The 2026 Eurocup-3 season opened at Circuit Paul Ricard with a weekend that immediately suggested a closely contested championship battle. Across testing, qualifying and three races, the field produced tight margins, multiple winners and several standout performances from both experienced drivers and rookies.
James Egozi left France as the early championship leader after delivering the most complete weekend. However, Keanu Al Azhari, Ean Eyckmans, René Lammers and Alex Powell all made strong cases as drivers to watch as the season develops.
The opening round also showed that no single team has complete control. MP Motorsport leads the Teams’ Championship, while Palou Motorsport, Hitech and Griffin Core all showed clear front-running pace. As a result, the Paul Ricard weekend created an early hierarchy without closing the competitive picture.
Egozi sets the early Eurocup-3 benchmark
James Egozi emerged from Paul Ricard as the strongest all-round performer. The Palou Motorsport driver combined speed, racecraft and consistency to leave the opening round with the championship lead on 52 points.
His weekend did not begin with outright dominance. During testing and Qualifying, Keanu Al Azhari often set the pace, while MP Motorsport also showed impressive depth. However, Egozi stayed close throughout the build-up and placed himself in position to capitalise when the races began.
That approach paid off immediately in Race 1. Starting third, Egozi avoided the early chaos after Al Azhari stalled and then pressured René Lammers for the lead. Once he moved ahead, he controlled the closing stages and claimed the first race victory of the season.
He then added third place in the Sprint Race before fighting Al Azhari throughout Race 2. Although he could not complete the move for victory on Sunday, second place gave him another major points haul.
Consequently, Egozi starts the season as the driver everyone else must chase. His Paul Ricard weekend showed that he can win, manage pressure and collect points when victory is not available. That combination already makes him a serious title contender.
Al Azhari turns pace into a statement victory
Keanu Al Azhari left Paul Ricard second in the Drivers’ Championship, but his weekend carried a different message. The Hitech driver repeatedly showed the strongest raw pace and looked like one of the quickest drivers in the field from the start.
He topped Thursday’s Official Collective Test with a 1:55.509, beating Egozi by just 0.014 seconds. He then continued to lead the way during Friday testing, reinforcing his place as the early performance benchmark.
Al Azhari also claimed pole position in Qualifying 1, edging Lammers by only 0.004 seconds. That margin underlined how little separated the front-runners, but it also confirmed his ability to deliver under pressure.
However, Race 1 immediately tested him. A poor start dropped him down the order, forcing him into recovery mode. He fought back to seventh, then finished seventh again in the Sprint Race.
His response in Race 2 mattered most. Al Azhari fought Egozi in a tense lead battle, reclaimed the advantage after several lead changes and held firm under late pressure to take victory.
As a result, Al Azhari leaves France only 13 points behind Egozi despite losing ground in Race 1. If Hitech can combine his qualifying pace with cleaner race execution, he could quickly become one of the championship’s most dangerous contenders.
Eyckmans makes immediate rookie impact
Ean Eyckmans produced one of the most impressive rookie performances of the opening weekend. The MP Motorsport driver finished fourth in Race 1, fourth in the Sprint Race and inherited third in Race 2 after Alex Powell’s penalty.
That consistency moved him to third in the overall Drivers’ Championship on 34 points. More importantly, it showed that Eyckmans already has the composure to score heavily across a full race weekend.
His speed also appeared early. He placed fourth in Thursday testing, remained near the front on Friday, and qualified second for Race 2 behind teammate Gianmarco Pradel. Although he lost ground at the start of the final race, he recovered strongly enough to remain in podium contention.
Eyckmans’ performance also strengthened MP Motorsport’s Teams’ Championship lead. With Lammers and Pradel also scoring well, MP showed the depth needed to fight across the season.
Nevertheless, Eyckmans still has areas to refine. Starts and early-race positioning will matter as the championship becomes tighter. However, his Paul Ricard weekend already established him as one of the leading rookies and a realistic overall contender.
