F2 & F3 Madrid: A new Circuit and a Championship on the Line

As F2 and Formula Three heads to Madrid for the Spanish Grand Prix. The Madring is a new circuit for all the drivers, so the weekend could bring plenty of surprises as they get to grips with the new track. With the Formula Three reaching the final race of the season, we could also see a new champion crowned.

Here is what happened during the F2 and F3 weekend in Madrid.

Formula Two

Sprint Race: Miyata controlled the race as incidents and Safety Car periods disrupted the field

Ritomo Miyata claimed victory in the F2 Sprint Race at the new Madring circuit in Madrid after a chaotic race that featured several incidents and Safety Car periods. Emerson Fittipaldi initially led the race, but Miyata quickly moved ahead and took control. A yellow flag then appeared after John Bennett spun, while Nico Varrone later crashed into the barriers and brought out the Safety Car. Kush Maini also retired from the race during the early stages.

Racing resumed on Lap five, with Miyata leading the field. Bennett then retired his car on the same lap after his earlier incident. The battle for the podium continued as Laurens van Hoepen challenged Noel León for third on Lap nine, but León managed to keep the position. Van Hoepen eventually made his move stick on Lap 13 to take third, while León battled Nikola Tsolov for fourth and fifth.

Tsolov then spun on Lap 15, bringing out another yellow flag and forcing the Safety Car back onto the circuit. The Campos driver retired from the race as the field slowed behind the Safety Car. The race returned to green on Lap 18, with Miyata leading Fittipaldi and Van Hoepen into the closing stages.

Ritomo Miyata
Emerson Fittipaldi
Laurens van Hoepen
Noel León
Martinius Stenshorne
Rafael Câmara
Alex Dunne
Mari Boya
Gabriele Minì
Dino Beganovic

Feature Race: Beganovic dominates Madrid Feature Race as Dunne and Miyata complete Podium

Dino Beganovic controlled the final F 2 Feature Race at Madrid from pole to the chequered flag, taking his first victory of the 2026 season ahead of Alex Dunne and Ritomo Miyata. ⁠

Dino Beganovic produced a dominant performance at the new Madring circuit to claim victory in the F2 Feature Race. Starting from pole position, the DAMS Lucas Oil driver made a clean getaway and immediately established control at the front of the field. Alex Dunne followed closely in the early stages, while Rafael Câmara and the rest of the field battled behind.

Beganovic continued to build his advantage as the race progressed. The Swede managed his pace around the challenging Madrid circuit and avoided the incidents that affected several of his rivals.

Dunne remained Beganovic’s closest challenger, but he could not find a way past the DAMS driver. Beganovic continued to increase the gap and eventually crossed the finish line more than seven seconds ahead of Dunne. ⁠

Ritomo Miyata completed the podium in third after another strong weekend at the Madring. The Hitech driver had already taken his maiden F2 victory in Saturday’s Sprint Race and added another podium to his Madrid results.

The championship battle also provided plenty of interest throughout the race. Nikola Tsolov entered the weekend leading the standings, while Rafael Câmara looked to reduce the gap after finishing second in the Sprint Race.

Câmara’s race became more difficult after he made contact with Oliver Goethe. The incident earned the Invicta Racing driver a 10-second penalty, which ultimately dropped him to tenth in the final classification. ⁠

That penalty proved costly for Câmara as he missed out on a stronger points haul from the Feature Race. Meanwhile, Tsolov also struggled during the race and failed to score, allowing the championship battle to remain extremely close heading into the remaining rounds of the season. ⁠

At the front, however, Beganovic remained untouched. After taking pole position in qualifying, he converted it into a lights-to-flag victory and became the first driver to win a Formula 2 Feature Race at the new Madring circuit.

Dunne secured second for Rodin Motorsport, while Miyata completed the podium for Hitech. Beganovic’s victory marked his first F2 win of the 2026 season and capped off a hugely impressive weekend in Madrid. With the Madring weekend now complete, the championship moves on to its final rounds, with the title fight still set to provide plenty of drama before the season reaches its conclusion.

Dino Beganovic
Alexander Dunne
Ritomo Miyata
Joshua Dürksen
Emerson Fittipaldi
Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak
Gabriele Minì
Martinius Stenshorne
Roman Bilinski
Rafael Câmara

Image Credit: Formula Two

Formula Two will next race in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 24–26 September.

Formula Three

Sprint Race: Naël dominated the Madrid Sprint as Wharton and Powell secured a double PREMA Podium

Théophile Naël won the F3 Sprint Race at the new Madring circuit in Madrid for Campos Racing. James Wharton finished second for PREMA, while his teammate Alex Powell completed the podium in third.

Wharton made a strong start and took the lead when the race got underway, but Naël quickly responded. The Campos Racing driver fought back and regained first place on Lap two, putting himself in control of the race.

A yellow flag was then shown after debris landed on the circuit, briefly slowing the action. Once racing resumed, Naël settled into the lead and began to build a gap over the PREMA drivers behind him.

Wharton and Powell continued to battle for the remaining podium positions, with both drivers looking to challenge for second place. However, Naël managed the gap at the front and maintained a strong pace as the race progressed.

