Seventh place in Race 1 and sixth in Race 2 for Riccardo Ianniello and Gregor Jeets in the No. 81 McLaren Artura Trophy. A weekend affected by adverse weather conditions, schedule changes and contact during the opening stages of Race 2 leaves the pair looking ahead to the final round of the season at Portimão.

The penultimate round of the 2026 McLaren Trophy Europe ended with a seventh-place finish and a sixth-place result for Riccardo Ianniello and Gregor Jeets. At the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the pair faced a more challenging weekend than anticipated, with on-track difficulties compounded by adverse weather conditions and subsequent changes to the event schedule.

Barcelona came at an important stage of the season. Ianniello and Jeets arrived in Spain sitting third in the Pro category standings, aiming to consolidate their position and close the gap to the championship leaders ahead of the final round.

However, the Catalan weekend unfolded differently than expected. After Saturday's activities went ahead as scheduled, severe weather warnings forced significant changes to Sunday's programme, resulting in the cancellation of free practice and the second qualifying session. Further complications followed in Race 2, when contact involving their McLaren during the opening stages compromised a race that had begun from third on the grid.

From P10 to P7: A Consistent Performance in Race 1

Saturday began with Gregor Jeets taking the wheel for the first qualifying session. The Estonian secured tenth position, setting the starting point for a race in which gaining places without compromising the team's overall performance would be essential.

Jeets managed the opening stint, keeping the car in contention before handing over to Ianniello. During the second half of the race, Riccardo found a competitive rhythm, allowing the pair to gradually improve their position.

The chequered flag saw the No. 81 McLaren Artura Trophy finish seventh, three places higher than its starting position.

More than any individual overtake, Race 1 rewarded consistency. In a championship where results depend on the combined efforts of two drivers sharing the same car, maintaining a steady pace throughout both stints allowed Ianniello and Jeets to turn a challenging qualifying result into a valuable finish.

With the season approaching its conclusion, Saturday's performance gave the crew a solid foundation from which to approach the second race with the ambition of making further progress.

Weather Disrupts Sunday Before Contact Compromises Race 2

Conditions changed dramatically between Saturday and Sunday. Severe weather warnings in the Barcelona area prompted organisers to revise the schedule, cancelling the morning sessions.

For the McLaren Trophy Europe, this meant the cancellation of Free Practice 4 and Qualifying 2, depriving drivers and engineers of two important opportunities to prepare for the second race.

Free practice would have allowed the teams to assess track conditions and fine-tune their setups, while qualifying would normally have determined the starting grid through a competitive timed session.

Under the revised schedule, Ianniello and Jeets were set to start Race 2 from third position, offering a promising opportunity despite the unusual circumstances surrounding Sunday's preparations.

This time, Riccardo Ianniello took the wheel for the opening stint.

However, the opportunity to capitalise on a second-row start was compromised almost immediately. Contact at the start involved Ianniello's McLaren, causing him to lose ground and significantly altering the course of the race.

The incident affected the final result and dropped the crew away from the leading group. Once the most difficult phase had passed, Riccardo managed to regain his rhythm and consistency, demonstrating a pace that suggested a stronger result might have been possible without the opening-lap setback.

Following the driver change, Jeets continued the recovery effort and brought the McLaren home in sixth position.

Although the result represented a one-place improvement over Saturday's finish, it inevitably left some disappointment. Starting third had offered the opportunity to fight further up the order before the early contact changed the direction of the race.

A Weekend Below Expectations, With Everything to Play for at Portimão

Barcelona ultimately did not deliver the weekend Ianniello and Jeets had hoped for.

The revised schedule, introduced in response to the severe weather warning, reduced the preparation time available on Sunday. This was compounded by the contact at the start of Race 2, which prevented the pair from fully exploiting a particularly favourable grid position.

The seventh- and sixth-place finishes nevertheless allowed them to complete both races and collect further championship points. However, the absence of a front-running result increased the gap to the leading positions in the standings ahead of the final round.

The Catalan weekend does not diminish what the pair have achieved throughout the season. From their victory at Monza to their podium finish at Misano, alongside other strong results during the year, Ianniello and Jeets have demonstrated their ability to compete towards the front of the Pro category.

Barcelona was instead one of those weekends when the pace and potential shown on track could not be fully converted into results.

Attention now turns to Portimão, the final round of the 2026 McLaren Trophy Europe.

At the Algarve circuit, there will be no subsequent race weekend to consider. It will be the last opportunity to turn an entire season's work into a significant result and recover some of the ground lost in Barcelona.

For Ianniello and Jeets, the objective will be to arrive in Portugal ready to give everything in the final round, aiming to demonstrate their competitiveness from the opening sessions and convert their pace into the result that eluded them in Catalunya.

The penultimate round leaves some regrets, but also one final opportunity to respond. Barcelona is now behind them: at Portimão, Ianniello and Jeets will have one last race weekend to bring their 2026 campaign to the strongest possible conclusion.