Taito Kato admitted he had “mixed feelings” after finishing second in Feature Race 1 of the 2026 FIA Formula 3 (F3) Madrid Round, having started from pole position.
The ART Grand Prix driver was targeting his second victory of the season but ultimately finished behind Pedro Clerot, securing his fourth podium of the campaign.
“It is a mixed feeling because I started from pole position and wanted to win,” Kato said during the FIA F3 post-Feature Race 1 Press Conference, attended by Pit Debrief.
“Huge congratulations to Pedro. His pace was very strong. From my side the car was really good, but it was difficult to overtake. Still, P2 is a strong result and a good haul of points. The car was great to drive and I think it puts us in a good position for tomorrow as well.”
Kato also revealed that his race was almost compromised before it had even started, with ART GP forced to address a problem with his car before the Formation Lap.
“We had a small issue with the car before the Formation Lap and the team did a great job fixing it,” he explained.
“I was a little worried because things were not going smoothly and that created some frustration. Even so, I managed to stay focused and convert it into a P2 finish, which makes me happy.”
Starting from P4 for Feature Race 2
With Kato starting fourth in the final race of the Madrid weekend, Pit Debrief asked him about his approach to the opening lap, particularly with several positions in the championship still to be decided and the top drivers starting towards the front.
“Yeah, I think for sure a good opportunity to P3 in the drivers’ ranking for tomorrow if I have a good point in the bag,” Kato said.
“Yeah, starting from P4 for tomorrow, so I think a good opportunity to gain some points. But yeah, just focus on the race. I don’t care about the championship, just focus on the race and then enjoy, and then this last round, the last race of the year.
“So yeah, just thinking about what can I do in the race, so just enjoy the moment with the team and then yeah, just show what I can do.”
Not easy to overtake at the Madring
Kato was also asked about La Monumental, one of the standout corners of the new Madrid circuit, and described the section as “really incredible to drive”.
“Yeah, as both drivers say [Clerot and Taponen], that corner is really incredible to drive,” he said. “The car was like a little bit bottoming, but I have to be flat out and then if you want to gain a lot of time you have to be flat out, even though it’s really physical with the corners.”
The difficulty of overtaking was another key feature of the Feature Race 1 in the F3 Madrid Round, with Kato agreeing that the new street circuit offered limited opportunities to make moves.
“Yeah, obviously not a lot of opportunity to overtake here,” Kato explained. “I was able to overtake one time for Tuukka in the Sprint Race, but it’s on the edge, I would say.
“So it’s not a lot of opportunity to overtake in front. So yeah, it’s always difficult, you know. Formula 3 is already really difficult to overtake in this category. So yeah, obviously a street circuit, it’s not an easy one, to be honest.”
