F3 Barcelona testing 2026: Kato fastest on final day

Taito Kato ended Formula 3’s Barcelona post-season test with the fastest lap across the two days, edging Ernesto Rivera by 0.012 seconds on Tuesday morning before Niccolò Maccagnani topped a race-focused afternoon.

The ART Grand Prix driver’s 1:27.902 settled the outright order as the championship completed its final on-track running of 2026. Maccagnani’s early 1:29.994 remained unbeaten after lunch, with AIX Racing pair Dion Gowda and James Egozi completing the afternoon’s top three.

Kato edges a close morning contest

Kato featured at the front within the opening 10 minutes, before Alessandro Giusti moved Rodin Motorsport ahead. The first interruption followed when Gowda hit the barrier at Turn 8.

Once running resumed, Rivera lowered the benchmark to a 1:28.186 for Campos Racing. Qualifying simulations produced a closely matched field, with just 0.186 seconds covering the leading seven before another round of fresh-tyre runs.

Kato delivered the decisive improvement approaching halfway. Rivera responded with a 1:27.914, while Giusti finished third on a 1:27.971.

Reza Seewooruthun took fourth with a 1:27.989 despite a later trip into the Turn 10 gravel that caused another red flag. Yevan David completed the top five for Van Amersfoort Racing on a 1:28.073.

The leading positions remained unchanged after the restart, leaving Kato to improve on Matteo De Palo’s opening-day benchmark.

Maccagnani holds firm as AIX moves forward

Maccagnani established the afternoon’s winning time early, before Zhenrui Chi’s stranded MP Motorsport car required a red flag and recovery.

Race simulations dominated after the restart. TRIDENT initially occupied the first three positions, with Kean Nakamura-Berta narrowly ahead of Sebastian Wheldon behind Maccagnani.

AIX disrupted that order late on. Gowda recovered from his morning incident to take second with a 1:30.698, finishing 0.704 seconds behind Maccagnani. Egozi followed on a 1:30.852, ahead of Nakamura-Berta and Wheldon.

Mileage provided another measure of the afternoon’s work: David and Salim Hanna each completed 60 laps, while Kato logged 52 and Maccagnani 51.

With programmes centred on longer runs, those afternoon gaps offered limited evidence of relative race pace. The chequered flag concluded the Barcelona testing programme and F3’s 2026 track action.