The 2026 Mondokart.com FIA Karting European Championship is beginning to reach its crescendo as the paddock moves to Germany this week for the penultimate round of the championship for OK and Junior drivers. 

Noah Baglin is on the cusp of adding the European title to his name after an almost faultless start to his campaign in the OK category. His performance has been so dominant over the first two rounds he’s managed to put himself in contention to win the championship during the third round, alone an incredible achievement.

In the Junior category, the title race is sharpening as championship leaders began to emerge after the second round. Will Green travels to Mülsen defending a slender championship lead but with Miron Lorente, Girardello and Nuvolini all close behind him, the pressure will go up a level in Germany. 

Alexis Genolet’s standout performance was the talk of the paddock after round one in Academy Senior. Mülsen offers a fresh challenge to test both the drivers and mechanics this weekend as a close field looks to gain an advantage around the track and take the battle to Genolet. 

FIA Karting returns to the Motorsportarena Mülsen this year after debuting on the calendar last year when it hosted the final race of the European Championship for KZ and KZ2 drivers. The 1315m circuit features long straights, high speeds and favours drivers with strong pace and able to perform technical overtakes around the circuit’s 14 corners.

Akbar Ebrahim, FIA Karting Commission President, said: “This season has already delivered some spectacular racing and standout performances from some of our sport’s emerging stars. I look forward to being in the paddock in Mülsen this weekend as the European Championship continues to deliver another thrilling and memorable season.”

All rounds of the Mondokart.com FIA Karting European Championship are available to watch LIVE and FREE on the FIA Karting YouTube Channel.

OK

Five weeks after the second round of the championship in Valencia, all eyes will be on Noah Baglin this weekend as we await to see if he can repeat his exemplary performances in Italy and Spain. His remarkable 79-point lead in the championship table leaves him able to secure the European title in Germany with a round to spare. The current World Champion needs to outscore Zac Drummond by 23 points, Dean Hoogendoorn by seven points, Niklas Schufler by five points and match Joe Turney’s points this weekend if he is to secure the European title this weekend.

The Brit’s unstoppable start to the season which has seen him win every heat, super heat and race except two has been an impressive winning streak to witness. His first lap overtakes in the Valencia final to go from fourth to race leader in half a lap shows what the Ferrari Driver Academy driver is capable of in what is shaping up to be an incredible season for the 14-year-old.

Baglin’s closest championship rival, Zac Drummond, has shown pace and constituency over the first half of the championship which could bring him into play this weekend. The Scottish driver, who secured a podium in La Conca and a healthy fourth place in Valencia, has been steadily building points and avoiding the setbacks during qualifying heats which damage championship hopes. 

Current Junior European Champion, Dean Hoogendoorn, sits in third place in the championship with a 95-point deficit to the top of the table after a shaky start to his campaign. The Dutch driver has been most noticeably struggling during qualifying practice with a 23rd and 37th place classification severely damaging his weekends.

Schaufler and Turney are the remaining contenders for this year’s title. Niklas Schaufler bounced back after leaving La Conca with just five points to claim a podium position in Valencia. Joe Turney, meanwhile, only joined the championship during the second round and catapulted into fifth place in the table. 

Turney’s experience came into play in Valencia as he secured second position on the final grid, which he held until the chequered flag. Whilst a championship challenge remains a long shot for the British driver, his racing confidence will be a challenge the other drivers will have to navigate. 

Elsewhere on the grid, Dan Allemann, Henry Domain, Gilles Herman and Benjamin Manach will all be looking to continue their strong starts to the European season as the second half of the championship begins.

Junior

Will Green leads the championship standings headed into round three following his win in La Conca and strong performance in Valencia where he was unlucky not to leave with a second win. An entertaining track battle with Nuvolini and Miron Lorente ended with Green crossing the line in third position and his lead in the standings growing by just a single point reflecting the ultra-competitiveness of this year’s junior grid.

Just 15 points behind Green is Daniel Miron Lorente who comes to Mülsen after winning his home race in Spain. Miron Lorente, who started fifth on the grid in the final, put in a blistering performance during the early stages and escaped a late challenge from Nuvolini to keep him in firm contention this season.

Nuvolini and Girardello are the other favourites heading into round three having consistently placed in the top positions this season. Both drivers have recovered strongly from difficulties in the opening two rounds to challenge the leaders and a successful round in Germany could bring them both into contention for the championship lead.

Others to watch this weekend include Bruno Priam who secured pole position in La Conca reflecting his pace on the quicker circuits which will favour him in Mülsen. Antoine Sylva Venant also impressed during the second round to take pole and a fastest lap in the final, only set back by his Saturday performance when he lost 12 places across his three heats.

Oskari Walle has also shown glimmers of excellence so far this season and nobody can rule out Julian Frasnelli who has had a mixed set of results so far this season but heads to the third round in sixth position.

Academy Senior

The opening round of the 2026 Academy Trophy Senior was dominated by Alexis Genolet from Switzerland who put in a masterful performance over the weekend along with his father who is serving as his mechanic for the competition. Genolet secured pole and every heat win except one to secure prime position in the final which he duly converted to a staggering six second lead as the Swiss driver raced into the distance to take the maiden victory of the season.

Headed into round two, a talented grid looks to halt Genolet’s charge. Albie Lapper from the UK qualified in second position, finished every heat in second spot and then took the third step of the podium on Sunday. He currently sits three points behind Oliver Kurg in the standings and his constituency puts him among the favourites this season.

Kurg travels to Germany reflecting on his solid and assured performance throughout the qualifying heats in Valencia. The Estonian driver managed to perform a crucial overtake on Lapper during the final to claim an important second spot on the podium. 

After an early setback in qualifying, Simba Motoda impressed in Spain to make up ground over the weekend. The Japanese entry, who had the support of reigning Academy Trophy Senior winner Yuzuki Sato at the previous round, will be hoping to master the right setup early on in Mülsen to start his weekend strongly. 

Finally, Liam Carr of Australia, Alex Desario of Italy, and Michal Zajac of Poland all impressed in the opening round and head to Germany looking to master setup management and racing strategy to secure an advantage this weekend.

Provisional Timings

Friday 12 June
Qualifying Practice (OK, Junior) 11:20 – 12:40
Qualifying Heats 14:35 – 19:00
Qualifying Practice (Academy Senior) 16:35 – 17:00

Saturday 13 June
Qualifying Heats 10:20 – 19:00

Sunday 14 June
Super Heats 09:50 – 11:30
Drivers’ Presentation 13:00
Academy Senior Final 14:00
Junior Final 15:00 
OK Final 16:00