The 2026 FIA Formula 3 (F3) Championship may have concluded at Madrid, but preparations for the 2027 season will begin with two days of post-season testing at the Circuito de Jerez on 20–21 October. All ten teams will return to the circuit, with 30 drivers participating in the first of two official tests scheduled for October.
The entry list features a mixture of returning F3 competitors and drivers graduating from Formula 4, Formula Regional and GB3. Of the 30 participants, 15 have previous FIA F3 experience, while the remaining 15 will have their first opportunity to sample the championship’s current machinery.
The test will also provide an early indication of how the 2027 grid is developing, with several teams already having confirmed their driver line-ups. Reigning champions Campos Racing will field their complete 2027 roster, while Trident, PREMA Racing and Hitech will also have a combination of returning drivers and newcomers.
2026 FIA F3 Jerez post-season testing: Schedule and format
The 2026 FIA F3 post-season testing programme consists of four days of running across Jerez and Barcelona. The opening test will take place on Tuesday, 20 October, and Wednesday, 21 October, before the teams travel to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for the final two days on 26–27 October.
Both days at Jerez will feature three-hour morning sessions, beginning at 09:00 and concluding at 12:00 local time (CEST). However, the afternoon schedules will differ slightly, with the opening day featuring a longer lunch break before running resumes.
On Tuesday, the afternoon session will begin at 14:00 and conclude at 17:00, providing another three hours of track time. Wednesday’s afternoon session will start one hour earlier at 13:00 and finish at 16:00, bringing the two-day programme to a close.
The schedule provides each driver with up to 12 hours of available running across the two days. Teams will use the sessions to assess car setups, complete longer runs and evaluate driver performance before the winter break, while newcomers will focus on adapting to the machinery and championship procedures.
Returning drivers bring valuable FIA F3 experience
The Jerez entry list features 15 drivers who have previously competed in FIA F3, including several competitors returning for a second full season in 2027.
ART Grand Prix’s Taito Kato is the highest-placed returning driver from the 2026 standings. The Japanese competitor finished fourth with 105 points, having established himself among the championship’s most consistent performers. He will remain with ART for the test alongside Enzo Yeh and newly crowned FIA Formula Regional European Champion Emanuele Olivieri.
Campos Racing will field two returning drivers in Ernesto Rivera and Mattia Colnaghi. Rivera finished seventh during his rookie campaign despite missing the opening round through injury, securing two victories and three podiums. Meanwhile, Colnaghi joins Campos after finishing 13th with MP Motorsport, bringing additional F3 experience to the reigning champions.
Other returning drivers include Pedro Clerot and Alessandro Giusti at Rodin Motorsport, Maciej Gładysz at MP Motorsport and Kanato Le at Hitech. PREMA’s Alex Powell and Jin Nakamura will also participate, having both raced in the championship during 2026.
Their experience should provide valuable reference points as teams assess potential improvements and compare performance with drivers entering the category for the first time.
Formula Regional graduates prepare for first F3 running
Several of the most promising drivers on the European junior single-seater ladder will participate at Jerez, including competitors who recently completed successful Formula Regional campaigns.
Trident will field Kean Nakamura-Berta and Sebastian Wheldon alongside Niccolò Maccagnani. Nakamura-Berta arrives after winning the 2026 Formula Regional Middle East Trophy and finishing third in the European championship, while Wheldon secured second in the FREC standings.
ART Grand Prix will welcome Olivieri following his championship-winning FREC campaign. The Italian will join Kato and Yeh as the French team evaluates its preparations for 2027.
Van Amersfoort Racing will field Rashid Al Dhaheri alongside Enzo Deligny and Francisco Macedo. Al Dhaheri is among the drivers preparing to become the first representatives of the United Arab Emirates in FIA F3, alongside Hitech’s Keanu Al Azhari.
Meanwhile, reigning Eurocup-3 champion James Egozi will join Gabriel Gomez and Dion Gowda in the three-car entry listed under AIX Racing. Egozi and Gomez have already been confirmed for LN4 Fusion’s inaugural 2027 campaign, following the new organisation’s acquisition of AIX Racing’s championship entry.
The test will provide these drivers with an opportunity to become familiar with F3 machinery before beginning their rookie campaigns.
Campos Racing begins 2027 preparations with confirmed line-up
Campos Racing enters the post-season programme following a successful 2026 campaign in which the Spanish outfit secured its second consecutive Teams’ Championship and its first Drivers’ title in the current FIA F3 era through Ugo Ugochukwu.
The team will field Salim Hanna, Colnaghi and Rivera across both days of testing, giving it an opportunity to begin working with its complete 2027 line-up.
Rivera’s return provides continuity after three seasons progressing through the junior categories with Campos. The Mexican established himself as a race winner during his rookie F3 campaign, while Colnaghi arrives after consecutive Spanish F4 and Eurocup-3 championship titles followed by a year with MP Motorsport.
Hanna will make his first full-season F3 appearance in 2027 after competing in selected rounds during 2026. The Ferrari Driver Academy member also gained experience in the Formula Regional European Championship, finishing seventh in the standings.
With its driver line-up already confirmed, Campos can use Jerez to establish working relationships and begin evaluating preparations for another title defence. The team will also be seeking to build on its strong performance at the same venue last year.
Trident and MP Motorsport evaluate competitive driver combinations
Trident will field Maccagnani, Nakamura-Berta and Wheldon, completing its confirmed 2027 line-up. The Italian outfit finished second in the 2026 Teams’ Championship and will aim to return to title contention after another competitive campaign.
