PREMA Racing have announced the signing of Brando Badoer for the 2025 FIA Formula 3 season with the Italian also joining McLaren as a full-time member of their Driver Development programme.
Badoer will graduate to F3 after a strong 2024 campaign in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine where he is currently fifth in the standings with seven podiums.
Not only that, he finished sixth in the 2023 editions of the Formula 4 UAE, Italian F4 and Euro 4 Championships, achieving several podiums across the three categories.
The 18 year old will now step up to Formula 3 with PREMA with the backing on McLaren as he is their recently signed member of the Development Programme, Badoer is excited for what is to come.
I’m really happy to announce that I will be racing with PREMA in the 2025 FIA Formula 3 Championship. Working with all the people here is special, the chemistry is excellent and it makes the work really enjoyable on and off the track. We have had two positive seasons together and I’m looking forward to building on that and I’m sure we will have a good year. Badoer on the news.
Brando is a very interesting prospect, and we are delighted to give him an opportunity for 2025. We have kept an eye on him because we noticed his potential from F4 to FRECA, and we saw him make an impressive step this season. Formula 3 will be challenging, as it usually is, but he has the right attitude to quickly gel with the team and series PREMA Racing Team Principal, Rene Rosin.
We’ve kept a close eye on him over the past year and have been impressed with his performances as a rookie in the competitive Formula Regional championship, so it made sense to exercise our option and bring him into the programme full-time. We look forward to seeing him racing in papaya and supporting his development as he moves to compete in the FIA Formula 3 Championship with Prema Racing. Stephanie Carlin, Director of F1 Business at McLaren.
Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak is set to return for a second campaign in FIA Formula 3, making the move to Campos Racing for the 2025 season.
The Thai driver spent his rookie year with AIX Racing where he achieved one podium with a second place finish at the Budapest Sprint Race before ending up P24 in the Drivers’ Championship.
It wont be the first time Inthraphuvasak and Campos have linked up, as they have history together with the 18 year old raced for them in 2023 Eurocup-3 season. He managed to grab two pole positions and four podiums on his way to finishing sixth in the standings.
I’m delighted to join Campos racing for the F3 season in 2025. Having been with the team in the past, I’m sure we will work very well together for this upcoming season. It will be my second year in Formula 3 so I will try to use all the experience gathered to deliver the results and I am confident with the team I have behind me that we will have a successful year together. I cant wait to start working with the team and begin the preparations for next year. I would like to thank everyone that has made this possible! Inthraphuvasak on the news.
I want to welcome Tasanapol back to Campos Racing as we reunite, having already worked together in the past. He is a great driver, fast and consistently improving race by race. 2025 is going to be a very demanding year with the new single-seater, but we are building a team of drivers with the experience and talent needed to achieve the results we have set for ourselves. Adrian Campos Jr, Team Principal.
Rodin Motorsport have announced their first driver for the 2025 campaign, that Louis Sharp will step up to FIA Formula 3 with the team.
Sharp and Rodin share a strong history of success together which started back in 2022, when he finished fourth in the British F4 Championship after scoring 12 podium finishes including two victories.
He then went on to continue with them in 2023, this time winning the British F4 Championship thanks to four pole positions, six victories and an additional eight podiums!
Their partnership was once again successful this year with Sharp winning the GB3 Championship, achieving five victories and a further five podiums on his way to winning another title.
I’m obviously excited to be making the next step up to FIA Formula 3 – even more so as I’m back with Rodin Motorsport which has been such an important factor in all my successes to date. Though I’m still coming to terms with what I’ve achieved winning back-to-back titles, I’m already starting to concentrate on what’s ahead. I’m really looking forward to be racing alongside Grands Prix in 2025 and will do everything I can to maintain my current momentum. I’m now looking forward to starting my F3 preparations later this month in Spain and confident both the team and I will be ready when the lights go out in Australia. Sharp on the news moving up.
It is great to have Louis join our Formula 3 effort for 2025, especially off the back of a dominant performance in GB3. Having the new chassis will provide a level playing field for the rookies and Louis has shown throughout his British F4 and GB3 campaigns how quickly he adapts to new cars and tracks. We are really looking forward to working with Louis once again. Sam Waple, Rodin Motorsport Team Manager.
PREMA Racing have confirmed that Ugo Ugochukwu is set to make the step up to FIA Formula 3 with the Italian team next season – which is their first driver signing for the 2025 season.
After a trophy-laden karting career, the McLaren Driver Development programme member graduated to single seater racing in 2022, going on to finish third in the British F4 Championship.
Ugochukwu then had a successful 2023 with PREMA, winning the Euro 4 Championship while he also finished second in Italian F4 and third in the Formula 4 UAE Championships.
He then went on to race with PREMA again this year in the Formula Regional European Championship where he has achieved a podium and numerous points finishes.
