The 2025 Eurocup-3 season reached its conclusion at Barcelona with two dramatic races that reshuffled the final standings behind already crowned champion Mattia Colnaghi. Kacper Sztuka and Andrés Cárdenas shared the race victories, while Valerio Rinicella’s consistency across the weekend secured him second place in the Drivers’ Championship. MP Motorsport capped off a dominant year by underlining its strength in both races of the finale, having already locked up the Teams’ title before arriving in Spain.
Race 1: Sztuka converts opportunity amid late drama
Jesse Carrasquedo Jr topped qualifying, but a five-place grid penalty for his Jerez incident with Oscar Wurz handed pole position to Kacper Sztuka. The Polish driver made the most of the opportunity, launching cleanly and pulling clear on the run to Turn 1.
Emerson Fittipaldi Jr, who started alongside Sztuka, endured another difficult getaway. Maciej Gładysz and Michael Belov swept past immediately, and Jules Caranta and Valerio Rinicella followed before the end of the opening lap. Fittipaldi dropped from second to sixth in a matter of corners.
Further back, Ernesto Rivera suffered a disastrous start from ninth and fell to the rear of the field. He recovered to 16th before retiring at Turn 6 on lap five, a result that ended his hopes of finishing second in the championship.
The race turned on lap nine when Alexander Abkhazava ran wide over the exit kerb at Turn 14 and spun into the pit wall. Race control deployed the safety car, neutralising Sztuka’s advantage until the restart at the end of lap 13.
Sztuka timed the restart perfectly, but drama struck behind him. Michael Belov, running second, stayed close to the leader through the final corner but lost all power shortly after crossing the line. He pitted with an overheating engine caused by a water leak and later retired.
Belov’s exit promoted Gładysz and Rinicella to second and third. Rinicella passed his Polish team-mate at Turn 5 on the penultimate lap to secure second on the road. However, the stewards handed Gładysz a 10-second post-race penalty for a false start, elevating Jules Caranta to third.
Eurocup-3 Barcelona Race 1 Results:
- Kacper Sztuka (Fastest Lap)
- Valerio Rinicella
- Jules Caranta
- Emerson Fittipaldi Jr
- Andrés Cárdenas
- Garrett Berry
- Daniel Macia
- Yani Stevenheydens
- Kai Daryanani
- Maksimilian Popov
Pole Position: Jesse Carrasquedo Jr
Race 2: Cárdenas delivers as MP Motorsport seal a one-two
Sunday’s finale began with Andrés Cárdenas on pole, but Emerson Fittipaldi Jr again struggled off the line and slipped to sixth by Turn 1. Chaos followed moments later when Ádám Hideg and Alceu Feldmann Neto collided at Turn 2 and beached their cars in the gravel, prompting the first safety car.
The race settled briefly before a second interruption on lap 11, when Zack Scoular suffered a front-left suspension failure at Turn 1 and stopped in the gravel trap.
After the restart, Cárdenas and Rinicella asserted control. Rinicella had already passed Carrasquedo Jr for second shortly before the first safety car, and together the MP Motorsport pair pulled clear to secure a commanding one-two finish.
Behind them, Carrasquedo Jr and Sztuka fought over the final podium position. On the last lap, Sztuka used a strong tow from his team-mate and attempted a bold move around the outside of Turn 1. He ran out of road and had to use the escape area, allowing Carrasquedo to hold third.
Eurocup-3 Barcelona Race 2 Results:
- Andrés Cárdenas (Pole position, Fastest lap)
- Valerio Rinicella
- Jesse Carrasquedo Jr
- Kacper Sztuka
- Michael Belov
- Jules Caranta
- Alexander Abkhazava
- Ernesto Rivera
- Emerson Fittipaldi Jr
- Francisco Macedo
Drivers’ Championship: Rinicella rises, Sztuka charges late
The Barcelona finale confirmed the order behind champion Mattia Colnaghi, who had already secured the title at Jerez on 256 points. Valerio Rinicella emerged as the biggest winner of the final round, scoring heavily to move from 185 points after Jerez to 221 and claim second in the standings.
Kacper Sztuka also enjoyed a strong weekend, adding a race win and a fourth place to jump from fourth to third overall on 200 points. Ernesto Rivera’s difficult finale left him fourth, while Jesse Carrasquedo Jr completed the top five.
The final Drivers’ Championship standings reflected the late-season momentum swings and underlined the importance of consistency across the year.
Drivers’ Championship Standings after Eurocup-3 Round 8 at Barcelona
- Mattia Colnaghi – 256 points -> Drivers’ Champion
- Valerio Rinicella – 221 points
- Kacper Sztuka – 200 points
- Ernesto Rivera – 176 points
- Jesse Carrasquedo Jr – 152 points
- Jules Caranta – 126 points
- Andrés Cardenas – 98 points
- Enzo Tarnvanichkul – 98 points
- James Egozi – 97 points
- Maciej Gładysz – 88 points
- Emerson Fittipaldi Jr – 65 points
- Alexander Abkhazava – 53 points
- Garrett Berry – 43 points
- Francisco Macedo – 37 points
- Michael Belov – 28 points
- Yani Stevenheydens – 16 points
- Kai Daryanani – 13 points
- Oscar Wurz – 6 points
- Juan Cota – 2 points
- Isaac Barashi – 1 point
Teams’ Championship: MP Motorsport end the year in command
MP Motorsport arrived at Barcelona having already secured its second consecutive Teams’ Championship at Jerez, but the team still finished the season emphatically. Strong results from Rinicella, Sztuka and Cárdenas lifted the squad to a final total of 552 points.
Campos Racing held on to second place, but Griffin Core by Campos pushed them hard to the flag, finishing just four points behind. Palou Motorsport consolidated fourth, while KCL by MP Motorsport and Saintéloc Racing completed the top six.
Teams’ Championship Standings after Eurocup-3 Round 8 at Barcelona
- MP Motorsport – 552 points
- Campos Racing – 372 points
- Griffin Core by Campos – 368 points
- Palou Motorsport – 98 points
- KCL by MP Motorsport – 68 points
- Saintéloc Racing – 43 points
- Allay Racing – 28 points
- GRS Team – 16 points
- Drivex – 6 points
- Sparco Palou MS – 0 points
- DXR by Drivex – 0 points
- Tecnicar – 0 points
A fitting finale to a competitive season
Barcelona delivered a season finale that matched the intensity of the 2025 Eurocup-3 campaign. Sztuka and Cárdenas claimed deserved victories, Rinicella converted consistency into second in the championship, and MP Motorsport underlined its dominance with a commanding team performance. With titles decided but pride and momentum still on the line, the final round showcased the depth of talent across the grid and set the stage for another fiercely contested season to come.
