyzed, and already put aside — the mark of a pilot who is moving forward.

Despite the disappointment of narrowly missing victory, Théophile Naël leaves Monaco with a positive result. His second-place finish was achieved with a lead of more than ten seconds over Freddie Slater, who finished third, illustrating the superiority of his race pace throughout the event.

He wishes to commend his team's work in this context: “I’m really happy and I have complete confidence in the team. They’ve been working incredibly hard since the start of the year. Last year, they were already a very strong team in Monaco. I simply did my best during Free Practice and Qualifying. If I had been in the lead, the race might have been easier, but that’s how it goes. I’m still happy to have brought some points back to the team.”

Barcelona in sight

The next round is fast approaching — as early as next week, in support of the Spanish Grand Prix. And Barcelona has everything to suit Naël and Campos. The French rider secured one of his three podium finishes there last season, and his team has consistently delivered strong performances.

“I think Barcelona was one of my best weekends of last year as well. I’m really looking forward to it. The post-season and pre-season tests went very, very well.”he anticipates, before adding a note of caution: "It's going to be extremely difficult too. Tire degradation and management will be crucial." A date to mark on your calendar, especially since Alessandro Giusti, who also finished in the points in Monaco in seventh position, also shone on the Circuit de Catalunya last season.

ALSO READ > Monaco – Main Race: Brando Badoer snatches victory from Théophile Naël