Following the announcement, Ugochukwu, who previously took part at all three 2023 post-season tests with Rodin Motorsport, is now looking forward to making the step-up full time.
I’m really happy to announce that I will be racing with PREMA in the 2025 FIA Formula 3 Championship. Working with all the people here is special, the chemistry is excellent and it makes the work really enjoyable on and off the track. We have had two positive seasons together and I’m looking forward to building on that and I’m sure we will have a good year. Ugochukwu on the news.
We enjoyed working with Ugo in the last two years from Formula 4 to Formula Regional, and we think he has great potential. We are convinced that he will be a great fit for FIA Formula 3 next year in terms of approach and driving style. We will soon start preparations and we look forward to helping him make a smooth and successful transition to the new series. Rene Rosin, PREMA Racing Team Principal.
Campos Racing have confirmed Mari Boya as their first driver for the 2025 FIA Formula 3 season. The Spaniard will remain with the team for what will be his third campaign in the Championship.
Boya earned his maiden F3 victory this year, achieving P1 on home soil in the Barcelona Sprint Race. He wound up 15th in the Drivers’ Championship, earning nine top 10 finishes across the season.
Prior to his most recent season with Campos, Boya entered FIA F3 in 2023 with MP Motorsport, where he achieved five top 10 finishes and a podium in his rookie campaign.
Looking ahead to next year, Boya said he was very happy to be continuing with Campos Racing in 2025, adding that he was confident after spending a season with the team.
I am excited to face my second season with Campos Racing. After a first year of learning and adaptation, I feel more than ready and eager to contribute to the fullest. We have worked hard as a group and I am confident that together we will achieve our goals by always giving our best in every opportunity that comes our way. Boya on the news.
We are thrilled to have a driver like Mari in our team for another season. Next year will be a tough challenge for everyone, considering the introduction of the new F3 car. Therefore, it will be crucial to have talented and experienced drivers who can help understand and develop the car to achieve results as quickly as possible. We are confident it will be a great season together and we will work towards many more victories with the new racing car. Adrian Campos Jr, Team Principal.
Trident have announced their first driver signing for the 2025 season with Charlie Wurz set to join the Italian outfit ahead of his second campaign in FIA Formula 3.
Wurz spent his rookie F3 campaign with Jenzer Motorsport, scoring a season high P5 in Melbourne Feature Race and finishing 22nd overall in the standings.
Prior to that, the 18 year old completed several title-winning campaigns, earning the 2022 Formula 3 UAE Championship and the 2024 Formula Regional Oceania Championship.
Speaking following the announcement of his move to Trident, Wurz spoke of his excitement at joining the title winning team.
I am really happy to have signed with Trident and to race with the team that has won the last two FIA Formula 3 Championships in 2025. The team’s track record could not be more prestigious. I’ve already developed a great chemistry with the team, as we share the same drive and desire to win. I know I have a lot to learn from them. I am already training for next year and cannot wait to get started. Wurz on the news.
We are thrilled to announce that Austrian driver Charlie Wurz is joining the Trident Motorsport family. Charlie is an intelligent and fast driver. As he embarks on his second year in the FIA Formula 3 Championship, we are confident that he will perform exceptionally well in our colours. We look forward to working with him during the post-season tests. Giacomo Ricci, Team Manager.
The FIA Formula 3 Championship presented the F3 2025 car to the international media in the Formula 1 paddock in Monza on Saturday 31st August.
The design philosophy of this new car, which will be raced in the 2025, 2026 and 2027 F3 seasons, is to give young drivers who aspire to race in Formula 2 and Formula 1 the best opportunity to progress through the pyramid.
The new look of the F3 2025 car is in line with the latest F2 and F1 family, reflecting the same safety, systems and performance at affordable costs. It complies with the latest FIA safety standards and is powered by a bespoke 6-cylinder 3.4 litre naturally aspirated Mechachrome engine, which deliver 380 horsepower at 8000 rpm.
The new car is planned to run on Aramco’s advanced fuel, which is being developed to be compliant with the FIA’s 100% sustainable fuel standard in 2025. This fuel which is also planned to be used in the F2 Championship, is intended as a step forward in the Formula 1 group’s drive to be Net Zero by 2030.
The new car will also be running new Pirelli 16″ tyre which from 2025 will have a natural rubber component certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
The F3 2025 car has been designed to boost overtaking capabilities, which will produce exciting on track action and the new cockpit has been designed to improve the ergonomics and driver installation to accommodate a wide range of racers.
The car systems will still include marshalling such as Virtual Safety Car (VSC), an optimised Drag Reduction System (DRS) and a new Marelli Vehicle Control Unit (VCU), identical to the current F2 car.
A first car will be delivered to the teams before the end of December 2024, and the other two cars will be supplied in mid-January 2025. The teams and drivers will first be able to experience the new generation car at the official pre-season tests, in early 2025.
