Qualifying 1 at the 2026 Eurocup-3 round at Portimão produced a tightly fought battle across the field, with Chistopher El Feghali emerging on top after a decisive early benchmark. The Drivex rookie delivered a 1:36.133 to secure pole position, narrowly denying Keanu Al Azhari by just 0.061 seconds as the second round of the season opened in competitive fashion.
El Feghali strikes first at Portimão
The opening Qualifying session unfolded on a dry track, with drivers pushing quickly to establish rhythm around the undulating Algarve International Circuit. In a session defined by fine margins, El Feghali produced the standout lap on his fifth tour, setting a 1:36.133 at an average speed of 174.2 kph. His effort ultimately remained unbeaten, giving Drivex and the Lebanese rookie a strong start to the weekend.
However, El Feghali faced immediate pressure from Al Azhari, who continued his strong early-season qualifying form. The Hitech driver posted a 1:36.194 on his sixth lap, falling just 0.061 seconds short of pole. Although the margin was slim, it proved decisive, leaving Al Azhari second on the grid and ensuring another close fight at the front.
Behind them, René Lammers kept MP Motorsport firmly in contention. The Dutch rookie secured third with a 1:36.270, finishing only 0.137 seconds away from El Feghali’s pole time. Meanwhile, Alex Powell claimed fourth for Griffin Core by Campos, just 0.179 seconds off the benchmark, while James Egozi completed the top five for Palou Motorsport with a 1:36.335.
As a result, the leading five were separated by only 0.202 seconds, underlining the competitiveness of the field and the importance of clean execution in Qualifying 1.
Griffin Core by Campos stays firmly in the fight
Griffin Core by Campos also enjoyed a productive session, placing three cars inside the top seven. Powell led the team’s effort in fourth, while Patrick Heuzenroeder followed in sixth with a 1:36.365. Thomas Strauven then added further strength to the team’s result, securing seventh with a 1:36.371.
Notably, the gap between Heuzenroeder and Strauven was only 0.006 seconds, reinforcing how compressed the order became as the session developed. With Kacper Sztuka close behind in eighth for Tecnicar by Amtog, the battle just outside the top five remained equally intense.
Further back, Rafael Perard continued Palou Motorsport’s presence near the front by taking ninth, while Hitech rookie Genaro Trappa completed the top ten. Trappa’s 1:36.538 left him 0.405 seconds off pole, meaning the entire top ten sat within just over four tenths of El Feghali’s time.
Rookies make their mark in a compressed field
The rookie contingent played a major role throughout the session. El Feghali, Lammers, Powell, Strauven, Perard and Trappa all placed inside the top ten, highlighting the strength of the emerging talent in the 2026 Eurocup-3 field.
Bart Harrison also delivered a solid run for Double R, finishing 11th with a 1:36.563, while Heitor Dall’Agnol took 12th for Palou Motorsport. Ean Eyckmans, who had shown strong pace in previous sessions, had to settle for 13th for MP Motorsport, ahead of Santino Panetta and Filippo Fiorentino.
Meanwhile, Enzo Tarnvanichkul placed 16th for Griffin Core by Campos, followed by Rayan Caretti and Gianmarco Pradel. For Pradel, who had been a major factor in the previous round’s qualifying battle, 18th represented a more difficult opening session at Portimão.
The midfield remained exceptionally close, with several drivers split by only hundredths of a second. As positions changed rapidly, even minor improvements proved decisive in determining grid order.
El Feghali sets the benchmark
Further down the order, Tommy Harfield finished 19th for Double R, ahead of Hitech’s Stefan Bostandjiev in 20th. Casper Stevenson placed 21st for Tecnicar by Amtog, while Alceu Feldmann followed in 22nd for MP Motorsport.
Lorenzo Campos, Luca Viisoreanu, Bianca Bustamante, Edouard Borgna, Jakob Bergmeister, Stylianos Kolovos, Benjamin Beckley and Renzo Barbuy completed the classification.
Ultimately, El Feghali’s early lap proved enough to define the session. Although Al Azhari, Lammers, Powell and Egozi all remained within striking distance, none could dislodge the Drivex rookie from the top of the order. With the top five covered by just over two tenths, the Portimão weekend began with a clear message: the fight for victory remains wide open.
2026 Eurocup-3: Portimão: Qualifying 1: Results
- #7 Chistopher El Feghali (R) – Drivex – 1:36.133
- #14 Keanu Al Azhari – Hitech – 1:36.194
- #99 René Lammers (R) – MP Motorsport – 1:36.270
- #41 Alex Powell (R) – Griffin Core by Campos – 1:36.312
- #48 James Egozi – Palou Motorsport – 1:36.335
- #5 Patrick Heuzenroeder – Griffin Core by Campos – 1:36.365
- #9 Thomas Strauven (R) – Griffin Core by Campos – 1:36.371
- #2 Kacper Sztuka – Tecnicar by Amtog – 1:36.416
- #33 Rafael Perard (R) – Palou Motorsport – 1:36.488
- #84 Genaro Trappa (R) – Hitech – 1:36.538
- #77 Bart Harrison (R) – Double R – 1:36.563
- #27 Heitor Dall’Agnol (R) – Palou Motorsport – 1:36.579
- #4 Ean Eyckmans (R) – MP Motorsport – 1:36.618
- #39 Santino Panetta (R) – Hitech – 1:36.662
- #37 Filippo Fiorentino (R) – Drivex – 1:36.671
- #10 Enzo Tarnvanichkul – Griffin Core by Campos – 1:36.699
- #44 Rayan Caretti (R) – GRS – 1:36.756
- #12 Gianmarco Pradel – MP Motorsport – 1:36.805
- #26 Tommy Harfield (R) – Double R – 1:36.852
- #23 Stefan Bostandjiev – Hitech – 1:36.914
- #22 Casper Stevenson – Tecnicar by Amtog – 1:37.042
- #8 Alceu Feldmann – MP Motorsport – 1:37.263
- #91 Lorenzo Campos (R) – Double R – 1:37.409
- #11 Luca Viisoreanu (R) – TC Racing – 1:37.434
- #16 Bianca Bustamante – Palou Motorsport – 1:37.572
- #3 Edouard Borgna – Drivex – 1:37.719
- #70 Jakob Bergmeister – GRS – 1:37.814
- #6 Stylianos Kolovos (R) – Drivex – 1:37.863
- #20 Benjamin Beckley (R) – Tecnicar by Amtog – 1:38.031
- #31 Renzo Barbuy (R) – TC Racing – 1:38.178
