GriffinCore Campos Racing aiming to finish the season on a high at Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya
The eighth and final round of the Eurocup-3 season is just around the corner, with GriffinCore Campos Racing heading to Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya, the traditional venue for the championship's season finale. The Alzira-based outfit will field its four Dallara 326 – Toyota cars for Thomas Strauven, Enzo Tarnvanichkul, Maximilian Popov and newcomer Matteo Giaccardi.
Born in Monte Carlo, Giaccardi began his karting career in 2022, competing in the prestigious Trofeo delle Industrie in the X30 Junior category. The Monegasque driver has also raced in the OK and KZ2 categories, including appearances in the World Championship. He made the step up to single-seaters last year, making his debut in the Championnat de France FFSA F4, where he secured race wins and several podium finishes. This season, he has competed in the FIA Formula Regional European Championship, and his first outing in the Eurocup-3 Dallara 326 – Toyota represents another step forward in his development as a driver.
Strauven, the 2025 F4 Spain champion, secured his maiden Eurocup-3 podium at Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto, finishing second in the opening race of the Andalusian weekend. With his experience at Jerez, the Belgian will undoubtedly be one of the contenders for the leading positions in the championship's final round. In addition to that podium, Strauven has scored points on seven other occasions this season.
Tarnvanichkul is also shaping up as a strong contender for the podium at the circuit located near Granollers. The Thai driver, whose car features the colours of the Red Bull Junior Team, has claimed second place at Circuit Paul Ricard and third at Jerez as his best results of the current campaign. Furthermore, demonstrating his consistency at most of the circuits on the calendar, he has finished inside the points on ten other occasions.
Popov, who joined the team from the Jerez round onwards, immediately demonstrated his speed and talent at the Andalusian venue by finishing second in the weekend's sprint race. More recently, at the Hungaroring, the penultimate round of the season held just a couple of weeks ago, Popov secured a ninth-place finish. The driver will now be looking to challenge for podium positions in Barcelona.
Opened in 1991, Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya currently features a 4.657-metre layout with fourteen corners. Alongside its long main straight, which stretches for just over one kilometre, the braking zone into Turn 1 is one of the main overtaking opportunities. Further chances can also be found at Repsol (Turn 4), as well as at Turns 5 and 7. The famous La Caixa corner, at the end of the back straight, probably provides the final overtaking opportunity before completing the lap. The current weather forecast points towards cool temperatures, although no rain is expected.
Following Friday's free practice sessions, the competitive action will begin on Saturday with the first qualifying session, scheduled for 09:35. The opening race, lasting 30 minutes plus one lap, will take place later that day at 13:05. On Sunday, the second qualifying session will get underway at 09:30, ahead of the final race of the weekend, scheduled for 13:45 and featuring the same duration. All times are local Spanish mainland time. Both races will be streamed live on the official Eurocup-3 YouTube channel.
Adrián Campos (Team Principal of Campos Racing): “I would like to welcome Matteo to our team for this final round of the season. We are delighted to have him on board and hope he can adapt quickly to the car and enjoy this first experience in Eurocup-3. As for us, we head to Barcelona determined to build on the upward trend we have shown over the last few rounds. Thomas, Enzo and Maximilian have demonstrated their speed and ability to fight at the front, so our goal is to finish the season in the best possible way, being competitive from the outset and fighting for podium positions. We want to end the year with a strong result as a reward for the hard work put in by the entire team.”
Matteo Giaccardi (GriffinCore Campos Racing Driver in Eurocup-3): “It’s amazing to have the opportunity to race alongside GriffinCore Campos Racing for the final round of Eurocup-3. Can’t wait to get on track and gain as much experience as possible!”
