2026 | Eurocup-3 | Portimão | Official Collective Test | Perard and Powell set early benchmarks as ahead of Round 2 competition

The 2026 Eurocup-3 field began its Round 2 preparations at Portimão with two competitive Official Collective Test sessions, as Rafael Perard and Alex Powell set the pace. Perard topped Official Collective Test 1 for Palou Motorsport, before Powell responded for Griffin Core by Campos in Official Collective Test 2.

Across the morning, Palou Motorsport, Griffin Core by Campos, MP Motorsport, Hitech, Tecnicar by Amtog and Drivex all featured near the front. However, Perard’s 1:36.825 from the opening session stood as the overall benchmark. Powell came closest later in the day with a 1:36.872, leaving just 0.047 seconds between the two fastest laps.

Therefore, the early Portimão running immediately pointed towards another tightly contested Eurocup-3 weekend. Rookies also played a central role, with Perard, Powell, Heitor Dall’Agnol, Thomas Strauven, Ean Eyckmans, René Lammers, Tommy Harfield and Chistopher El Feghali all appearing near the front across the two sessions.

Perard puts Palou Motorsport on top in Test 1

Perard opened the day in impressive fashion, setting a 1:36.825 to lead Official Collective Test 1 for Palou Motorsport. His lap came on his 15th tour and placed him 0.143 seconds clear of Powell, who secured second for Griffin Core by Campos with a 1:36.968.

Palou Motorsport enjoyed an excellent start to the weekend. James Egozi placed third with a 1:37.001, while Dall’Agnol followed closely in fourth with a 1:37.007. As a result, the team placed three cars inside the top four and immediately established itself as one of the strongest outfits in the opening running.

Griffin Core by Campos also showed strong early pace. Patrick Heuzenroeder completed the top five, while Strauven and Enzo Tarnvanichkul later placed seventh and tenth respectively. Meanwhile, Keanu Al Azhari took sixth for Hitech, ahead of Strauven, Eyckmans, Kacper Sztuka and Tarnvanichkul.

Further back, the margins remained extremely close. The top ten sat within 0.454 seconds of Perard’s benchmark, while the top 22 drivers all finished within one second. Consequently, Test 1 offered an early indication of the depth and competitiveness in the 2026 Eurocup-3 field.

2026 Eurocup-3 Portimão Official Collective Test 1 results

1. #33 Rafael Perard (R) – Palou Motorsport – 1:36.825
2. #41 Alex Powell (R) – Griffin Core by Campos – 1:36.968
3. #48 James Egozi – Palou Motorsport – 1:37.001
4. #27 Heitor Dall’Agnol (R) – Palou Motorsport – 1:37.007
5. #5 Patrick Heuzenroeder – Griffin Core by Campos – 1:37.046
6. #14 Keanu Al Azhari – Hitech – 1:37.140
7. #9 Thomas Strauven (R) – Griffin Core by Campos – 1:37.169
8. #4 Ean Eyckmans (R) – MP Motorsport – 1:37.225
9. #2 Kacper Sztuka – Tecnicar by Amtog – 1:37.244
10. #10 Enzo Tarnvanichkul – Griffin Core by Campos – 1:37.279
11. #26 Tommy Harfield (R) – Double R – 1:37.381
12. #99 René Lammers (R) – MP Motorsport – 1:37.414
13. #84 Genaro Trappa (R) – Hitech – 1:37.419
14. #12 Gianmarco Pradel – MP Motorsport – 1:37.445
15. #39 Santino Panetta (R) – Hitech – 1:37.455
16. #37 Filippo Fiorentino (R) – Drivex – 1:37.468
17. #23 Stefan Bostandjiev – Hitech – 1:37.557
18. #8 Alceu Feldmann – MP Motorsport – 1:37.579
19. #91 Lorenzo Campos (R) – Double R – 1:37.596
20. #44 Rayan Caretti (R) – GRS – 1:37.605
21. #11 Luca Viisoreanu (R) – TC Racing – 1:37.628
22. #77 Bart Harrison (R) – Double R – 1:37.652
23. #6 Stylianos Kolovos (R) – Drivex – 1:37.894
24. #3 Edouard Borgna – Drivex – 1:38.063
25. #16 Bianca Bustamante – Palou Motorsport – 1:38.193
26. #70 Jakob Bergmeister – GRS – 1:38.522
27. #31 Renzo Barbuy (R) – TC Racing – 1:38.738
28. #20 Benjamin Beckley (R) – Tecnicar by Amtog – 1:39.328
29. #22 Casper Stevenson – Tecnicar by Amtog – 1:39.433
30. #7 Chistopher El Feghali (R) – Drivex – No time listed

Powell responds for Griffin Core by Campos in Test 2

Powell then gave Griffin Core by Campos the headline result in Official Collective Test 2. The American set a 1:36.872 on his 14th lap, edging El Feghali by only 0.022 seconds.

El Feghali’s second-place finish marked a strong response after his Test 1 classification showed no time due to a transponder signal issue. The Drivex rookie delivered a 1:36.894 in Test 2 and placed himself firmly among the early frontrunners.

