SZTUKA WRAPS UP THE SEASON WITH DOMINANT WIN IN BARCELONA
Polish driver Kacper Sztuka dominated Saturday's Eurocup-3 race at Montmeló from lights to flag at the wheel of his Griffin Core by Campos-run car. Meanwhile, Jules Caranta secured third place for Campos Racing aboard his Red Bull-liveried machine.
The long journey that has been this year's Eurocup-3 campaign across Europe's finest circuits came to an end this past weekend at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya — and it did so with strong results for both Griffin Core by Campos and Campos Racing. Sztuka claimed his second win of the season on Catalan soil, while his teammate Carrasquedo added another podium to his tally. For Campos Racing, Frenchman Caranta wrapped up his season from the podium in Saturday's race, while Thailand's Enzo Tarnvanichkul (Campos Racing) and Francisco Macedo (Griffin Core by Campos) both finished inside the points. Mexico's Ernesto Rivera (Campos Racing) had also done so on Sunday, but a post-race penalty prevented him from keeping the result.
In Saturday's first qualifying session, Carrasquedo set the fastest time with a 1m35.520s lap. However, a five-place grid penalty carried over from Jerez denied him pole position. Valerio Rinicella and Tarnvanichkul, who had finished second and third on the timesheets, saw their fastest laps deleted for exceeding track limits, which handed pole position to Sztuka thanks to his 1m35.842s. Caranta lined up on row three with a 1m35.947s lap, alongside the penalised Carrasquedo. Rivera started ninth with a 1m36.096s, while Macedo — who also had laps deleted for track limits — lined up near the back.
On Saturday afternoon, Sztuka left no room for doubt. At the start, he maintained the lead while Caranta gained one position to move into fourth. Unfortunately, Rivera's race came undone on lap four when a technical issue brought his car to a halt, prompting a safety-car intervention. After the restart, Sztuka opened a three-second gap, which was wiped out when the race was neutralised again on lap nine following a crash at the entry to the main straight. Even so, Sztuka remained unfazed and controlled the pace once the race resumed, never allowing his rivals to threaten him. After seventeen laps, he crossed the finish line to secure his second win of the year. Caranta, consistently within striking distance, converted his strong performance into an excellent third place. Tarnvanichkul climbed to eleventh, just shy of the points. Carrasquedo, who had been fighting for a podium, ran wide during the final restart and lost several positions before rejoining, eventually finishing toward the back.
Sunday dawned wet, with a soaked track. Under those conditions, Carrasquedo set the third-fastest time with a 1m49.924s lap; Sztuka placed sixth with 1m50.290s, while Red Bull Junior Team members Caranta and Rivera rounded out the top ten with 1m50.481s and 1m50.566s respectively. Tarnvanichkul and Macedo qualified 13th and 14th.
By race time at midday, conditions had completely reversed, with a dry circuit and bright sunshine. Carrasquedo and Sztuka completed the opening lap in third and fifth place, with the safety car deployed soon after due to an incident. Once racing resumed, Carrasquedo ran solidly in podium territory, while Sztuka began to pressure Alexander Abkhazava. Another safety car period on lap ten neutralised the race for two laps before Sztuka overtook Abkhazava after the restart. No further changes occurred, leaving Carrasquedo and Sztuka to seal third and fourth at the flag. Caranta added more points with a strong sixth place, while Macedo and Tarnvanichkul finished ninth and tenth. Rivera initially crossed the line in the points as well but later received a five-second penalty for driving through the escape road and rejoining at excessive speed.
After nine meetings, Sztuka concluded the championship in third place with 200 points, with Rivera finishing fourth on 180. Carrasquedo and Caranta claimed fifth and sixth with 152 and 126 points, respectively. Tarnvanichkul also secured a top-ten finish, taking ninth with 95 points. Macedo completed the year in fourteenth with 36 points. In the teams' standings, Campos Racing finished as runner-up with 373 points, while Griffin Core by Campos secured third with 341.
The entire team now turns its focus to preparing for the 2026 Eurocup-3 season.
