Rafael Perard delivered a late lap to claim pole position in the opening 2026 Eurocup-3 Qualifying session at Monza, leading championship leader James Egozi in a Palou Motorsport one-two.
The French rookie produced a 1:41.324 on his 11th and final lap, beating teammate Egozi by 0.086 seconds. Alex Powell completed the top three for Griffin Core by Campos, exactly another 0.086s behind, while Gianmarco Pradel put MP Motorsport fourth.
However, Egozi will not retain his front-row starting position for Race 1. The final classification includes a five-place grid penalty for the championship leader, meaning he will drop from second for the next race in which he participates.
Perard leads Palou Motorsport one-two in Qualifying 1
Perard produced a significant improvement from Friday’s Official Previous Test running to put Palou Motorsport at the top of the first competitive session of the weekend.
The rookie had finished 10th in the opening test and 13th during the afternoon but found considerably more performance when Qualifying began. After initially recording a 1:42.078 during the closing stages, Perard produced his decisive 1:41.324 on lap 11 to claim pole with an average speed of 205.8 km/h.
Egozi also left his best effort until his final lap. The championship leader recorded a 1:41.410 to secure second in the classification, giving Palou Motorsport the two quickest times and continuing the form that has placed the team at the front of both championship battles.
Powell kept Griffin Core by Campos firmly in contention with a 1:41.496. Only 0.172s separated him from Perard, while Pradel followed another 0.078s behind with a 1:41.574 for MP Motorsport.
The margins remained tight throughout the leading group. Patrick Heuzenroeder finished fifth on a 1:41.746, while Keanu Al Azhari led Hitech’s effort in sixth, 0.561s away from pole.
Friday pacesetter Lammers takes seventh
René Lammers entered Qualifying as one of the main drivers to watch after topping both Friday Official Previous Test sessions for MP Motorsport.
The Dutch rookie had set a 1:41.198 during the morning session before again leading the afternoon with a 1:41.839. His opening benchmark remained the quickest lap across Friday’s running.
However, Lammers could not reproduce that outright pace in Qualifying. His 1:41.974 placed him seventh, 0.650s behind Perard and immediately ahead of Heitor Dall’Agnol.
Dall’Agnol gave Palou Motorsport a third car inside the top eight with a 1:41.984, finishing only 0.010s behind Lammers. Christopher El Feghali followed for Drivex in ninth, while Thomas Strauven completed the top 10 for Griffin Core by Campos.
The leading 10 remained separated by only 0.736s, underlining the closely matched nature of the field around Monza.
Eyckmans starts outside the top 10
Ean Eyckmans faced a more challenging session as Egozi’s nearest Drivers’ Championship rival qualified outside the top 10.
The MP Motorsport rookie recorded a 1:42.093 to finish 11th, 0.769s behind Perard. Bart Harrison followed only 0.009s further back for Double R, leaving the pair narrowly separated heading into Race 1.
Kacper Sztuka led Tecnicar by Amtog in 13th with a 1:42.198, while rookie teammate Andrej Petrovic followed in 14th. Alceu Feldmann completed the top 15 for MP Motorsport.
Filippo Fiorentino took 16th for Drivex and finished 0.997s away from pole, making him the final driver within one second of Perard’s benchmark.
Enzo Tarnvanichkul followed in 17th ahead of Stefan Bostandjiev and Santino Panetta, while Nathan Tye completed the top 20.
Cota causes red flag and loses best lap
The session also featured a red-flag interruption involving TC Racing’s Juan Cota.
Officials deleted Cota’s best lap after determining that he caused the red flag under Article 30.7. His remaining 1:44.969 placed him 30th in the final classification, 3.645s away from Perard.
The stoppage interrupted the drivers’ first runs before the field returned to the circuit for the closing phase. Several leading contenders consequently delivered their decisive laps late in the session, including Perard and Egozi, who both set their best times on lap 11.
Renzo Barbuy placed the second TC Racing car 29th, ahead of Cota, while Benjamin Beckley finished 28th for Tecnicar by Amtog. Lorenzo Campos took 27th for Double R.
Further ahead, Bianca Bustamante qualified 23rd in the fourth Palou Motorsport car, separating Rayan Caretti and Dani Maciá. Genaro Trappa, who had finished fifth in Friday’s opening test, took 25th for Hitech.