The unveiling of the FIA Formula 3 2025 car marks a pivotal moment in our commitment to developing the next generation of racing talent. This car is more than just a step forward in technology and sustainability; it represents a critical step in the FIA’s single-seater ladder. By aligning closely with FIA Formula 2 and Formula 1 aerodynamics, the new F3 car offers young drivers an essential platform to develop their skills, preparing them for the challenges that lie ahead in the higher categories. In addition to updated safety and performance, we are proud that this new generation of cars integrates cutting-edge technology initiatives aimed at helping to reduce racing carbon emissions, running on advanced fuel that meets the FIA’s 100% sustainable fuel standard, just like Formula 1 from 2026. This demonstrates our commitment to work towards lowering motorsport’s greenhouse gas emissions while driving innovation. Moreover, the enhanced cockpit design reflects our ongoing efforts to make motorsport more inclusive, ensuring that drivers of all physical profiles have the opportunity to compete at the highest level. This new FIA Formula 3 embodies the FIA’s vision of a sport that is progressive, inclusive, and sustainable. FIA President, Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
The F3 Championship continues to deliver exhilarating racing, close title fights and most importantly is a fundamental training ground for future members of the Formula 1 grid. It is important that the next generation of stars can continue to hone their skills in an F3 car designed to help all drivers progress through the motorsport pyramid. This new car also takes a significant step forward in our sustainability journey by running on fuel that meets the FIA’s 100% sustainability fuel standard, an innovation that will come to Formula 1 in 2026. I’m excited to see it on the track in 2025 and I want to pay tribute to the great collaboration between the FIA and our Team, led by Bruno Michel. Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1.
I am very pleased to unveil our new F3 car, which will race for the next three seasons. Just like the current F2 car, together with the FIA, we have designed a machine that is challenging, safe, and the perfect tool to prepare young drivers who aspire to race in F1 in the future. The 2025 F3 car has been designed to provide exciting racing, with a lot of overtaking opportunities. We have also worked to ensure this new car fits all types of drivers, taking into account the FIA’s requirements regarding the steering effort. With this in mind, we have enhanced our car’s driveability and comfort to further ensure the new generation car is more inclusive. I’m also very proud of reaching another important milestone in terms of sustainability: thanks to our partner Aramco, the F3 car will run on advanced fuel, meeting the FIA 100% sustainable fuel standard as early as 2025, and several parts of the F3 2025 will use recycled carbon. As always, controlling costs has remained a hot topic when designing the F3 2025, so we have made sure to keep them as low as possible. We have also ensured that this new car can be managed with 11 operational people, as per the Sporting Regulations. Once again, I would like to thank our partners Aramco, Pirelli, Dallara, and Mecachrome, whose expertise and knowhow make this new car the best tool to prepare the F3 drivers on their way to the pinnacle of motorsport. Bruno Michel, FIA Formula 3 CEO.
It was an all-PREMA front row with Beganovic on pole, though it was teammate Mini who made the better start to take the lead into Turn 1.
Just behind them, Tim Tramnitz had gotten ahead of Santiago Ramos for P3, while Arvid Lindblad made a fast start from P27 and was already up to 16th by the end of Lap 1.
But a Safety Car was required with Jenzer Motorsport’s Max Esterson having slowly spun into the barrier at Eau Rouge. The American driver was okay, and the field were back racing at the end of Lap 3.
The battles were well and truly on as Beganovic got ahead of Mini at the end of the Kemmel Straight just after the restart, while Leon took back the P5 spot he had lost to Luke Browning.
Lap 5 and Tramnitz was coming under pressure from Ramos and Leon and while he was able to hold on to P3, Browning was struggling and lost sixth position to Sebastian Montoya having ran wide at Turn 4.
The top six from Beganovic to Montoya were covered by just two and a half seconds as they started lap 9 of 12, with Mini told by his race engineer to keep the pressure on his teammate.
But making the moves was Leon as he got ahead of Ramos for P4 at the end of the Kemmel Straight, with Lindblad now up to 12th after getting past Rodin Motorsport’s Joseph Loake.
DRS had now been made available, as Mini came under pressure from Tramnitz for second. He was able to hold off the MP driver but as they squabbled, it meant Beganovic was able to pull out a one second gap.
As they started the penultimate lap of the race, Mini had closed back in on Beganovic while Tramnitz had fallen into the clutches of Leon. This was playing into the hands of Meguetounif, Browning and Leonardo Fornaroli in seventh, eighth and ninth place, as they close up to the top six.
The final lap started, with Beganovic and Mini having pulled out a two second gap to the rest of the field. But in the battle for the final podium place Leon got ahead of Tramnitz at the Kemmel Straight.
The full top 10 are- P1: Beganovic, P2: Mini, P3: Leon, P4: Tramnitz, P5: Ramos, P6: Browning P7: Montoya, P8: Fornaroli, P9: Goethe and P10: Voisin.
