Naël, Giusti, Deligny… What are the stakes of the F3 tests in Barcelona?

On February 10, 11, and 12, the Formula 3 will be running on the Barcelona circuit, as part of the final tests before the season opener in Melbourne. In three days, drivers and teams will have to fine-tune their preparations to try and extract the maximum performance possible during qualifying at Albert Park, without any mishaps or unpleasant surprises. Although post-season tests were held last October after the final round of the season at Monza, some drivers were not yet confirmed, and not all partnership announcements had been made. This time, the French drivers Théophile Naël, Alessandro Giusti, and Enzo Deligny each have their immediate future in mind and are all approaching this year with great ambition. Will they manage to dethrone the favorites, such as Freddie Slater and Ugo Ugochukwu?

"I'm going to Barcelona fully prepared for Melbourne," explains Alessandro Giusti, MP driver for the second consecutive year. The goal isn't to be the fastest in the tests. There's no point in being first and second at that point. We saw that in F1"There's no point in obsessing over lap times. We'll do more tests to confirm or refute things we saw this winter. Personally, the goal will be to get back into the swing of things because we only have three days of running before qualifying in Melbourne. I think we're reaching a point where we're really going to be chasing those last tenths. It's really about fine-tuning now."

Having already been present on the Barcelona and Imola circuits last autumn, the F3 drivers had indeed already begun their work for the upcoming season. “From the very first test in Jerez, we had all already signed,” Alessandro Giusti reminds us. We could already focus on 2026. We actually did a lot more testing than last year. We were competitive in the sessions, at least. I don't remember a single day where we finished outside the top 5 or top 10. We have a very good trio with Taponen and Colnaghi. We've made a significant step forward thanks to that. That's the advantage of having good teammates.

ALSO READ > Discover the complete Formula 3 grid for 2026

Naël aims for confirmation, Deligny for adaptation

For Enzo Deligny, the situation is somewhat different heading into these three days of testing. Having initially signed with Prema and now driving for Van Amersfoort Racing, the French-Chinese driver sees this new week as a rapid comeback. “We have three days with VAR to get things sorted out,” he summarized last week on AUTOhebdo's microphoneWhether it's with the engineers, the car, the balance… the working methods will be different. The fourth day with the team will already be Melbourne, qualifying day (barely a month after next week's tests – Ed.). It's not easy, but so far everyone has been very welcoming and kind when I visited them at the workshop. I already have a good feeling, but the challenge will be to maximize these three days more than any other driver on the grid.

Finally, like Alessandro Giusti with MP, Théophile Naël is embarking on his second Formula 3 season. Having moved from VAR to Campos – the reigning champion team – the Saint-Étienne native, particularly comfortable on the Barcelona circuit, will need to build his confidence to compete primarily against his teammates. Among them, Ugo Ugochukwu, recent winner of the Formula Regional Oceania championship ahead of Freddie Slater, is considered one of the favorites this season after a winter filled with extensive testing.

"There aren't many trials during the winter," As driver Campos reminded us in the AUTOhebdo program. We finished the end-of-season tests on a high note for 2025. Jerez was very difficult for me. I lacked feeling with the car, but Campos is a very experienced team, and they immediately made me feel confident. I have high ambitions with them. They motivate me to work hard.

All three French riders, competing in relatively unrepresentative test days, will still need to keep a close eye on the favorites. Besides Ugochukwu and Slater, riders like Tuukka Taponen, Matteo De Palo, and Noah Stromsted could well steal the show. The action moves to Barcelona from Tuesday, February 10th to Thursday, February 12th. After that, Melbourne awaits them all from March 6th to 8th.