Rivera victorious at Spa as Colnaghi puts one hand on Eurocup-3 title

Photo: Dutch Photo Agency

Ernesto Rivera won Eurocup-3’s second race at Spa-Francorchamps, as Mattia Colnaghi put one hand on the title.

There was pre-race drama as an issue with the lights gantry meant two formation laps were required, and when racing got underway MP Motorsport’s poleman Emmo Fittipaldi failed to get off the line until he had been overtaken by 20 drivers.

His team-mate Mattia Colnaghi led Campos Racing’s Rivera into Eau Rouge, and Kacper Sztuka tried to make it three-wide at the front down the Kemmel Straight. It then became four-wide as his Campos team-mate Jesse Carrasquedo Jr became involved.

Carrasquedo tried going for the lead around the outside of Les Combes and made it work, but by Bruxelles it was Rivera who was ahead. Not long after safety car boards were being shown, as Colnaghi’s main title rival and team-mate Valerio Rinicella had crashed out exiting Les Combes.

MP had further misfortune as Andres Cardenas pitted at the end of the lap, but he was back with the field when racing resumed on lap four.

Rivera weaved down the Kemmel Straight on the restart and there was contact with Carrasquedo approaching Les Combes where he tried reclaiming the lead on the outside and cut the chicane.

Approaching the chicane at the end of the lap he let Rivera back through then immediately swept to the inside to try to reclaim the lead. But Colnaghi had squeezed his car into the gap too and got past.

Behind them were MP’s Alexander Abkhazava and Palou Motorsport’s James Egozi, with the latter taking fourth into turn one on lap five. Rivera weaved his way to Les Combes again and it led to another banging of wheels with Carrasquedo. He did get the lead once more, but let Rivera past before Pouhon.

A legal lead pass was pulled on lap six, with Carrasquedo getting the move done on the Kemmel Straight and quickly pulling away once in clean air.

The gap between the top two started to reduce on lap eight, with Rivera returning to first place down the Kemmel Straight on lap nine. Before he could pull away, the safety car was called out a lap later due to drama at turn one.

MP’s Maciej Gladysz has overtaken Abkhazava on lap seven, and at the end of lap nine Egozi ran wide exiting turn 19 and cut the final corner. Abkhazava went back past around the outside, and Gladysz looked to overtake him on the inside.

When they got to turn one, Gladysz drove into the back of Abkhazava and broke his front-left wheel and front wing. It sent him into the gravel where he got beached, and when Sztuka also got involved exiting the corner he got damage that led to him stopping on track. After Gladysz exited his car, he appeared to be in pain.

Egozi got back past Abkhazava and Colnaghi cleared Carrasquedo before racing was neutralised, and the next restart came on the last lap. Rivera held on for his third victory of 2025, and after Egozi made a failed attack on Carrasquedo at Les Combes he ended up going side-by-side with Campos’s Enzo Tarnvanichkul through sector three and was overtaken.

Both ran wide exiting turn 19 and cut the final corner, and Tarnvanichkul was docked one place post-race. Sztuka and Gladysz were handed five-place grid penalties due to retiring.

Race results (12 laps)