Day 3-
It was a great start from pole-sitter Voisin as he kept hold of the lead, but the big gainer was Montoya as he was up to second from fourth.
Front row starter Alexander Dunne had a slow start and dropped to fourth while Fornaroli maintained third place.
But behind them, there was a huge moment in the title race as Gabriele Mini fell to the back of the field following a collision with Oliver Goethe. The contact left the PREMA Racing driver turned around at the back of the field, while the Campos was forced to pit with a puncture.
As they started lap 2, Voisin locked up heading into Turn 1, with both Montoya and Fornaroli right on the back of his Rodin car. He was able to keep the position, but Noel Leon could not do the same, losing P5 to Sami Meguetounif down the Kemmel Straight.
The Safety Car was then required on Lap 3 when Martinius Stenshorne spun at Stavelot. ART Grand Pric debutant Tuukka Taponen was having his own separate incident coming into the corner as he collided with Joshua Dufek before spinning into the side of the Hitech.
We were back racing on Lap 7 and Voisin had a great restart ahead of Montoya and Fornaroli, while Meguetounif’s charge continued as he overtook Dunne for fourth down the Kemmel Straight. But another Safety Car was soon deployed after Sophia Floersch and Joseph Loake collided and spun off at Turn 9.
The race restarted on Lap 10 of 15 and once again Voisin had a good start, but Dunne was struggling once more, dropping from P5 to P10.
A third Safety Car was needed after Christian Mansell hit the rear of Arvid Lindblad, sending the PREMA Racing driver into the gravel at Turn 9.
At the same time, Charlie Wurz touched the rear right tyre of Mari Boya, giving the Campos Racing driver a puncture, before he went into the barrier at Turn 11. The Austrian was then forced to come into the pit lane to replace a damaged front wing.
Voisin led the pack away on Lap 14 as we returned to green flag conditions, with Montoya and Fornaroli staying behind him. However, Leon dived down the inside of Meguetounif into Turn 7 to take back P4.
Onto the final lap and Voisin had built up a lead of nearly one second as he crossed the line to take the victory, with Montoya in second, while Fornaroli finished third to take the lead of the Drivers’ Championship.
The full top 10 are- P1: Voisin, P2: Montoya, P3: Fornaroli, P4: Leon, P5: Meguetounif, P6: Browning, P7: Esterson, P8: Ramos, P9: Tramnitz and P10: Dunne.
Even without scoring, the result means PREMA Racing take an unassailable lead into the final round in Monza, making them the 2024 FIA Formula 3 Team Champions.
HiTech Pulse-Eight driver Luke Browning left it until the final moments of the session to top the Spa-Francorchamps Free Practice that started with rainy conditions before ending in the dry.
Browning completed a lap of 2:15.570 with his last lap on the slick tyres to finish 0.030s ahead of Van Amersfoort Racing’s Noel Leon, with ART Grand Prix driver Christian Mansell in third.
A wet Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps greeted the drivers with Browning the early pacestter on a 2:22.089, putting him 0.683s clear of his ART title rival Mansell in second.
As the drivers rounded the track, they began to find more grip and pace, but no one could quite match Browning’s time with VAR’s Leon going closest.
But the Hitech driver continued to be the benchmark, and later completed a lap of 2:21.310 to improve on his earlier effort, as AIX Racing’s Nikita Bedrin followed him across the line to finish 0.620s off the top time.
With 20 minutes left, the sun had started to come through and the track was drying out. The teams then started sending their drivers out for some exploratory laps on the slicks.
But it wasn’t until the final six minutes that a dry line began to appear with MP Motorsport’s Alexander Dunne using that to great effect to go fastest with 2:20.474.
Times continued to tumble as the track conditions improved with Sebastian Montoya, Santiago Ramos, Leon, Arvid Lindblad, Leonardo Fornaroli and Tramnitz all topping the timesheets within the span of five minutes.
The drivers running was then hampered by a yellow flag in the final sector following Ramos’ spin at the bus stop chicane, while his Trident teammate Sami Meguetounif would run wide at the same corner.
Qualifying-
Rodin Motorsport’s Callum Voisin took his first ever Formula 3 pole position after coming out on top in a frenetic Spa-Francorchamps qualifying session.
The British driver completed a lap of 2:04.321 to beat MP Motorsport’s Alexander Dunne to pole by 0.123s, with Trident’s Leonardo Fornaroli taking third place.
But after the first set of laps, it was the ART Grand Prix cars that set the pace, with Laurens van Hoepen completing the early benchmark time of 2:05.507 to lead Mansell by just 0.011s.
Hitech Pulse-Eight chose a different strategy by sending their drivers out early on the second set of tyres, giving them an empty track. However, it did not work for Luke Browning as he ran wide at Pouhon after losing the rear, leaving him down in P18.
His teammate Martinius Stenshorne was one of several to lose their first laps for exceeding track limits but on the latest attempt he went to P11, while Cian Shields jumped to P14.