Lammers shows front-running pace but needs cleaner weekends
René Lammers also made a strong first impression in Eurocup-3. The MP Motorsport rookie placed third in Thursday’s Official Collective Test, second in Qualifying 1 and then finished second in Race 1 after leading the early stages.
That Race 1 result gave him an immediate podium and showed that he can handle front-row pressure. After Al Azhari stalled, Lammers led the field and defended from Egozi before eventually losing the lead.
However, the rest of his weekend proved more complicated. Damage and incidents affected his Sprint Race, limiting his points return. He then finished fourth in Race 2 after running inside the leading group again.
Even with that mixed picture, Lammers leaves Paul Ricard fourth in the standings on 30 points. That position reflects both his pace and the points he left behind.
Consequently, he remains one of the key drivers to watch. If he turns his qualifying speed and early-race strength into cleaner weekends, he can become a regular podium threat. His Paul Ricard performance already showed enough to place him firmly among the early-season contenders.
Powell proves Griffin Core can fight at the front
Alex Powell gave Griffin Core one of the strongest individual performances of the Paul Ricard weekend. The rookie showed pace from the start and repeatedly placed himself among the leading group.
He qualified fourth for Race 1 and converted that into third on the road, securing a podium in the opening race of the season. He then finished ninth in the Sprint Race, before fighting at the front again in Race 2.
On Sunday, Powell crossed the line third after battling with Egozi, Al Azhari, Eyckmans and Lammers. However, a 10-second penalty for overtaking out of track limits and not giving the position back dropped him to tenth in the final classification.
That penalty cost him a second podium, but it did not erase the bigger picture. Powell showed genuine front-running pace across the weekend and helped Griffin Core sit fourth in the Teams’ Championship after Round 1.
His next task will be turning speed into cleaner results. If he can reduce penalties and maximise race execution, he has already shown that he belongs in the podium fight.
Honourable mentions underline 2026 Eurocup-3 depth
Several other drivers also deserve attention after the Paul Ricard opener.
Gianmarco Pradel produced one of the standout laps of the weekend in Qualifying 2, taking pole with a 1:54.902. That performance shifted momentum away from Al Azhari and confirmed MP Motorsport’s strength. However, Race 2 ended in retirement after technical problems, limiting his overall points return.
Christopher El Feghali also made a major impact by winning the Sprint Race for Drivex. His restart execution and late-race composure gave the team a standout result. Although he sits seventh in the standings, his victory showed that Drivex can capitalise when opportunities arise.
Enzo Tarnvanichkul impressed for Griffin Core as well. He finished second in the Sprint Race and showed strong pace across testing, adding another layer to the team’s encouraging start.
Genaro Trappa deserves mention after scoring solid points for Hitech, particularly with sixth in Race 2. Kacper Sztuka also opened his account for Tecnicar, helping the new team leave Paul Ricard with points from its first weekend.
Together, these performances underline the depth of the 2026 Eurocup-3 field. The championship already looks capable of producing different winners, surprise podiums and shifting competitive narratives from round to round.
Paul Ricard sets up an open championship fight
Paul Ricard gave Eurocup-3 a lively and unpredictable start to its 2026 season. Egozi leaves as the early benchmark, but Al Azhari showed enough raw pace to suggest he can challenge immediately. Meanwhile, Eyckmans, Lammers and Powell proved that the rookie class will play a major role in the overall championship picture.
The teams’ battle also looks finely balanced. MP Motorsport leads after using its depth effectively, but Palou Motorsport sits close behind thanks to Egozi’s strong weekend. Hitech has a race winner in Al Azhari, while Griffin Core already has podium-level pace through Powell and Tarnvanichkul.
Therefore, the opening round offered direction without certainty. Egozi has the points lead, but the field has already shown enough variety to prevent the title fight from looking settled.
As Eurocup-3 moves on from Paul Ricard, the championship has several drivers capable of shaping the next phase of the season. That makes Egozi, Al Azhari, Eyckmans, Lammers and Powell the clearest names to watch after Round 1.
