The team faced a particularly demanding competition week after arriving in Spain. The car had to pass a series of technical inspections, which stretched over four long days, while the team also had to contend with temperatures of around 36°C throughout the event.

Once the dynamic events got underway, however, FEST26 immediately showed its pace. The car recorded the fastest Skid Pad time of the entire competition and finished third in Acceleration in an exciting late-night event held on the main straight of the Barcelona circuit.

Formula Student Spain also provided the team with an important opportunity to test FEST26’s autonomous driving system under competition conditions. In the driverless category, the car successfully completed the Skid Pad event and finished second in Acceleration, demonstrating the strong progress made throughout the season. Although the team did not achieve the results it had hoped for in the driverless Autocross and Trackdrive events, the competition provided valuable experience for the continued development of the autonomous system.

In the static events, FS Team Tallinn reached the Engineering Design final in both the electric and driverless categories — and went on to win both. The two victories highlighted the exceptional level of engineering expertise and technical knowledge of the Estonian students.

Autocross and Endurance were both left for the final day of the competition. Autocross had been postponed due to difficult weather conditions the previous day, and time constraints meant that each team was allowed just one run instead of the usual four. With only one opportunity to set a competitive time, FEST26 made it count, winning the event and securing a strong starting position for Endurance.

In the Endurance event, FEST26 completed the full distance with a consistent and reliable performance. The car ran flawlessly, temperatures remained under control, and the team finished first. The result secured overall victory at Formula Student Spain and earned the team valuable points towards the Formula Student world rankings.

The victory in Spain followed the team’s earlier competitions in the Czech Republic and Austria, where FS Team Tallinn finished fourth and eighth respectively. The result in Spain demonstrates the team’s strong development over the course of the season and FEST26’s competitiveness in both electric and autonomous driving.

Formula Student Spain results

• Endurance: 1st place
• Skid Pad: 1st place
• Autocross: 1st place
• Efficiency: 2nd place
• Acceleration: 3rd place
• Engineering Design: 1st place
• Driverless Engineering Design: 1st place
• Driverless Acceleration: 2nd place
• Cost and Manufacturing: 22nd place
• Business Plan Presentation: 26th place
• Overall: 1st place