2026 FIA F3 post-season testing | Day 1 | De Palo tops Barcelona opening day for MP Motorsport

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MP Motorsport’s Matteo De Palo recorded the fastest lap on the opening day of 2026 FIA Formula 3 (F3) post-season testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, delivering a 1:28.516 during Monday morning’s session. The Italian finished 0.269s ahead of Rodin Motorsport’s Alessandro Giusti, while Campos Racing’s Ernesto Rivera completed the morning top three.

Rivera subsequently led the afternoon session with a 1:28.549, finishing 0.112s ahead of Van Amersfoort Racing’s Enzo Deligny. Giusti continued his competitive performance by securing third, while Hitech’s Keanu Al Azhari and Jin Nakamura completed the leading five in the published afternoon classification. However, Rivera’s benchmark remained 0.033s slower than De Palo’s morning effort, allowing the MP Motorsport driver to retain the fastest overall time of the day.

The opening day marked the beginning of the final two days of official 2026 post-season testing, with all ten teams continuing preparations for the 2027 championship. Although several drivers concentrated on qualifying simulations during the morning, the afternoon featured more extensive race-focused running as teams gathered additional data before the winter break.

De Palo establishes fastest benchmark during morning session

The opening three-hour session began relatively quietly as teams completed systems checks and initial exploratory laps around the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. With drivers and engineers continuing their preparations following the opening post-season test at Jerez, several teams initially prioritised their technical programmes rather than setting representative lap times.

Van Amersfoort Racing’s Rashid Al Dhaheri established the early benchmark with a 1:30.471, recording the only representative time during the opening hour. However, activity increased considerably as the session approached its halfway point, with AIX Racing’s Gabriel Gomez moving to the top of the timesheets.

The Brazilian initially recorded a 1:30.206 before improving to 1:30.048, placing himself ahead of teammate Dion Gowda. Their performances briefly secured the leading two positions for AIX Racing as more drivers began their qualifying-focused runs.

Meanwhile, Rodin Motorsport’s Giusti subsequently moved ahead with a 1:29.394, lowering the benchmark as the session entered its final hour. His improvement also brought the leading time below 1:30 for the first time, demonstrating the progress teams had made as track activity increased.

However, the order changed again when Campos Racing’s Rivera completed a 1:28.911, becoming the first driver to break the 1:29 barrier. His effort initially established an advantage approaching half a second, although Deligny subsequently reduced the deficit to less than two tenths.

De Palo delivers late improvement to secure morning top spot

With the final 15 minutes approaching, De Palo emerged as the leading contender for the fastest time. The Italian, who will join MP Motorsport for the 2027 championship after competing with Trident in 2026, delivered a 1:28.516 to move ahead of Rivera and establish a new benchmark.

His performance represented a significant improvement on the earlier leading times, placing him firmly at the top as the session approached its conclusion. Having confirmed his switch to MP Motorsport for 2027, De Palo’s fastest lap provided an encouraging result as he continued adapting to his new team.

Meanwhile, Giusti also improved during the closing stages, recording a 1:28.785 to move into second. Rivera subsequently lowered his own benchmark to 1:28.837 but could not regain the lead, leaving him third ahead of Deligny.

ART Grand Prix’s Taito Kato completed the leading five with a 1:29.167, while MP Motorsport’s Zhenrui Chi secured sixth, giving the Dutch outfit two drivers among the morning’s top six. Gomez eventually finished seventh, followed by ART Grand Prix’s Enzo Yeh, Campos Racing’s Salim Hanna and DAMS Lucas Oil’s Miguel Costa.

However, the session ended prematurely when Rodin Motorsport’s Reza Seewooruthun stopped on track, prompting officials to deploy the red flag. With only a handful of minutes remaining, Race Control elected not to restart the session, confirming De Palo as the morning’s fastest driver.

Rivera leads afternoon as teams concentrate on longer runs

Following the morning’s qualifying-focused programme, teams shifted their attention towards longer runs and race simulations during the afternoon. Rather than immediately attempting competitive single-lap times, several drivers concentrated on gathering information about tyre behaviour, consistency and performance over extended distances.

The opening stages consequently featured relatively limited track activity, with several teams remaining in the garages as their engineers evaluated information from the morning. However, running increased during the second half of the session as drivers returned to the circuit to complete their planned programmes.

Trident initially occupied the leading three positions, with Kean Nakamura-Berta heading teammates Niccolò Maccagnani and Sebastian Wheldon. The British driver had previously topped the opening day at Jerez, where he recorded a 1:31.169 to finish just 0.002s ahead of Campos Racing’s Mattia Colnaghi.

Nevertheless, the Barcelona afternoon order changed as more drivers completed competitive laps. Deligny moved ahead of the Trident trio before De Palo briefly returned to the top, continuing his strong performance after leading the morning session.

Giusti subsequently improved to a 1:28.685, moving Rodin Motorsport ahead as the session approached its final stages. His lap also represented a 0.100s improvement on his morning benchmark, demonstrating competitive pace across both sessions despite the team’s earlier interruption.

Rivera secures afternoon benchmark ahead of Deligny and Giusti

Although Giusti established an impressive benchmark, Rivera delivered the decisive improvement during the closing stages. The Campos Racing driver recorded a 1:28.549 with less than 20 minutes remaining, moving ahead of the Rodin driver and securing the fastest afternoon lap.

The Mexican’s effort placed him 0.112s ahead of Deligny, who improved to 1:28.661. Giusti eventually finished third with his 1:28.685, completing another competitive session after securing second during the morning.

Meanwhile, Hitech’s Al Azhari produced a strong late performance to finish fourth with a 1:28.975. Nakamura completed the leading five in the official classification with a 1:29.062, while Trident’s Maccagnani followed in sixth.