The Hitech trio ducked into the pitlane while the rest of the field emerged on to the track with 10 minutes to go. But then came the rest with first Sebastian Montoya, then Fornaroli and later Dunne going fastest before Voisin went to the top with a 2:04.321.
However, as the drivers prepared for their final laps there was huge queue heading into the final chicane, meaning that the like of Fornaroli and Leon did not get to the line in time to set off another attempt.
Some drivers did improve in the first sector, but they were so close to each other there were no improvements through the technical middle sector.
The full top 10 are- Pole: Voisin, P2: Dunne, P3: Fornaroli, P4: Montoya, P5: Leon, P6: Esterson, P7: Browning, P8: Meguetounif, P9: Tramnitz and P10: Ramos.
Pole sitter Beganovic covered off Bedrin on the run to Turn 1 but the AIX driver was undeterred and rounded the Swede at Turn 2 to take the lead away. Inthraphuvasak followed in third position ahead of Callum Voisin and Christian Mansell.
The ART Grand Prix driver was under attack though on lap 2 from Tim Tramnitz and his MP Motorsport rival repeated the move of Bedrin into Turn 3 to take P5 from the Australian.
The Virtual Safety Car was then deployed to neutralise the race in order to recover Matias Zagazeta’s car after contact on the opening lap left him on the sidelines.
Back to racing conditions and the top four were covered by less than a second in the lead battle. As the quartet fought, Tramnitz and Mansell joined the train after the opening exchanges, getting to within DRS range by Lap 6.
Onto lap 10 and Beganovic made a late move on Bedrin into Turn 2 but caught the grass on the inside of the corner in the process. It sent his PREMA car sideways and while he was able to catch the slide, it dropped him down to third.
Into the Turn 6 and 7 chicane, Tramnitz squeezed his way alongside Voisin, who skipped across the chicane to keep hold of fourth. The Rodin Motorsport driver was told to concede the place to Tramnitz, seeing off any potential review. One lap later, and Mansell was through on the Brit at Turn 1 for fifth.
Out in front though, Bedrin was in full control after resisting the pressure of Beganovic and crossed the line to earn his first FIA F3 victory, leading home an AIX Racing 1-2 ahead of Inthraphuvasak, a result that means all teams have now stood on the podium in 2024.
The full top 10 are- P1: Bedrin, P2: Inthraphuvasak, P3: Beganovic, P4: Tramnitz, P5: Mansell, P6: Voisin, P7: Fornaroli, P8: Browning, P9: Van Hoepen and P10: Meguetounif.
Day 3-
Van Hoepen got wheelspin in the second phase of the start and had to defend hard from his teammate Tsolov off the line. The Dutch driver ran deep at Turn 1, allowing the Bulgarian through along with VAR’s Noel Leon.
With DRS enabled, Van Hoepen began to close in on Tsolov and was within half a second on lap 3, while Leon dropped to beyond a second back from the ART duo.
Christian Mansell moved his ART up to fifth with a late dive to the inside of Santiago Ramos at Turn 1 on lap 4.
As the opening laps ticked by, Van Hoepen radioed into his team to relay his tyres were beginning to overheat in the wake of teammate Tsolov.
By the midway point of the race, the top six were covered by four seconds with Santiago Ramos some 9.6s clear of Rodin Motorsport’s Callum Voisin who was running in P7.
In the fight for the final points places, Oliver Goethe pulled off a late dive to pass Dino Beganovic and secure himself ninth position, while behind Gabriele Mini cleared Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak to move up into 11th.
Into the final three laps and after a phase of tyre management, van Hoepen began to apply the pressure on Tsolov once again in the lead fight.
Boya’s battle with Mini resumed and the Spaniard found a gap at Turn 2 to take 11th position. Contact between Arvid Lindblad and Matias Zagazeta resulted in a late-race Safety Car on Lap 21, with the PREMA driver stopped at Turn 4.
With little time to clear both cars, it was not possible to resumed racing in time for a final lap shootout. Tsolov took his third race win of 2024 and his first F3 Feature Race victory.
The full top 10 are- P1: Tsolov, P2: Van Hoepen, P3: Leon, P4: Fornaroli, P5: Mansell, P6: Ramos, P7: Voisin, P8: Bedrin, P9: Goethe and P10: Beganovic.
Mari Boya started his Budapest weekend on the front foot, winding up quickest for Campos Racing with a 1:34.236 in practice. The Spaniard led Hitech Pulse-Eight teammates Martinius Stenshorne and Luke Browning, who completed the top three.
After a quiet start to the session, drivers headed out onto the circuit with 15 minutes gone. Following tyre preparation laps, Alex Dunne set the first time to beat with a 1:34.986 which was swiftly bettered by Gabriele Mini.
