Kato finishes P4 in final race, ends first FIA F3 season P4 in the standings
MadringOn Sunday 13 September, the Feature Race 2 brought the FIA F3 championship to a close at Madring in Spain.
Feature Race 2: P4 on the grid → P4
The final race of the 2026 FIA F3 season got under way at 9:45am on Sunday 13 September in dry conditions, with an ambient temperature of 20°C and a track temperature of 28°C. Starting from P4 on the grid, Kato held position through the opening lap. With overtaking difficult at Madring, the start represented one of the main opportunities to gain places, but there was little change among the frontrunners.
The field then remained tightly packed from the leading group through to the midfield, with gaps of less than one second between the cars. Kato also closed to within 0.3–0.5 seconds of the car in P3 as he waited for an opportunity to move up. On Lap 14, while running close behind the car ahead, Kato had a slight lock-up as he approached the 90-degree right-hander at Turn 17 from the gently curving Turn 16, but kept the car under control and retained P4.
A car stopped on track on Lap 17, bringing out the safety car (SC). The race restarted with one lap remaining, but there was no change in the order and Kato finished the final race of the season in P4.
Kato ended his maiden FIA F3 season with 12 points-scoring finishes from 19 races, including four podiums, one of which was a victory. He accumulated 105 points in total and finished P4 in the Drivers’ Championship, just four points behind P3.
For Feature Race 2, I started from P4. We were able to fix the issue we had in Feature Race 1, which was very positive, and the start procedure went much more smoothly. I had a good start, but it was not enough to overtake, so I stayed P4 after the first lap. From there, I tried to find an opportunity to overtake, but it was very difficult even though the car was really great. We were running in a train for most of the race, so I stayed focused and finished P4.There was a little bit of frustration because the car was performing very well, but that is how racing is. I think we maximised what we could from the weekend: P9 in the Sprint Race, P2 in Feature Race 1 and P4 in Feature Race 2. It was still a very solid result, so a massive thank you to my team.The car was strong throughout the whole weekend, and we were always fighting at the front. I think it was one of our strongest weekends so far. A massive thank you again to everyone in the team for all their hard work.It is also a little sad that my Formula 3 season is already over. Thank you to everyone who supported me throughout the season. Finishing P4 in the Drivers’ Championship in my rookie season was a great result.Overall, it was really a great 2026 season, and I think we have good opportunities in the future. We will keep pushing and see what comes next year.
For Feature Race 2, I started from P4. We were able to fix the issue we had in Feature Race 1, which was very positive, and the start procedure went much more smoothly. I had a good start, but it was not enough to overtake, so I stayed P4 after the first lap. From there, I tried to find an opportunity to overtake, but it was very difficult even though the car was really great. We were running in a train for most of the race, so I stayed focused and finished P4.There was a little bit of frustration because the car was performing very well, but that is how racing is. I think we maximised what we could from the weekend: P9 in the Sprint Race, P2 in Feature Race 1 and P4 in Feature Race 2. It was still a very solid result, so a massive thank you to my team.The car was strong throughout the whole weekend, and we were always fighting at the front. I think it was one of our strongest weekends so far. A massive thank you again to everyone in the team for all their hard work.It is also a little sad that my Formula 3 season is already over. Thank you to everyone who supported me throughout the season. Finishing P4 in the Drivers’ Championship in my rookie season was a great result.Overall, it was really a great 2026 season, and I think we have good opportunities in the future. We will keep pushing and see what comes next year.
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