De Palo eventually finished seventh in the afternoon, recording a 1:29.157 across 40 laps. Although he could not replicate his morning benchmark, his earlier 1:28.516 remained the fastest time of the entire day, placing him just 0.033s ahead of Rivera’s afternoon effort.

Further back, DAMS Lucas Oil’s Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi secured eighth with a 1:29.164, followed by teammate Costa in ninth. Hanna completed the afternoon top ten for Campos Racing after recording a 1:29.317.

The session concluded without further changes to the leading positions, allowing Rivera to finish ahead of Deligny and Giusti while De Palo retained the overall Day 1 benchmark.

Rodin Motorsport and Van Amersfoort Racing demonstrate competitive pace

Although De Palo and Rivera established the outright fastest times, Rodin Motorsport and Van Amersfoort Racing also demonstrated encouraging pace throughout Monday’s running.

Giusti emerged as one of the most consistent performers, finishing second during the morning before securing third in the afternoon. The French driver completed 25 laps during the opening session and another 41 after lunch, giving him 66 laps across the day.

His performance continued Rodin’s positive post-season testing programme following the final day at Jerez, where Giusti topped the afternoon session despite encountering difficulties earlier in the day. Although his teammate Seewooruthun triggered the morning red flag at Barcelona, the team returned to substantial running during the afternoon, with the British driver completing 44 laps.

Meanwhile, Deligny delivered another competitive result for Van Amersfoort Racing. Having finished fourth during the morning, the Frenchman improved to second after lunch, recording a 1:28.661 while completing 40 afternoon laps.

His performance followed the team’s strong Jerez test, where Francisco Macedo recorded the fastest lap of the two-day event. However, Macedo did not return for Barcelona, with Yevan David joining Deligny and Al Dhaheri as the only change to the 30-driver entry list.

David finished 24th during the afternoon with a 1:29.862, completing 39 laps as he continued familiarising himself with Van Amersfoort Racing ahead of the 2027 season.

Teams accumulate valuable mileage ahead of final testing day

Beyond the leading lap times, the afternoon provided teams with an opportunity to complete substantial mileage as preparations for the upcoming championship continued. With several drivers entering their first full FIA F3 campaigns in 2027, the extended running offered valuable experience in managing tyres, maintaining consistent lap times and adapting to different fuel loads.

DAMS Lucas Oil accumulated particularly extensive mileage during the second session, with Alexander Abkhazava completing 45 laps, the highest individual total of the afternoon. Teammate Costa followed with 44, while Bhirombhakdi recorded 40, allowing the French outfit to complete 129 laps between its three drivers.

Meanwhile, Rodin Motorsport’s Seewooruthun returned after his morning stoppage to complete 44 laps, while Clerot recorded 43. Giusti added another 41, providing the British team with an opportunity to gather further information despite the earlier interruption.

MP Motorsport also completed extensive running, with Chi recording 43 afternoon laps, Maciej Gładysz completing 42 and De Palo adding 40. The trio therefore accumulated 125 laps between them, complementing the team’s competitive morning performance.

For the returning drivers, Barcelona also provided an opportunity to compare their latest performances with previous experience of the circuit. Meanwhile, newcomers continued developing their understanding of the Dallara F3 2025 as they prepared for the technical demands of a full championship campaign.

Post-session technical checks alter Seewooruthun’s morning classification

Although Seewooruthun completed 25 laps during the morning session, post-session technical checks resulted in the deletion of all his recorded times.

Officials determined that his #19 Rodin Motorsport entry had failed to provide sufficient fuel for the required post-session checks, resulting in the removal of his lap times from the classification.

Consequently, the British driver remained listed without a valid morning time despite completing 25 laps before his stoppage brought the session to an early conclusion.

The decision followed similar technical infringements during the opening post-season test at Jerez, when officials deleted afternoon lap times for two drivers following post-session checks.

Meanwhile, AIX Racing’s James Egozi also appeared without a classified morning time after completing seven laps, although the published Barcelona classification did not identify a corresponding penalty.

The remainder of the morning classification remained unchanged, leaving De Palo ahead of Giusti and Rivera. In the afternoon, all 30 drivers recorded classified lap times, with Rivera retaining the fastest position ahead of Deligny and Giusti.

Final FIA F3 post-season testing day scheduled for Tuesday

The opening day at Barcelona provided another opportunity for teams to evaluate their preparations for 2027, with MP Motorsport, Campos Racing, Rodin Motorsport and Van Amersfoort Racing demonstrating particularly competitive single-lap pace.

Although De Palo established the fastest overall benchmark, the close gap to Rivera highlighted the competitive nature of the testing field. Just 0.033s separated the Italian’s morning effort from the Mexican’s afternoon best, while Deligny and Giusti also recorded laps within two tenths of the overall benchmark.

However, the different testing programmes make direct comparisons difficult. Teams concentrated on shorter qualifying simulations during the morning before prioritising longer runs after lunch, with variations in fuel loads, tyre conditions and track evolution influencing the results.

The field will return to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Tuesday, 27 October, for the fourth and final day of official 2026 post-season testing. The morning session will begin at 09:00 local time (CET) and conclude at 12:00, with the afternoon session scheduled from 13:00 until 16:00.

Following the conclusion of Tuesday’s running, teams will begin analysing the information collected across Jerez and Barcelona before the winter break. The final test will therefore provide another opportunity for returning drivers and newcomers to strengthen their preparations ahead of the 2027 FIA Formula 3 Championship.

2026 FIA F3 Barcelona post-season testing: Day 1 results

The following classifications reflect the official FIA Formula 3 results published after Monday’s sessions, including the deletion of Seewooruthun’s morning lap times.