Formula 3 concluded the pre-season in Barcelona with a busy final day of track activities, marked by qualifying simulations, long runs, and several red flag interruptions. In the final balance, Théophile Nael put Campos Racing at the top of the table and confirmed the team’s good momentum before the championship opener. Brazilians Pedro Clerot and Fernando Barrichello also made their presence felt with consistent mileage and competitive laps.
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F3 started the day focusing on fast laps using already used Hard tires, repeating the pattern from the previous day. The first interruption came early when James Wharton stopped in the gravel trap between turns 7 and 8. After the car was removed, the session resumed and times began to drop gradually.
Patrick Heuzenroeder took the lead initially, but the scenario changed when new tires were fitted. Noah Stromsted put TRIDENT in front with a 1:27.620, narrowly beating Campos’ Ugo Ugochukwu. The American reacted and reduced the gap even further but remained in second. Subsequently, Nael entered the direct fight for the top positions.
With a more favorable track and less traffic, the Frenchman returned to the track for a new fast lap attempt and recorded a 1:27.525, enough to take the top spot. The difference was small, just 0.095s, but no one managed to beat him after the teams shifted focus to long stints. Thus, Nael closed the morning as the fastest, ahead of Stromsted, Ugochukwu, Freddie Slater and Brando Badoer.
Among the Brazilians, Pedro Clerot recorded a 1:28.164 and stayed in the midfield group, working at a consistent pace throughout the session. Meanwhile, Fernando Barrichello clocked a 1:28.463, accumulating important laps within the AIX Racing program. For both, the day served as direct preparation for the start of the championship.
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The afternoon session prioritized race simulations. Enzo Deligny looked good early on, but soon times began to drop with longer stints. Badoer and then Matteo De Palo took the temporary lead until DAMS Lucas Oil took control of the table in the final minutes.
Nicola Lacorte clocked a 1:29.676 and put the team in front, followed by his teammate Gerrard Xie. De Palo, Tim Tramnitz and Badoer completed the fastest group. The final part still saw new red flags due to cars stopped on the track and in the gravel, which limited improvement attempts.
Fernando Barrichello appeared again with a good volume of laps and finished among the top ten in the afternoon, reinforcing his adaptation to the car. Pedro Clerot also continued to accumulate mileage, something valuable in such a balanced grid.
With this, F3 concludes its winter preparation. Now, the focus turns to the first round of the championship in Melbourne, between March 6 and 8, when test impressions will finally be put to the test in race conditions. The balance seen in Barcelona indicates a competitive season from the start.
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