2026 FIA F3 post-season testing | Day 2 | Macedo tops the second day of Van Amersfoort Racing

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Francisco Macedo secured the fastest lap of the 2026 FIA Formula 3 (F3) post-season test at Jerez, recording a 1:29.766 for Van Amersfoort Racing during Wednesday morning’s qualifying simulations. The Portuguese driver led a one-two for the Dutch outfit, finishing 0.169 seconds ahead of teammate Enzo Deligny.

Rodin Motorsport’s Pedro Clerot completed the morning’s top three, while teammate Reza Seewooruthun followed in fourth. Campos Racing’s Mattia Colnaghi rounded out the leading five after setting several competitive laps throughout the session.

Meanwhile, Alessandro Giusti topped the afternoon session for Rodin Motorsport with a 1:30.322. The Frenchman recovered from a difficult morning to lead Macedo and PREMA Racing’s Jin Nakamura as teams concentrated on longer runs and race simulations.

Macedo’s morning benchmark was 1.403 seconds faster than the quickest lap recorded on the opening day by Trident’s Kean Nakamura-Berta, concluding the first of two official post-season tests as preparations for 2027 continue.

Macedo recovers from stoppage to top morning session

Wednesday’s opening session began with several interruptions as drivers undertook qualifying simulations and attempted to improve on the previous day’s lap times. Giusti encountered an early problem that prompted the first red flag, allowing only limited running before officials temporarily stopped the session.

Once testing resumed, Clerot moved to the top with a 1:31.659. However, another interruption followed when Alexander Abkhazava went into the gravel at Turn 3, bringing out the red flags for a second time.

The order changed rapidly after the restart, with Campos Racing’s Ernesto Rivera briefly taking first before ART Grand Prix’s Taito Kato established a 1:31.463. Hitech’s Keanu Al Azhari followed just 0.003 seconds behind, demonstrating the narrow margins as drivers began pushing for faster laps.

AIX Racing’s Dion Gowda subsequently lowered the benchmark to 1:30.935 before improving again to 1:30.860. Al Azhari then moved ahead with a 1:30.700, but Colnaghi quickly responded, edging the Hitech driver by 0.029 seconds.

The improvements continued as Kato recorded a 1:30.386 before Trident’s Niccolò Maccagnani lowered the fastest time to 1:30.302. With the session approaching its midpoint, the field remained closely matched as several teams prepared another series of qualifying simulations.

Van Amersfoort Racing completes morning one-two

Macedo’s session initially suffered a setback when his Van Amersfoort Racing car stopped at Turn 8, prompting another red flag. However, the Portuguese driver recovered once running resumed, returning to the circuit as several competitors continued improving their fastest laps.

Colnaghi briefly reclaimed the lead with a 1:30.037, establishing a benchmark more than two tenths faster than his closest rival. PREMA Racing’s Nakamura subsequently reduced the gap, although the Campos driver maintained his advantage as the session entered its final hour.

Deligny then became the first driver to break the 1:30 barrier, recording a 1:29.935 to move ahead of Clerot. His performance appeared likely to secure the fastest time, but Macedo subsequently delivered a 1:29.766 to complete a Van Amersfoort Racing one-two.

The Portuguese driver finished 0.169 seconds ahead of Deligny, while Clerot secured third with a 1:29.952. Seewooruthun followed in fourth after recording a 1:30.003, with Colnaghi completing the top five on 1:30.037.

The final half-hour included another interruption when MP Motorsport’s Maciej Gładysz entered the gravel at Turn 5. Although officials restarted the session, no further improvements followed, allowing Macedo to retain the fastest lap of the entire Jerez test.

Giusti leads afternoon session for Rodin Motorsport

The final three-hour session began with teams turning their attention towards longer runs, practice starts and race simulations following the morning’s qualifying-focused programme.

Giusti returned to the circuit after completing only three laps earlier in the day, having encountered problems during the opening session. The Frenchman immediately demonstrated improved pace, recording a 1:30.322 to move to the top of the afternoon classification.

His performance established an advantage of more than one second over Macedo, who followed in second with a 1:31.401. Nakamura secured third for PREMA Racing, recording a 1:31.920, while teammate Alex Powell finished fourth with a 1:32.139.

DAMS Lucas Oil’s Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi completed the leading five, followed by Clerot, Abkhazava, Sebastian Wheldon, Seewooruthun and Deligny in the published classification.

The session also provided an opportunity for several drivers to complete substantial mileage. Wheldon recorded 52 laps for Trident, while Colnaghi completed 51 for Campos Racing. Salim Hanna, Ernesto Rivera and Rashid Al Dhaheri also completed extensive running as their teams continued preparing for the upcoming season.

However, the afternoon was not entirely uninterrupted, with Miguel Costa stopping at the pit entry shortly after the first hour. The incident temporarily halted testing before teams resumed their planned programmes.

Race simulations take priority during final running

Unlike the morning session, which featured several qualifying simulations and rapid improvements, the afternoon was primarily dedicated to race preparation.

Teams used the final three hours to evaluate longer-run performance, tyre management and race procedures. As a result, many drivers recorded slower individual laps despite completing considerably more mileage than during the morning.

Giusti retained the fastest afternoon time throughout the session, with no significant changes to the leading positions after his early benchmark. Macedo remained second, while Nakamura completed the top three following a productive afternoon for PREMA.

The Italian team also placed Powell fourth, continuing its preparations after confirming its three-driver testing line-up. Both drivers therefore finished among the leading four, providing encouraging results as PREMA continued evaluating its preparations for 2027.

Meanwhile, Rodin Motorsport completed another competitive session after Clerot and Seewooruthun had finished third and fourth during the morning. Giusti’s afternoon performance ensured that the team concluded the Jerez test with another session-leading result.

Van Amersfoort Racing concludes Jerez with fastest overall lap

Macedo’s 1:29.766 remained the fastest lap across both days of testing, giving Van Amersfoort Racing the overall benchmark as the opening post-season programme concluded.

The Dutch outfit demonstrated strong qualifying pace during Wednesday’s morning session, with Deligny also breaking the 1:30 barrier. The pair finished ahead of Rodin Motorsport’s Clerot and Seewooruthun, ensuring that Van Amersfoort Racing and Rodin occupied the leading four positions.

The result represented a significant improvement from Tuesday’s running, when Macedo finished 29th in the morning before moving to 25th in the afternoon. His Wednesday performance demonstrated the progress possible as teams continued adjusting their cars and completing different testing programmes.

However, the changing order throughout the two days also highlighted the limitations of interpreting testing times. With teams operating different tyre programmes, fuel loads and run plans, the final classification provides only an early indication of competitive performance ahead of 2027.

FIA F3 prepares for final post-season test at Barcelona

The conclusion of Wednesday’s afternoon session brought the first official post-season test to an end, completing 12 hours of available running across two days at the Circuito de Jerez.

The programme provided returning drivers with an opportunity to refine their understanding of the current F3 machinery, while newcomers gained experience ahead of their expected championship debuts. Several teams also evaluated new driver combinations, with the 2027 grid continuing to take shape following recent signing announcements.

With Jerez complete, attention now turns to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, which will host the final two days of 2026 FIA F3 post-season testing on 26–27 October.

Macedo leaves Jerez with the fastest overall lap, while Nakamura-Berta and Giusti also secured session-leading performances. Teams will now use the information collected across both days as preparations for the 2027 championship continue.