Matteo De Palo laid down a stunning marker on the opening day of action in Barcelona, clocking a 1:28.516 to outpace the rest of the field on the penultimate day of on-track running in 2026. Driving for MP Motorsport, the Italian driver topped the morning session and immediately found a strong groove with his new squad.
Reflecting on the opening day, De Palo admitted the timing screens looked great, but kept a level head about testing times. "I'm pretty happy because I feel really good with this new team," he said, while adding that "it's still testing. So we still have to work hard for the first race of next season." The early vibes within the garage are undeniably strong, backed up by another encouraging outing previously in Jerez.
Getting that driver-team synergy right is vital right now. With only one qualifying lap on the table in this championship, De Palo pointed out that absolute precision is non-negotiable. Building that harmony allows the focus to shift squarely onto raw speed, which was on full display throughout the first day at the circuit.
Looking toward the final day of the year, the MP Motorsport driver expects track conditions to remain relatively stable. Unlike Jerez, the lack of a massive shift in grip is expected because a race took place at the venue just last week, meaning less room for dramatic track evolution.
Beyond pure pace, the test is serving a deeper purpose for a driver looking to rebuild momentum. Admitting that previous struggles—many outside of his control—had dented his confidence, De Palo feels he has rediscovered the exact feeling he had back when fighting for wins in FREC. With confidence returning fast, the Italian is eager to extract even more race pace on the final day of running.