Eyckmans continued the strong rookie theme by placing third for MP Motorsport with a 1:37.010. Sztuka followed in fourth for Tecnicar by Amtog, while Lammers completed the top five for MP Motorsport. Therefore, the second session produced another varied order, with several teams represented inside the leading positions.

Tarnvanichkul placed sixth for Griffin Core by Campos, ahead of Keanu Al Azhari, Harfield, Filippo Fiorentino and Alceu Feldmann. As a result, Griffin Core by Campos and MP Motorsport both placed multiple cars inside the top ten, while Drivex, Hitech, Tecnicar by Amtog and Double R also showed encouraging pace.

2026 Eurocup-3 Portimão Official Collective Test 2 results

1. #41 Alex Powell (R) – Griffin Core by Campos – 1:36.872
2. #7 Chistopher El Feghali (R) – Drivex – 1:36.894
3. #4 Ean Eyckmans (R) – MP Motorsport – 1:37.010
4. #2 Kacper Sztuka – Tecnicar by Amtog – 1:37.208
5. #99 René Lammers (R) – MP Motorsport – 1:37.215
6. #10 Enzo Tarnvanichkul – Griffin Core by Campos – 1:37.220
7. #14 Keanu Al Azhari – Hitech – 1:37.333
8. #26 Tommy Harfield (R) – Double R – 1:37.457
9. #37 Filippo Fiorentino (R) – Drivex – 1:37.504
10. #8 Alceu Feldmann – MP Motorsport – 1:37.512
11. #77 Bart Harrison (R) – Double R – 1:37.562
12. #9 Thomas Strauven (R) – Griffin Core by Campos – 1:37.653
13. #11 Luca Viisoreanu (R) – TC Racing – 1:37.670
14. #44 Rayan Caretti (R) – GRS – 1:37.694
15. #84 Genaro Trappa (R) – Hitech – 1:37.711
16. #39 Santino Panetta (R) – Hitech – 1:37.715
17. #91 Lorenzo Campos (R) – Double R – 1:37.732
18. #22 Casper Stevenson – Tecnicar by Amtog – 1:37.808
19. #5 Patrick Heuzenroeder – Griffin Core by Campos – 1:37.909
20. #27 Heitor Dall’Agnol (R) – Palou Motorsport – 1:37.930
21. #48 James Egozi – Palou Motorsport – 1:37.934
22. #33 Rafael Perard (R) – Palou Motorsport – 1:37.982
23. #23 Stefan Bostandjiev – Hitech – 1:38.156
24. #12 Gianmarco Pradel – MP Motorsport – 1:38.223
25. #6 Stylianos Kolovos (R) – Drivex – 1:38.234
26. #3 Edouard Borgna – Drivex – 1:38.510
27. #70 Jakob Bergmeister – GRS – 1:38.723
28. #20 Benjamin Beckley (R) – Tecnicar by Amtog – 1:38.910
29. #31 Renzo Barbuy (R) – TC Racing – 1:38.918
30. #16 Bianca Bustamante – Palou Motorsport – 1:39.252

Rookies take centre stage at Portimão

The opening test running placed several rookies at the centre of the competitive picture. Perard topped Test 1, Powell finished second in Test 1 before leading Test 2, and Dall’Agnol gave Palou Motorsport another rookie inside the top four in the first session.

Meanwhile, Eyckmans built momentum for MP Motorsport. He finished eighth in Test 1 and then improved to third in Test 2, giving the team one of its strongest results of the morning. Lammers also added another rookie presence near the front by finishing fifth in Test 2.

El Feghali produced one of the clearest turnarounds. After his Test 1 result went unrecorded, he returned in Test 2 and missed the top spot by just 0.022 seconds. Consequently, Drivex also left the early running with a clear positive despite the earlier transponder issue.

Palou Motorsport and Griffin Core by Campos lead the early team battle

Palou Motorsport made the strongest collective statement in Test 1. Perard led the session, while Egozi and Dall’Agnol placed third and fourth. That result gave the team three cars inside the top four and showed strong single-lap pace from the start.

However, Griffin Core by Campos answered across both sessions. Powell placed second in Test 1 and then topped Test 2, while Heuzenroeder, Strauven and Tarnvanichkul all featured inside the top ten at different stages. Therefore, Griffin Core by Campos looked strong across both headline pace and overall depth.

MP Motorsport also moved forward in Test 2. Eyckmans, Lammers and Feldmann finished third, fifth and tenth respectively, while Pradel had already placed 14th in Test 1. Hitech also showed consistency, with Keanu Al Azhari finishing sixth in Test 1 and seventh in Test 2.

Competitive picture remains wide open after first two tests

Overall, the first two Official Collective Test sessions produced a balanced start to Eurocup-3’s Portimão weekend. Perard ended Test 1 fastest with the best time of the day, while Powell responded in Test 2 and confirmed Griffin Core by Campos as a major early threat.

However, no team controlled both sessions. Palou Motorsport started strongly, Griffin Core by Campos answered immediately, MP Motorsport improved, and Drivex showed front-running pace through El Feghali. Meanwhile, Hitech, Tecnicar by Amtog and Double R remained close enough to influence the order.

Therefore, the early Portimão running suggests a highly competitive Round 2. With the margins already tight and rookies regularly appearing near the front, the rest of the weekend should offer another demanding test for the Eurocup-3 field.