The 2026 Eurocup-3 Championship weekend at Paul Ricard continued with a thrilling Sprint Race just hours after James Egozi had celebrated victory in the opening round. The session promised intense action from the outset, with Griffin Core’s Enzo Tarnvanichkul starting on pole and Drivex’s Christopher El Feghali alongside him in P2. Both drivers had shown pace in practice, making a fierce front-row battle inevitable.
The Sprint Race quickly developed into a story of battles across the field, mid-pack skirmishes, and high-pressure duels for every position. While the focus remained on the lead, the start saw drama as several drivers stalled on the grid, affecting the dynamics at the back of the field and opening opportunities for those starting further down. With drivers from Griffin Core, Drivex, Palou Motorsport, MP Motorsport, Hitech, and other teams all pushing hard, the race promised to be a spectacle for fans, combining speed, skill, and strategic overtakes.
Explosive start and early position changes as 2026 Eurocup-3 Sprint Race gets underway at Paul Ricard
As the lights went green, Tarnvanichkul made a strong launch to maintain the lead, while El Feghali stayed close behind, immediately challenging for the top spot. Meanwhile, MP Motorsport’s Gianmarco Pradel and Alceu Feldmann engaged in side-by-side racing, both seeking to secure podium contention. René Lammers, who had initially gained positions, suffered damage and began losing ground, showing that even a strong start could not guarantee success in a race of attrition and precision.
Further back, James Egozi, the Race 1 winner, began carving his way through the pack after Ean Eyckmans temporarily lost positions on Lap 2. Egozi’s progression demonstrated both his speed and tactical awareness, as he seized opportunities to gain ground amidst the mid-field battle. Keanu Al Azhari also engaged in an intense fight with Rafael Perard for P8. Although a first challenge stalled due to a lock-up, Al Azhari eventually overtook Perard, while Perard came under immediate pressure from Alex Powell. Elsewhere, Bianca Bustamante impressed by moving past Linus Lundqvist to take P23, highlighting the fierce competitiveness even in the lower reaches of the grid.
Mid-race incidents and Safety Car intervention
The intensity of the race escalated when Luca Viisoreanu and Rayan Caretti collided, leaving Caretti stranded facing the wrong way and forcing him into the pit lane. Viisoreanu also sustained damage and retired shortly after, showing how quickly fortunes could change. Feldmann’s retirement compounded the chaos, triggering a Safety Car period that neutralised the race and compressed the field.
The Safety Car reshaped the strategic landscape, erasing any gaps the leaders had built and creating a tense restart scenario. Drivers prepared for a final-lap showdown, with positions tightly packed and every move potentially decisive.
El Feghali secures victory after two-lap shootout
With just under a minute remaining, the Safety Car returned to the pit lane. El Feghali executed a perfect restart, pulling ahead of Tarnvanichkul and setting the tone for the closing laps. Behind them, the midfield saw fierce battles: Al Azhari defended his P7 from Perard despite a slow restart, while Thomas Strauven surged past Powell and Perard to claim P8, showcasing his aggressive overtaking skills. Powell later regained P9, with Perard settling for P10. Trappa, after battling with Panetta, ran wide and fell down the order, demonstrating the unforgiving nature of the final laps.
El Feghali maintained his composure throughout the final laps, fending off Tarnvanichkul to take the race win. Tarnvanichkul finished a close second, while James Egozi claimed the final podium position in third. Eyckmans secured fourth, followed by Pradel in fifth and Dall’Agnol in sixth. Al Azhari’s defensive drive earned him seventh place, while Strauven’s late-race charge brought him into eighth. Powell and Perard completed the top ten, with Fiorentino, Panetta, and Sztuka finishing just behind.
Four drivers failed to finish the race: Trappa, Feldmann, Caretti, and Kolovos, all victims of the session’s high-pressure incidents and collisions.
2026 Eurocup-3: Paul Ricard: Saturday: Race 2: Results
- #7 Chistopher El Feghali (R) – Drivex
- #10 Enzo Tarnvanichkul – Griffin Core
- #48 James Egozi – Palou Motorsport
- #4 Ean Eyckmans (R) – MP Motorsport
- #12 Gianmarco Pradel – MP Motorsport
- #27 Heitor Dall’Agnol (R) – Palou Motorsport
- #14 Keanu Al Azhari – Hitech
- #9 Thomas Strauven (R) – Griffin Core
- #41 Alex Powell (R) – Griffin Core
- #33 Rafael Perard (R) – Palou Motorsport
- #37 Filippo Fiorentino (R) – Drivex
- #39 Santino Panetta (R) – Hitech
- #2 Kacper Sztuka – Tecnicar
- #5 Patrick Heuzenroeder – Griffin Core
- #23 Stefan Bostandjiev – Hitech
- #77 Bart Harrison (R) – Double R
- #26 Linus Lundqvist – Double R
- #22 Andrej Petrovic (R) – Tecnicar
- #99 René Lammers (R) – MP Motorsport
- #70 Andre Rodriguez (R) – GRS
- #16 Bianca Bustamante – Palou Motorsport
- #91 Lorenzo Campos (R) – Double R
- #3 Edouard Borgna – Drivex
- #31 Renzo Barbuy (R) – TC Racing
- #11 Luca Viisoreanu (R) – TC Racing
- #20 Benjamin Beckley (R) – Tecnicar
DNF:
- #84 Geno Trappa (R) – Hitech
- #8 Alceu Feldmann – MP Motorsport
- #44 Rayan Caretti (R) – GRS
- #6 Stylianos Kolovos (R) – Drivex