Nakamura-Berta and Wheldon bring experience from the Formula Regional European Championship, while Maccagnani has already sampled FIA F3 machinery during the final round at Madrid. Their participation will allow Trident to begin preparing its three rookie drivers for the demands of a full championship season.
Meanwhile, MP Motorsport will run Matteo De Palo, Gładysz and Zhenrui Chi. De Palo finished third in the 2026 FIA F3 standings with Trident and will switch teams for the post-season tests, while Gładysz remains with the Dutch outfit after his rookie campaign.
Chi will have an opportunity to gain experience in F3 machinery following his progression through junior single-seater racing. The programme will allow MP Motorsport to assess its drivers while building on the progress that carried it to third in the 2026 Teams’ Championship.
PREMA and Hitech combine returning drivers with newcomers
PREMA Racing will field Powell, Nakamura and Martin Molnár, bringing together two drivers with previous FIA F3 experience and a newcomer from GB3.
Powell returns after making his championship debut during the final two rounds of 2026, securing a podium at Madrid in only his second weekend. Nakamura joins from Hitech following his rookie campaign, while Molnár steps up after recording seven podium finishes during the GB3 season.
The three-driver line-up provides PREMA with opportunities to assess different levels of experience as it prepares to improve on a challenging 2026 campaign.
Meanwhile, Hitech will run Woohyun Shin, Kanato Le and Al Azhari. Both Shin and Le have previous FIA F3 experience, while Al Azhari arrives following a successful Eurocup-3 campaign and his confirmation for the 2027 championship.
The test will allow Hitech to combine the experience of its returning competitors with the development of a driver preparing to make the step up from Formula Regional machinery.
Jerez provides an important early benchmark for 2027
The Circuito de Jerez has regularly featured in FIA F3’s testing programme, providing teams with a technical circuit suited to evaluating car balance, braking performance and tyre management.
During the 2025 post-season test, Campos Racing’s Ugochukwu recorded the fastest lap of the two days with a 1:30.012. The American subsequently carried that preparation into a successful 2026 campaign, securing the Drivers’ Championship.
Although testing times do not necessarily reflect the competitive order for the following season, the sessions provide useful opportunities to assess individual performance and develop consistency across shorter and longer runs.
Jerez will be particularly important for drivers graduating from Formula Regional and Formula 4, who must adapt to the F3 car’s additional power, aerodynamic performance and braking characteristics. Meanwhile, returning competitors will aim to apply their previous experience while establishing working relationships with new teams.
With the 2027 championship scheduled to begin in March, the two Spanish tests will provide valuable preparation before the extended winter break.
2026 FIA F3 Jerez post-season testing: Full entry list
The following 30 drivers will participate across ten teams, with 19 countries represented on the entry list.
- #1 Salim Hanna (COL) — Campos Racing
- #2 Mattia Colnaghi (ARG) — Campos Racing
- #3 Ernesto Rivera (MEX) — Campos Racing
- #4 Niccolò Maccagnani (ITA) — Trident
- #5 Kean Nakamura-Berta (GBR) — Trident
- #6 Sebastian Wheldon (USA) — Trident
- #7 Matteo De Palo (ITA) — MP Motorsport
- #8 Maciej Gładysz (POL) — MP Motorsport
- #9 Zhenrui Chi (ITA) — MP Motorsport
- #10 Taito Kato (JPN) — ART Grand Prix
- #11 Enzo Yeh (CHN) — ART Grand Prix
- #12 Emanuele Olivieri (ITA) — ART Grand Prix
- #14 Francisco Macedo (POR) — Van Amersfoort Racing
- #15 Enzo Deligny (FRA) — Van Amersfoort Racing
- #16 Rashid Al Dhaheri (UAE) — Van Amersfoort Racing
- #17 Pedro Clerot (BRA) — Rodin Motorsport
- #18 Alessandro Giusti (FRA) — Rodin Motorsport
- #19 Reza Seewooruthun (GBR) — Rodin Motorsport
- #20 Alex Powell (USA) — PREMA Racing
- #21 Jin Nakamura (JPN) — PREMA Racing
- #22 Martin Molnár (HUN) — PREMA Racing
- #23 Woohyun Shin (KOR) — Hitech
- #24 Kanato Le (JPN) — Hitech
- #25 Keanu Al Azhari (UAE) — Hitech
- #26 James Egozi (USA) — AIX Racing
- #27 Gabriel Gomez (BRA) — AIX Racing
- #28 Dion Gowda (IND) — AIX Racing
- #29 Alexander Abkhazava (KAZ) — DAMS Lucas Oil
- #30 Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi (THA) — DAMS Lucas Oil
- #31 Miguel Costa (BRA) — DAMS Lucas Oil
The entry list names AIX Racing for the Jerez test. However, LN4 Fusion will take over its championship entry for 2027, with Egozi and Gomez already confirmed for the new operation.
How to follow the 2026 FIA F3 Jerez post-season tests
Both days of running will be covered through the official FIA Formula 3 website, which will provide a live blog with updates throughout the sessions. The championship will also publish reports and interviews following each day, allowing fans to follow the progress of returning competitors and newcomers.
Additional behind-the-scenes coverage will be available through FIA F3’s official social media channels, with photographs and updates from the Circuito de Jerez.
Once testing concludes on Wednesday, teams will have a short break before returning to action at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on 26–27 October. Those sessions will bring the 2026 post-season testing programme to a close and provide another opportunity to gather data ahead of the 2027 championship.
With half the Jerez field preparing for its first experience of FIA F3 machinery and several teams already having confirmed their driver line-ups, the two days of running will provide an important early opportunity to assess the next generation of talent as preparations for the 2027 season gather momentum.
