The 2026 FIA F3 finale began at 09:55 local time as all 28 drivers headed onto the Madring for Free Practice, opening the championship’s first race weekend at the new Madrid circuit. The 45-minute session also marked the beginning of the final battles for both the Drivers’ and Teams’ Championships, with the field preparing for two Qualifying sessions later on Friday.
Hitech’s Jin Nakamura ultimately set the fastest time with a 1:49.835, edging ART Grand Prix’s Taito Kato by 0.101 seconds. Van Amersfoort Racing’s Enzo Deligny completed the top three after a late improvement, while DAMS Lucas Oil’s Nicola Lacorte brought the session to an early conclusion when he crashed at Turn 9 in the final minute.
Kato establishes the first benchmark in 2026 F3 Madrid Practice
Kato set the first benchmark with around 39 minutes remaining, recording a 2:27.435 as the opening lap times began to appear. However, Hitech’s Michael Shin quickly displaced him with a 2:04.541, moving ahead of drivers including PREMA Racing’s James Wharton, Nakamura, PREMA Racing’s Alex Powell, Hitech’s Fionn McLaughlin, PREMA Racing’s José Garfias and AIX Racing’s Fernando Barrichello.
The times immediately began to fall as the drivers built speed. Kato returned to the top with a far more representative 1:53.026, while McLaughlin followed with a 1:53.742 and Nakamura moved into third with a 1:55.075. Barrichello sat at the bottom of the 10 drivers who had recorded early times, with his 2:11.201 leaving him 18.1 seconds away from Kato.
However, most of the field had yet to complete representative laps, while Barrichello also had significant improvement available. With the session still in its opening phase, the order continued to change rapidly as more drivers joined the action.
Nakamura moves ahead as the first representative laps arrive
After the opening 10 minutes, Kato improved again to a 1:52.026 before Campos Racing’s Ugo Ugochukwu moved into second with a 1:52.379. Ugochukwu entered Madrid second in the Drivers’ Championship and within striking distance of championship leader Freddie Slater, making every session important ahead of the final three races of the season.
A brief yellow flag followed when MP Motorsport’s Tuukka Taponen brushed the wall. The Finn continued without a significant interruption and soon improved to P2 with a 1:51.989. Nakamura then moved to the top with a 1:51.643 as most of the field completed its first representative flying laps.
TRIDENT’s Slater joined the running later than several of his rivals and endured a rough passage over a kerb on one of his early attempts. He nevertheless completed the lap in 1:52.665 and continued to build his pace as the session developed.
Meanwhile, Ugochukwu found another improvement with just under 29 minutes remaining, setting a 1:51.192 to move ahead of Nakamura and take control of the timesheets.
Campos Racing drivers move into contention
Campos Racing’s Théophile Naël and Ernesto Rivera also moved towards the front as the first half of the session unfolded. Naël recorded a 1:51.590 to take fourth, while Rivera followed with a 1:51.741 in fifth. Both drivers remained mathematically eligible for the Drivers’ Championship entering Madrid, while their results also carried significant weight in Campos Racing’s Teams’ Championship campaign.
Nakamura improved again to return to second, while Taponen and MP Motorsport’s Mattia Colnaghi also produced competitive laps. A 1:51.475 became the benchmark around fourth place as the midfield order tightened.
With approximately 25 minutes remaining, Rivera briefly went fastest with a 1:51.075. However, teammate Ugochukwu immediately responded and lowered the benchmark to 1:50.587 despite losing time in Sector 3 after a tricky moment at Turn 20.
Rodin Motorsport’s Pedro Clerot moved into third during this phase, while Slater improved to a 1:51.201 and climbed into fourth. Nakamura then found another step and recorded a 1:51.017 to take second, although he remained more than four tenths behind Ugochukwu.
Slater answers Ugochukwu before Kato returns to the front
The championship leader then delivered his response. With only seconds remaining before the session entered its final 20 minutes, Slater completed a 1:50.453 and moved to the top, beating Ugochukwu’s previous benchmark by just over one tenth.
Clerot slotted in behind Ugochukwu with a 1:50.826, while Taponen followed closely on a 1:50.847. Rodin Motorsport’s Brando Badoer then improved to 1:50.969 with just under 16 minutes remaining, moving into fifth as the leading order began to settle temporarily.
Kato disrupted that order with around 13 minutes remaining. The ART Grand Prix driver produced a 1:50.393 and reclaimed the top spot as several drivers improved around him. McLaughlin also found more pace, moving into P5 with a 1:50.846.
Despite several lock-ups and occasional brushes with the barriers, the session remained relatively clean compared with the two-day Madrid test in August, which featured 19 red flags. As Practice entered its final 10 minutes, only 2.8 seconds separated Kato in first with his 1:50.393 and Garfias in 28th with a 1:53.210.
Ugochukwu and Slater trade fastest laps
With just under nine minutes remaining, Ugochukwu moved back to the top after lowering the benchmark to 1:50.268. Slater answered in less than a minute, producing a 1:50.196 and reclaiming first place by only 0.072 seconds.
Clerot remained firmly in contention with his 1:50.295, which kept him less than one tenth behind Slater at that stage. Meanwhile, the rest of the leading group continued to improve as the final runs began.
With around five minutes remaining, Colnaghi lowered his best time to 1:50.540, while Van Amersfoort Racing’s Deligny produced a 1:50.265 and moved towards the front.
Kato then became the first driver to break into the 1:49s. His 1:49.936 put him back on top, while Ugochukwu improved to exactly 1:50.000 and reclaimed second. Rivera followed almost immediately with a 1:50.002 to move into third, while McLaughlin set a 1:50.079 and climbed into fourth.
Slater had not yet improved on his earlier 1:50.196 and consequently slipped down the order as the final minutes approached.
Nakamura takes P1 before Lacorte ends the session
With less than two minutes remaining, Nakamura delivered the lap that ultimately decided the session. The Hitech driver recorded a 1:49.835, beating Kato’s 1:49.936 by 0.101 seconds and taking first place during the final runs.
Slater also improved before the end, lowering his best time to 1:50.031. That lap ultimately secured sixth behind the three drivers who broke into the 1:49s, Ugochukwu and Rivera.
However, the field lost its final opportunity to improve when yellow flags appeared with less than a minute remaining. Race Control subsequently upgraded the interruption to a red flag after Lacorte hit the barrier at Turn 9, bringing Free Practice to an early conclusion.
Before the stoppage froze the order, Deligny completed a 1:49.979 and moved into third. Nakamura therefore finished fastest from Kato and Deligny, while Ugochukwu took fourth with his 1:50.000. Rivera followed only 0.002 seconds behind in fifth, with Slater completing the top six on a 1:50.031.
2026 Madrid F3 Free Practice results at the Spanish GP
