Two qualifying sessions, two pole-sitters. Taito Kato and Tuukka Taponen came out on top of F3 Qualifying around the Madring.
After a trip into the barriers, Pedro Clerot was unlucky to not secure Pole. The Brazilian finished second and third in each respective Qualifying session. Taponen will start from the top three in both Feature Races after securing third in the first Qualifying. Ugo Ugochukwu has placed himself into a phenomenal position for his Championship fight. The American will start the Feature Races from fourth and second as he looks to secure the F3 Championship.
The 2026 F3 Season Finale
Formula 3’s title-deciding weekend stepped up a gear on Friday afternoon, with the field taking to the MADRING for two consecutive Qualifying sessions.
Earlier in the day, Jin Nakamura set the pace in Practice with a 1:49.835, narrowly beating Taito Kato and Enzo Deligny in a closely fought opening session.
Championship rivals Ugo Ugochukwu and Freddie Slater were also firmly in the mix, trading fastest laps throughout Practice before eventually finishing fourth and sixth respectively. With just 15 points separating the pair heading into the final round, attention then turned to Qualifying, where two sessions would determine the starting grids for Madrid’s three races.
How qualifying works in Madrid
Madrid’s expanded season finale features a different format to a traditional Formula 3 weekend, with two separate Qualifying sessions taking place on Friday.
The first 20 minute session determines the starting grid for Saturday’s Sprint Race and first Feature Race, with the top 12 reversed for the Sprint before drivers line up in Qualifying order for Feature Race 1. After a 10-minute break, the field returns for a second 20-minute Qualifying session, which sets the grid for Sunday’s second Feature Race.
With Championship points available for both pole positions, the two sessions provide an early opportunity for the title contenders to gain ground before racing gets underway.
Green Lights on First Qualifying
After a slight delay, the lights were out on the first of two qualifying sessions. Just like Monza, track position is vital at the Madring, however, drivers want to be in clean air rather than behind for a tow. After the first laps, it was Taito Kato who claimed three purple sectors and jumped to the top of the timesheet. Just a tenth behind, Alex Powell slots in behind in only his second F3 race weekend. Hometown hero Bruno Del Pino claims third ahead of Enzo Deligny.
However, it was the second round of flying laps that shook the field. Slater, who looks to secure the Championship this weekend, claimed the fastest first sector, while his championship rival Ugochukwu claimed the second. Kato improves on his time but it is Pedro Clerot who goes fastest with a 1:50.547. Nakamura jumped to third while the championship rivals were down in ninth and eleventh respectively.
Slater’s Tyre Gamble
With six minutes to go Slater pulled into the pit lane. The Briton, who was down in 11th fits a fresh set of Hard tyres and is back on track once again. At the front of the field Kato reclaimed his provisional pole, 0.012s ahead of Clerot. Ugochukwu jumped up to fourth, while Slater’s pitstop gamble looks to have failed as he falls to 15th. This decision could prove costly as the first Qualifying sets the field for two of the three races this weekend.
After a strong Qualifying in Monza, Tuukka Taponen is once again in the mix, slotting his MP Motorsport car into third. With most of the field unable to improve on their final runs, it’s Deligny who improves to P5 sending Slater further down the field.
With the Checkered Flag out on Qualifying 1, it’s Taito Kato who will start Feature Race 1 from Pole. Clerot who join him on the front row as Taponen looks to secure valuable points from third. Ugochukwu will get a valuable second row start as he looks to close the gap to Slater, while Deligny and Nakamura claimed the third row. Ernesto Rivera and Alessandro Giusti came through to secure seventh and eighth, while Del Pino led Powell to round out the top ten. For Saturday’s Sprint Race, PREMA’s James Wharton will start from the front of the field after qualifying 12th.
All Eyes on Final F3 Qualifying
After a short break from the track, the field was back out again. Just like the previous qualifying, Kato was quick on track. However, the young Japanese driver was quickly passed by Nakamura, Powell and Wharton as the times started to tumble.
After a second round of flying laps, Slater was back into the mix. With two fastest sectors and over two tenths clear of Clerot, the Trident driver looked to secure pole for the second Feature Race. Ugochukwu briefly held onto the front row, however was over half a second behind his rival.
With less than ten minutes remaining in the final qualifying of the 2026 F3 season, it was Kato who reclaimed provisional pole. However, the ability to claim two pole positions was shorted lived as Ugochukwu bettered hime by 0.015s. The times continued to tumble and it was Clerot who was next in the action. The Rodin driver, who has already secured a front row start this weekend, claimed a 1:49.830, 0.071 seconds faster than the Campos driver.
With the top five are separated by just 0.142s it was anyones game as Qualifying reached its latter stages. With Slater unable to improve, it was Taponen and Ugochukwu who both looked to better Clerot’s time. Ugochukwu claimed provisional pole as Clerot was forced into second ahead of Kato.
Slater’s Retirement
After pitting in the first Qualifying session, Slater was back in the pits. However, this time he was forced to bring his Trident to a standstill, shaking his head in the cockpit. Currently sitting in eighth, the Briton will be hoping to make up valuable places in all three races.
As the Checkered Flag flew, it was Taponen who jumped up to provisional pole. However, behind him was Clerot who looked to have the pace to claim two front row starts at the Madrone. However on the exit of the final corner, mere meters from the Flag, the Brazilian sent his car spinning into the barriers. While he will still start from third, the Rodin driver had claimed purple in sector one. Ugochukwu hangs onto second, one row ahead of where he will start the first Feature Race.
Kato was forced to settle for fourth ahead of Colnaghi and Deligny. Alessandro Giusti claimed seventh while Slater managed to hang onto his fourth row start. Yevan David will be looking to make the most of his top ten start, as he edged out Ernesto Rivera for ninth.
Feature Image Credit: Formula 3