His PREMA Racing teammate Dino Beganovic had been on a strong lap just ahead of him but a snap of oversteer at the penultimate corner cost the Swede time, crossing the line almost a second down in fifth.
Sebastian Montoya had been inside the top five earlier in the session but lost his first effort to track limits. The Campos Racing driver bounced back right away though to go second overall, 0.117s off Leon’s time.
Teammate Boya beat the pair of them shortly afterwards, going well clear of the rest on a 1:34.236 with just over 10 minutes left of the session.
Hitech Pulse-Eight teammates Martinius Stenshorne and Browning then moved themselves into the top positions, the former going second and the Briton fourth. On his final lap, the latter was able to find the time to lift himself up one more spot to take third at the chequered flag.
Qualifying-
ART Grand Prix’s Laurens van Hoepen earned his first pole position in FIA Formula 3, with a 1:33.995 coming in the nick of time. The Dutch driver finished the session on top and ahead of teammate Nikola Tsolov in P2, while title contender Leonardo Fornaroli took third for Trident.
There was a late red flag as another contender Luke Browning spun into the barriers on his final attempt, ending the session early.
With tyre preparation laps complete, AIX Racing’s Joshua Dufek set the initial pace with a 1:34.414 ahead of teammates Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak and Nikita Bedrin in a 1-2-3 for the team.
There was more vying for track position ahead of the second attempts but this time it was van Hoepen that took over at the top, setting a 1:34.316 until Van Amersfoort Racing’s Noel Leon secured P1 with a 1:34.174.
Further back and with clear track, Fornaroli was next to go quickest but it was very closely run. The Italian driver went just 0.001s quicker than Leon to secure provisional pole.
Van Hoepen returned to the top as the first into the 1:33s ahead of teammate Tsolov in P2. Fornaroli put himself in third just as the red flags came out as title rival Browning found the barriers at Turn 11, bringing the session to a conclusion and those behind unable to improve.
The full top 10 are- Pole: Van Hoepen, P2: Tsolov, P3: Fornaroli, P4: Leon, P5: Ramos, P6: Dufek, P7: Mehuetounif, P8: Browning, P9: Tramnitz and P10: Mansell.
It was a great start for Lindblad, as the PREMA driver won out in a three way battle with pole-sitter Leon ans Zagazeta heading into Turn 1 to take the lead.
Zagazeta initially got ahead of Leon, but the Van Amersfoort Racing driver fought back through at Maggotts and Becketts to move up to P2. The Jenzer Motorsport rookie them came under attack from Christian Mansell heading into Stowe but managed to stay ahead.
Mansell though then lost a position on lap 3 as Rodin Motorsport’s Callum Voisin was showing strong pace to move past the ART Grand Prix driver for fourth at the entry to Luffield.
The Virtual Safety Car was needed moments later after Santiago Ramos suffered a puncture following a slight collision with Tommy Smith, with a piece of his tyre needing to be cleared from the racing line near Copse.
The action resumed on lap 5, but the safety car was almost immediately deployed after Max Esterson and Oliver Goethe collided on the entry to Copse, sending both through the gravel and into the barrier. Both drivers walked away from the incident, and they were back underway at the end of lap 7, however there was another collision as Tim Tramnitz and Luke Browning made contact going through the loop.
Alex Dunne was on the move and got ahead of Charlie Wurz for P6 going down the inside at Stowe, before making his way past Mansell for fifth on lap 11. Onto the next lap, and Dunne had dropped back behind Mansell and Wurz to seventh and was looking to retake the position from the Jenzer rookie, but the collided on the Wellington Straight.
Racing resumed on lap 14 with Lindblad two and a half seconds clear of Leon in the lead. Having resisted an earlier attack from Voision, Zagazeta was now outside DRS range of the British driver.
Just behind in the battle for fifth, a DRS train had formed behind Mansell which included his ART teammate Nikola Tsolov, Gabriele Mini, Sami Meguetounif and Sebastian Montoya. Montoya though, having started P17, was on a mission and dived down the inside of Meguetounif for P8 at Turn 3.
Onto the final lap, and Lindblad was now well over six seconds clear out in front as he crossed the line to win on home soil. Leon finished in second while Zagazeta achieved his first Formula 3 podium by finishing third.
The full top 10 are- P1: Lindblad, P2: Leon, P3: Zagazeta, P4: Voisin, P5: Tsolov, P6: Mini, P7: Montoya, P8: Meguetounif, P9: Van Hoepen and P10: Fornaroli.
Day 3-
It was a dramatic start to the day as light rain prior to the race getting underway promoted 28 of the 30 drivers to switch to the wet tyres, with Rodin Motorsport’s Voisin and Piotr Wisnicki the only ones to stick to slicks.
But as the cars rounded the track on the formation lap, the rain stopped causing several drivers to pit for Hards prior to lights out.
