Taito Kato and Tuukka Taponen take qualifying poles in Madrid

Taito Kato and Tuukka Taponen secured pole positions in separate FIA Formula 3 qualifying sessions in Madrid. Kato earned his maiden pole in the first session with a time of 1:50.535, finishing 0.012 seconds ahead of Pedro Clerot. In the second qualifying session, Taponen set a 1:49.750, edging out title contender Ugo Ugochukwu by 0.021 seconds. Ugochukwu also placed fourth in the opening session, while Freddie Slater struggled with a 17th-place finish before recovering to eighth in the second outing. These qualifying results establish the grids for Saturday's sprint races, where James Wharton is set to start from the reverse pole position. The series action continues in Madrid ahead of the sprint race scheduled for Saturday morning.