Theophile Nael secured their third consecutive Formula 3 pole position during the iconic Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix weekend.
Sunday’s F3 feature race will see Nael start alongside his Campos Racing team-mate Ugo Ugochukwu. Behind them, it was the Japanese driver Hiyu Yamakoshi in third, promising an exciting race ahead.
Drivers returned to the track, which hosted pre-season testing in early February. The Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit is well known amongst the drivers and teams on the F3 grid. Ultimately, this track serves as an even playing ground for drivers. Allowing those who may have struggled early in the season a chance to have a breakthrough weekend.
During the sole Free Practice session of the weekend, it was a Campos racing top-three lockout. The Spanish team have continually shown pace around this home circuit, placing their drivers in prime position for pole position.
Lights out for Qualifying
As the session began, all 30 drivers made their way onto the circuit, starting their early exploratory laps.
The sole pole position holder so far in 2026, Theophile Nael, was the first driver to set a flying lap. The Frenchman set the pace at 1:29.384. However, he was quickly replaced by the Campos Racing driver, who went six-tenths faster. Ugo Ugochukwu’s rapid 1:28.707 stood as the fastest time after the first set of flying laps from drivers.
Disaster struck early for Louis Sharp, who was unable to complete a flying lap in his first run. The PREMA driver lost the car on the entry of Turn 9, causing him to run wide. Luckily, he was able to keep the car out of any barriers and safely return to the pit lane.
With drivers pushing to the limit throughout qualifying, many fell foul of track limits. Several lap times were deleted after the opening runs, with eight drivers losing their best efforts, underlining the importance of banking a clean lap early in the session.
Drivers quickly made their way back to the track for their middle stint of the session. Last year’s pole position team, TRIDENT, appeared to be off the pace of their rivals, Campos. The Italian teams best time in this stint came from Freddie Slater with a 1:28.620, which left him tenth.
Campos extended its form as Naël, ultimately stealing the spotlight, producing a commanding 1:28.263. The Frenchman was a mere 39 thousandths ahead of his nearest challenger and team-mate, Ugochukwu.
Final Qualifying stint
Five minutes remained in the session when drivers began making their way back to the circuit. Currently, the fight for pole was between the Campos duo of Nael and Ugochukwu and Monaco Feature Race winner Brando Badoer,
Whilst most of the field was on track, Rodin waited to send Badoer out as the very last driver. This strategy, frequently used last season by TRIDENT, will allow Badoer to have the final flying lap of the session. Theoretically, giving him the best opportunity to challenge for pole position.
As the final minute ticked away, several drivers encountered difficulties. Maciej Gładysz abandoned his final attempt after struggling through Turns 1 and 2, leaving him no higher than 13th. Elsewhere, Woohyun Shin ran off track and damaged his front wing, ending any hopes of a late improvement. Importantly, he was able to make his way into the pit lane, avoiding a late disruption.
Campos’ Naël remained unable to better his benchmark despite another strong lap, while Ugochukwu looked to challenge after setting a purple first sector. However, a slower middle sector left him short of improving his position.
Slater also showed competitive pace on his final run but was unable to convert it into a better lap time, remaining 10th on the grid. Badoer also failed to improve with the final lap of the session, leaving the order at the front unchanged.
The only significant late mover was Hiyu Yamakoshi, who climbed to third place to secure the best F3 qualifying result of his career and his first top-three start in the championship.
As a result, Campos Racing locked out the front row, with Naël leading teammate Ugochukwu. While Yamakoshi will line up third.
Further back, DAMS Lucas Oil driver Gerrard Xie secured reverse-grid pole position for Saturday’s Sprint Race.
READ MORE: Formula 3 2026 Barcelona-Catalunya GP – Feature Race Results
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