Pole-sitter, Luke Browning made a strong start from pole on his wets, while Leonardo Fornaroli was on the charge as he made his way past Trident teammate Sami Meguetounif before going round the outside of Max Esterson at Maggots and Becketts for second.
But a Safety Car was required as Cian Shields stopped by the side of the track at Turn 3, just as his HItech teammate Browning was told that more rain was expected.
We were back racing on lap 3, as Voisin put his slick tyres to use, going round the outside of Esterson at Turn 3 before getting past Fornaroli down the Wellington Straight. He then took over the lead of the race from Browning on the run down to Copse corner.
Voisin, who had a five second lead at one stage, was then handed a 10 second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage in his overtake on Esterson.
But we were back racing on lap 8 and this time around it was the wet tyre runners making the moves with Browning and Fornaroli getting past Voisin in the first sector. Tramnitz was a major winner in this situation as having pitted for the wets he came from the back to P7 ahead of Hitech debutant James Wharton.
Another Safety Car was required on lap 9 though after Joshua Dufek spun at the exit of Stowe, causing Alexander Dunne and Sebastian Montoya to crash into the barriers as they looked to avoid the AIX Racing car.
We had now entered the final 15 minutes of the race and with the pack now bunched up together, PREMA came on the radio to tell Mini, now in P23, that the rain was stopping soon.
As racing resumed, Browning extended his lead over Fornaroli to over one second, while Leon went round the outside of Esterson at Stowe to take P3.
With 10 minutes to go, it looked like we had reached the crossover point with slick tyre runners Voisin, Lindblad and Mini slowly beginning to make their moves through the field.
With seven minutes left, those on dry tyres started to make their moves with VAR telling Leon that they were quicker by one second a lap. Voisin was up to fourth, Lindblad was sixth and Mini was eighth.
Entering the final five minutes, Voisin got past Browning down the Hangar Straight to take back the lead he had lost earlier. But with the penalty hanging over his head, Lindblad and Mini, who were fighting for P2 just behind him were effectively battling for the lead.
The three drivers were flying at the front as Voisin crossed the line in P1, but with his penalty, he dropped to third. This promoted Lindblad to first giving him a clean sweep of wins, a Formula 3 first in which a driver has won every race during a single weekend with Mini in second.
The full top 10 are- P1: Lindblad, P2: Mini, P3: Voisin, P4: Smith, P5: Wisnicki, P6: Goethe, P7: Fornaroli, P8: Browning, P9: Bedrin and P10: Leon.
Jenzer Motorsport’s Max Esterson ended up with the fastest time in the Free Practice, leading HiTech Pulse-Eight Cian Shields in a rain-hit session.
Esterson completed a lap of 2:00.153 to take top spot, eclipsing Shield’s previous benchmark time by just 0.114s as ART Grand Prix driver Nikola Tsolov ended up third.
With the full wet tyres strapped on as rain continued to fall at Silverstone, MP Motorsport’s Tim Tramnitz was the early pacesetter thanks to his time of 2:02.391.
However, the fastest time continued to change as home favourites Joseph Loake and then Arvid Lindblad went to P1 only for Campos Racing’s Mari Boya to go over a second quicker on a 2:00.873.
Then came Tsolov in his ART car who then eclipsed Boya’s time by 0.323s while his teammate Christian Mansell went up to third, over half a second behind the Bulgarian driver.
With 20 minutes left of practice, the teams brought their cars in and bolted on the slicks for the first time in the day, but just as they did the rain began to fall even harder.
This meant that drivers did not improve on their best times, leaving Esterson fastest ahead of Shields, with Tsolov in third ahead of James Wharton, who has made a good start to his debut weekend with Hitech Pulse-Eight as Boya ended up fifth.
Qualifying-
Hitech Pulse Eight’s Luke Browning took a last gasp pole position at a rain-hampered qualifying in Silverstone ahead of Jenzer Motorsport’s Max Esterson and Trident’s Sami Meguetounif.
The Championship leader left it late on a drying lap with a time of 1:44.992 to take top spot with Esterson following his P1 in practice to go within 0.045s off pole to seal a maiden front row start.
Van Amersfoort Racing’s Noel Leon then set the initial time to beat with a lap of 1:45.475, Alexander Dunne moved up to second, just 0.070s off top spot, while Gabriele Mini settled into third for PREMA Racing.
However, as most of the grid returned to the pitlane looking to strap on a new set of hards, the rain intensified. This left Dino Beganovic at the back after the Swede lost his initial time to a track limits violation, while Championship leader Luke Browning was demoted to P13 by Tim Tramnitz.
But with all looking lost, the drivers ventured out on to the track aiming to do as much learning in mixed conditions before tomorrow’s sprint race.
However, the track began to improve heading into the final minute, with Leonardo Fornaroli going fastest on a 1:45.265. This was bad news for the drivers in the pit lane like Leon and Dunne as the timing screens lit up with purple and green sectors.
