By: During last weekend at Madring, 19-year-old American Ugo Ugochukwu was crowned Formula 3 world champion, beating Freddie Slater, who endured a weekend to forget.
Just hours after his success in the junior category, however, young Ugochukwu is making headlines not for his on-track results, but for certain distinctive aspects of his physique which, as well as causing him difficulties this year, could also lead to problems in the future.
Fresh from winning F3, Ugo Ugochukwu does not yet know which team he will drive for in 2027, but he can be certain of the difficulties he will face in literally finding space in Formula 1, particularly because of the “hatred” he will attract from mechanics.
A physique that is difficult to ''handle''
We are joking, of course, but a physique like the American’s is certainly not easy to fit into the survival cell of a single-seater. Ugo is still dreaming of reaching F1, but he can rest assured that, when he gets there, he will certainly be the tallest driver on the grid. At 19, he stands 192cm tall, a full 7cm taller than Russell.
Unfortunately for him, that would not be an outright record. Formula 1 has had taller drivers in the past. Hans-Joachim Stuck raced in the late 1970s and measured 194cm, while Justin Wilson, who raced in 2003, stood between 193cm and 194cm.
Ugo’s talent far outweighs his height
Of course, his size will make Ugochukwu a mechanic’s nightmare. Weight and height are far from negligible characteristics for a driver. Weight has a negative impact on a car’s performance, while height has a major effect on its centre of gravity. Moreover, fitting 192cm of person into a survival cell is no easy task.
Esteban Ocon (186cm), Alexander Albon (186cm), George Russell (185cm), Nico Hülkenberg (184cm) and their respective teams know all about it.
Height is not a desirable attribute in a driver. Generally speaking, a tall driver tends to be slower than a shorter one. The fact that Ugochukwu’s talent has managed to prevail over his size says a great deal about his potential.
Cover photo: X, F3; in-article photo: Instagram, Mara Sangiorgio
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