As the closing stages approached, Naël remained comfortably ahead and avoided any major pressure from behind. Wharton secured second place, while Powell held on to third to give PREMA a double podium at Madrid’s new circuit. Naël crossed the finish line to take the Sprint Race victory, marking a strong result for Campos Racing at the new Madring circuit.

Théophile Naël
James Wharton
Alex Powell
Bruno Del Pino
Alessandro Giusti
Ernesto Rivera
Jin Nakamura
Ugo Ugochukwu
Taito Kato
Tuukka Taponen

Feature Race One: Clerot led the Way in Madrid as ART and MP Motorsport secured the remaining Podium Spots

The F3 Feature Race at the new Madring circuit started with chaos, as Taito Kato lost the lead during the opening lap. The drivers battled for position through the opening corners before a yellow flag quickly interrupted the action.

The situation became even more dramatic when two Van Amersfoort Racing teammates collided with each other. Their incident caused major damage and triggered a chain reaction, while an ART Grand Prix car also ended up in the wall. The amount of debris and the number of cars caught up in the incident forced race control to bring out the Safety Car before the situation escalated into a red flag.

The drivers returned to the pits while the marshals worked to clear the circuit and recover the damaged cars. Race control eventually prepared the field for a restart, with the race getting back underway with a rolling start on Lap three.

The restart gave the drivers another opportunity to settle into the race, with the field once again fighting for position around Madrid’s challenging new circuit. After the disruption of the opening laps, the drivers tried to build a rhythm and manage their tyres as they looked towards the second half of the race.

However, the incidents continued on Lap ten when Freddie Slater went into the wall. His crash brought out another yellow flag and once again slowed the field. The marshals cleared Slater’s car while the remaining drivers waited for racing to resume.

The track returned to green-flag conditions on Lap 12, allowing the drivers to push again as the Feature Race entered its later stages. After a chaotic opening, the field finally had the chance to race without the Safety Car, but the earlier incidents had already changed the complexion of the race.

Pedro Clerot
Taito Kato
Tuukka Taponen
Ugo Ugochukwu
Jin Nakamura
Alessandro Giusti
Alex Powell
Ernesto Rivera
Théophile Naël
James Wharton

Clerot took his maiden F3 victory, finishing 1.2 seconds ahead of Kato, with Taponen completing the podium.

Feature Race Two: Taponen wins Madrid Finale as Ugochukwu seals F3 Championship

Tuukka Taponen took his maiden F3 victory in Madrid, while Ugo Ugochukwu secured the 2026 Drivers’ Championship with second place in the final race of the season. Tuukka Taponen ended the 2026 Formula 3 season on the top step of the podium after controlling the Feature Race 2 at the new Madring circuit in Madrid.

The MP Motorsport driver started from pole position and immediately defended his lead from Ugo Ugochukwu into Turn one. Ugochukwu stayed close to Taponen throughout the race, but the Campos Racing driver knew he only needed a clean result to secure the championship.

Behind the leading pair, Freddie Slater faced a difficult task in his attempt to overturn the championship deficit. The Trident driver started eighth and lost a position to Yevan David at the opening corner, dropping to ninth.

Slater began to recover on Lap three when he closed in on David. After setting the fastest lap at that stage of the race, Slater eventually made his move on Lap five, passing David around the outside of Turn one to regain eighth.

At the front, Taponen continued to control the race while Ugochukwu remained within a second of the leader. Pedro Clerot followed in third, with Taito Kato also closing in on the Rodin Motorsport driver as he looked for another podium finish.

The tight nature of the Madring circuit made overtaking difficult, with a long DRS train developing throughout the field. Slater continued to look for opportunities and challenged Enzo Deligny on Lap 10, but the Van Amersfoort Racing driver successfully defended his position.

Kato also came close to making contact with Clerot after locking up heavily into Turn 17. The ART Grand Prix driver managed to avoid the Rodin and continued in fourth. The battle for the lower points positions changed on Lap 16 when David suffered a big slide through Turn 18. Ernesto Rivera took advantage of the mistake and moved into ninth.

With three laps remaining, Hiyu Yamakoshi came to a stop on the circuit, bringing out the Safety Car. The marshals quickly recovered his car, allowing the race to restart with just one lap remaining. Taponen controlled the restart and maintained his advantage over Ugochukwu. The Campos driver also kept Clerot behind him, knowing that second place would be enough to secure the championship.

Taponen crossed the finish line first to claim his maiden Formula 3 victory, while Ugochukwu finished second to become the 2026 FIA Formula 3 Drivers’ Champion. Clerot completed the podium in third. Kato finished fourth, ahead of Mattia Colnaghi and Alessandro Giusti. Deligny took seventh, while Slater crossed the line in eighth. Rivera finished ninth and David completed the top 10.

Ugochukwu finished the championship with 159 points, 14 ahead of Slater on 145. His title also made him the first American to win the FIA Formula 3 Championship. For Taponen, the victory capped off a strong end to the season. His win moved him into third place in the Drivers’ Championship, while MP Motorsport also finished third in the Teams’ Championship.