F3 2026 Barcelona Qualifying got underway at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Friday afternoon. It followed Free Practice earlier in the day, where Campos Racing locked out the top three with Naël, Ugochukwu, and Rivera. With just 30 minutes on the clock and one lap likely to decide grid positions, every driver headed out looking to make their mark at the Barcelona-Catalunya GP.
Ricardo Escotto lined up for his first Qualifying session in Formula 3, having stepped in for Brad Benavides. Benavides is unable to race after sustaining an injury in Monaco. Escotto, Rivera, and Shin had all missed pre-season testing at the circuit. As a result, Qualifying presented an added challenge for the trio after Free Practice.
2026 F3 Barcelona-Catalunya GP Qualifying gets underway
Drivers headed out quickly as F3 2026 Barcelona Qualifying got underway. Naël headed out early looking to secure a third consecutive pole position of the season.
Naël set off on his first flying lap and went purple in Sector 1. However, his lap came in at a 1:29.3, well off the pace expected from the practice leader. Meanwhile, Ugochukwu went purple through the first two sectors. Sharp had gone off at Turn 9 early in the session, losing what had been a promising lap after going purple in Sector 1.
Ugochukwu leads the early running
After the first flying laps, Ugochukwu moved to the top of the timesheets with a 1:28.707. The Campos Racing driver went fastest ahead of ART Grand Prix’s Kato, while teammate Rivera completed the top three.
Meanwhile, Campos’ rivals looked increasingly competitive. Kato split the Campos drivers in second, while Enzo Deligny also moved into the leading group before later losing his lap time for exceeding track limits.
Elsewhere, Sharp remained without a representative lap after running off at Turn 9. He had gone purple in Sector 1 before the mistake ended what had been a promising opening attempt.
Track limits also proved costly for several drivers with many having their lap times deleted early into the session.
Drivers return to the pits before the decisive runs
Following the opening runs, drivers returned to the pit lane for fresh tyres. With track temperatures significantly higher than they had been during Free Practice, conditions presented an additional challenge as teams prepared for the final stages of F3 2026 Barcelona Qualifying.
Although Ugochukwu held a sizeable advantage at the top of the timesheets, the margins behind remained extremely tight. Kato sat second ahead of Rivera, while several drivers remained within striking distance heading into the final runs.
As drivers headed back onto the circuit, the battle for track position intensified. Several cars ran side by side leaving the pit lane as they searched for space before beginning their final flying laps.
Naël responds to reclaim provisional pole position
With less than ten minutes remaining, the second round of flying laps got underway. Bruno del Pino briefly moved to the top of the order before improvements from Ugochukwu and Brando Badoer pushed the Spaniard back down the classification.
However, Naël responded emphatically. After setting purple sectors through the first two sectors, the Campos Racing driver crossed the line with a 1:28.263 to reclaim provisional pole position by more than three tenths.
Ugochukwu improved to second and finished just 0.039s behind his teammate, while Badoer moved into third. Rivera also strengthened Campos’ position near the front by climbing into the top five.
As the session entered its closing minutes, Campos Racing held four of the top five positions. Nevertheless, with several drivers still on improving laps, the fight for pole position at the Barcelona-Catalunya GP remained far from settled.
Naël seals third consecutive pole position in Barcelona
The final minutes of F3 Barcelona Qualifying proved frantic as drivers attempted one last improvement. However, several competitors struggled to find time on their final runs after gravel was dragged onto the circuit and track limits continued to catch out drivers.
Shin brought out brief concern after running wide at Turn 9 and damaging his front wing. Although the driver managed to return to the pit lane, the incident ended his final attempt, though he was able to return to the pit lane without bringing out a yellow flag.
While Slater, Kato, and others improved their personal bests, none could challenge the Campos Racing pair at the front. Instead, Yamakoshi produced a late improvement to climb into third place, securing one of the team’s strongest qualifying results of the season.
At the flag, Naël’s 1:28.263 remained unbeaten, securing his third consecutive pole position of the 2026 Formula 3 season. Ugo Ugochukwu finished second, just 0.039s behind his Campos Racing teammate, while Yamakoshi completed the top three.
Badoer qualified fourth for Rodin Motorsport ahead of Kato in fifth. Home favourite Bruno del Pino finished sixth. Ernesto Rivera, Deligny, Taponen, and Slater rounded out the top ten. However, several lap times remained under investigation for track limits infringements after the session, leaving the classification provisional.
