FIA F3 Championship - Montmeló, Sprint Race review

The FIA Formula 3 Championship returned to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. After finishing the Monte Carlo street circuit, the third series faced its first back-to-back of the season for the third round of the 2026 championship. On the ups and downs of the Spanish circuit, Trident Motorsport had mixed fortunes in qualifying, but performed well in the Sprint Race, showing  a competitive level and regaining the lead in the drivers' standings thanks to Freddie Slater's second-place finish.

The high temperatures recorded on the Catalan track did not help the Ossona-based team's drivers. Freddie Slater was the fastest of the trio, posting the tenth fastest time. Matteo De Palo and Noah Strømsted struggled more than expected, posting the nineteenth and twenty-second fastest times, respectively.

With the top twelve qualifying positions reversed on the Sprint Race grid, Slater started from third place in the shorter race of the weekend. The seventeen-year-old Englishman got off to a great start, quickly making up a position.

The Audi Junior driver's race pace was solid, but not enough to secure the race lead. Slater was extremely effective in managing the restarts, following two safety car interventions, proving to be reactive.

The Englishman secured a solid second place, which allows him to climb to the top of the overall FIA Formula 3 Championship standings.

Noah Strømsted had a full comeback race. Starting from twenty-second on the grid, the eighteen-year-old from Copenhagen managed to make several overtakes. Quick to take advantage of the restarts, Strømsted then climbed the standings until he reached the points zone with a remarkable tenth-place finish.

A bitter end for Matteo De Palo. The 18-year-old Roman, starting from the 19th spot, occasionally showed a competitive pace on the Catalan hills, climbing up to 13th place.

Unfortunately, on the final restart, De Palo spun following contact with a rival. This doesn't erase the strong performance put in by the McLaren Junior Driver, who will have the opportunity to redeem himself in tomorrow's longer race.

Now, the Trident Motorsport drivers will analyze today's events with the technical staff in the usual preparation work for the Feature Race, scheduled for Sunday.

Giacomo Ricci: “It was a Sprint Race impacted by two neutralizations that brought the field back together and encouraged several duels and collisions. Freddie Slater's second-place finish is a decent result, which temporarily moves us to the top of the Drivers' Championship. Noah Strømsted's race pace was good, allowing him to finish in the points. I think this is the maximum Freddie and Noah could have hoped for in today's Sprint Race. Matteo De Palo showed good growth, managing to make up several positions before the collision. Now we need to be fully focused on preparing for tomorrow's Feature Race, the main race of the weekend, where we'll aim to achieve the maximum after a less incisive qualifying session than usual.”