Egozi receives five-place grid penalty
Although Egozi secured the second-fastest time, the championship leader faces a more difficult Race 1 starting position.
The final classification states that officials handed the #48 Palou Motorsport driver a five-place grid drop for the next race in which he participates under Stewards’ Decision #12. The published classification does not specify the underlying offence.
The penalty means Egozi will lose the front-row position he earned alongside Perard. Consequently, the sanction creates an opportunity for several of the drivers immediately behind him when the Race 1 grid takes shape.
Powell recorded the third-fastest time ahead of Pradel, Heuzenroeder and Al Azhari, while Lammers sits seventh in the Qualifying classification. With Egozi dropping five positions, the penalty significantly changes the picture behind polesitter Perard.
For the championship leader, it also creates additional pressure at a circuit where slipstreaming and overtaking can produce rapidly changing races. Egozi arrived at Monza with a 56-point advantage over Eyckmans and will now need to make progress after losing the front-row start his Qualifying pace had secured.
2026 Eurocup-3: Monza: Qualifying 1: Final results
- #33 Rafael Perard (R) — Palou Motorsport — 1:41.324
- #48 James Egozi — Palou Motorsport — +0.086s
- #41 Alex Powell (R) — Griffin Core by Campos — +0.172s
- #12 Gianmarco Pradel — MP Motorsport — +0.250s
- #5 Patrick Heuzenroeder — Griffin Core by Campos — +0.422s
- #14 Keanu Al Azhari — Hitech — +0.561s
- #99 René Lammers (R) — MP Motorsport — +0.650s
- #27 Heitor Dall’Agnol (R) — Palou Motorsport — +0.660s
- #7 Christopher El Feghali (R) — Drivex — +0.689s
- #9 Thomas Strauven (R) — Griffin Core by Campos — +0.736s
- #4 Ean Eyckmans (R) — MP Motorsport — +0.769s
- #77 Bart Harrison (R) — Double R — +0.778s
- #2 Kacper Sztuka — Tecnicar by Amtog — +0.874s
- #22 Andrej Petrovic (R) — Tecnicar by Amtog — +0.894s
- #8 Alceu Feldmann — MP Motorsport — +0.911s
- #37 Filippo Fiorentino (R) — Drivex — +0.997s
- #10 Enzo Tarnvanichkul — Griffin Core by Campos — +1.180s
- #23 Stefan Bostandjiev — Hitech — +1.276s
- #39 Santino Panetta (R) — Hitech — +1.342s
- #3 Nathan Tye (R) — Drivex — +1.410s
- #26 Tommy Harfield (R) — Double R — +1.467s
- #44 Rayan Caretti (R) — GRS — +1.529s
- #16 Bianca Bustamante — Palou Motorsport — +1.544s
- #70 Dani Maciá (R) — GRS — +1.554s
- #84 Genaro Trappa (R) — Hitech — +1.679s
- #6 Stylianos Kolovos (R) — Drivex — +1.717s
- #91 Lorenzo Campos (R) — Double R — +1.978s
- #20 Benjamin Beckley (R) — Tecnicar by Amtog — +2.692s
- #31 Renzo Barbuy (R) — TC Racing — +3.001s
- #11 Juan Cota (R) — TC Racing — +3.645s
Pole position: #33 Rafael Perard — 1:41.324
Qualifying penalties: Officials deleted #11 Cota’s best lap after he caused a red flag under Article 30.7. #48 Egozi received a five-place grid penalty for the next race in which he participates under Stewards’ Decision #12.
Perard gives Palou Motorsport early Monza advantage
Perard’s pole continues Palou Motorsport’s strong 2026 Qualifying form, but Egozi’s penalty prevents the team from converting its first and second-fastest laps into a front-row lockout for Race 1.
Powell emerged as the closest challenger on outright pace, while Pradel and Heuzenroeder also remained within half a second of pole. Lammers, meanwhile, could not carry his Friday testing sweep into Qualifying but remains inside the leading seven.
The session also leaves Eyckmans with work to do from 11th after arriving as Egozi’s nearest championship rival. With Egozi facing his own grid drop, both of the top two in the standings will need to make progress when Race 1 begins.
Perard, however, leaves Qualifying with the clearest advantage. After sitting outside the top 10 in both Friday tests, the Palou Motorsport rookie delivered when it mattered and secured the first starting position for Eurocup-3’s opening race at the Temple of Speed.
