FIA FORMULA 3 – BARCELONA, A FIRST DAY OF TESTING SEES SLATER ON TOP
The 2026 Formula 3 season officially got underway this Tuesday at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, which hosts the first of three days of pre-season testing. A key moment for teams and drivers ahead of the championship opener in Melbourne.
A studious morning to get up to speed
During the morning session, teams focused on long runs and checks to ensure there were no issues with the cars, before pushing a little more in the afternoon. Some of the drivers also did not set a lap, only studying the outlaps, seeing that the track was a bit humid as well.
There were few conclusions to draw from the timing sheets in the AM session, but plenty of on-track activity, with everyone aiming to make the most of this first official running of the year.
Freddie Slater fastest in the afternoon
It was during the afternoon session that the day truly took on a more competitive tone. Teams gradually switched to qualifying-style runs, allowing drivers to better showcase the potential of their cars.
In this context, Freddie Slater emerged as the fastest, setting the quickest time of the day with a 1:28.411. A solid benchmark, achieved in a session marked by very close gaps.
He finished ahead of Kanato Le, second just three tenths back, while Ugo Ugochukwu completed the top three at four tenths. Behind them, several drivers were separated by only a few hundredths, perfectly illustrating the intensity of this opening day.
The afternoon session was also interrupted several times following off-track excursions by Enzo Deligny, Mattia Colnaghi and Taito Kato.
While the afternoon classification offers a first glimpse of the competitive order, caution remains necessary. Programmes varied significantly from one team to another, between race simulations and qualifying simulations.
Nevertheless, this first day confirmed one key point: the level of competitiveness is already very high from the opening laps.
Testing will continue on Wednesday and Thursday in Barcelona, with two more full days to push the limits or, for some, simply continue adapting.
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