Browning then came across the line to complete a lap of 1:44.992 giving him pole position on home soil, as Esterson went second moments later.
The full top 10 are- Pole: Browning, P2: Esterson, P3: Meguetounif, P4: Fornaroli, P5: Van Hoepen, P6: Wurz, P7: Mansell, P8: Tsolov, P9: Voisin and P10: Zagazeta.
Pole sitter, Stenshorne tried to cover off Mansell from lights out but the Australian was able to get alongside him into Turn 1 to take the lead. The Hitech driver tried a re-pass into Turn 3 but was left running off the track, giving Tsolov momentum to take second position into Turn 4, making it an ART 1-2.
Dino Beganovic was a spinner at Turn 1 falling from inside the top 10 down to 25th. Kacper Sztuka was an early retirement and was stranded on the circuit which required the Safety Car to neutralise things.
Racing then resumed on lap 5 and Mansell was able to retain the advantage in front. Luke Browning was on the move after his grip penalty left him from starting 15th, going three-wide into Turn 4 to pass Nikita Bedrin and Arvid Lindblad to move into 11th.
With DRS, Tsolov was able to get alongside Mansell into Turn 4 and rounded the Australian on the outside to take the lead on lap 7.
Browning moved himself into the points-paying positions at the expense of Tim Tramnitz, moving down the inside at Turn 3 on lap 10 to secure 10th from the MP driver.
Lap 12, and Fornaroli put a brave move on Bedrin to move up to 14th, passing the AIX Racing driver around the outside of Turn 6.
Lap 16, was a busy one as Montoya looked to make a move on Alex Dunne at Turn 1, but the MP driver resisted the pressure to hold onto the position.
Up further ahead, Mansell got a move at Turn 4 to stick on Tsolov, able to take the lead from his ART teammate and remain ahead. Gabriele Mini got brave and rounded Oliver Goethe on the outside at Turn 6 to secure sixth position.
Contact with Trident’s Sami Meguetounif at the end of the lap for Lindblad left the PREMA Racing rookie with a puncture and dropped him out of the points fight.
On lap 17, the fight for the lead continued with Tsolov getting back through on Mansell at Turn 4, a slow corner exit for the Australian allowed Stenshorne a run through Turn 5, putting the Norwegian up to second.
The fight for the top five places continued just behind the trio but after a heated battle Montoya made contact with Dunne and was left spinning at Turn 4. The Colombian driver out of his car and ok, but the crash required another Safety Car.
The Safety Car was withdrawn with one lap to go, setting up a final lap sprint to the finish. Tsolov got the restart he needed to put some distance between himself and Stenshorne, and the Bulgarian earned his second sprint race victory of the year ahead of the Hitech driver.
The full top 10 are- P1: Tsolov, P2: Stenshorne, P3: Mansell, P4: Dunne, P5: Van Hoepen, P6: Mini, P7: Goethe, P8: Tramnitz, P9: Leon and P10: Meguetounif.
Day 3-
Browning launched into a clear lead at the first corner while PREMA Racing teammates Lindblad, Mini and Beganovic followed in second through to fourth as Tim Tramnitz dropped down to seventh. Lindblad and Mini battled on the exit of Turn 4 which allowed Beganovic the run into Turn 6 to take third from the Italian.
That became second for the Swede on lap 2, as he dived down the inside of his teammate into Turn 3. Noel Leon was on the move too further back, taking sixth from Sebastian Montoya as he continued his charge from 13th.
Lindblad was dropping through the pack on lap 8 after brief contact with Alex Dunne into Turn 3 as the MP Motorsport driver passed Goethe. Leon, Dunne and Goethe were able to clear the Brit on the run to Turn 4 to relegate the Red Bull Junior Team driver to seventh.
Contact at Turn 3 between Mari Boya in the Campos and AIX Racing’s Nikita Bedrin brought out a Virtual Safety Cat on lap 11 while marshals retrieved the latter’s car.
Back to racing conditions and Goethe was on the attack against Leon for fourth. The slightest of touches resulted in a puncture for the Van Amersfoort Racing driver, ending his charge through the pack and tumbling down the order.
10 laps to go, everyone behind leader, Browning had DRS down to ninth-placed Tramnitz as the fight for points ebbed and flowed.
Christian Mansell made his way into sixth position with a pass around the outside of Lindblad at Turn 4 on lap 19. That became fourth for the Australian with five laps to go, diving down the inside of Goethe at Turn 4.
Mini made an attempt on Beganovic for second at Turn 3 on the following lap, but it was Mansell that went surging around the outside of the Italian at the following corner to take third. That was until Mini pulled off his own audacious pass to re-take P3 at Turn 6.
Onto the penultimate lap and the battling behind allowed Browning to break out of DRS range to Beganovic, who was under attack from teammate Mini at Turn 4, with the Alpine Academy driver securing second a Turn 6.
The full top 10 are- P1: Browning, P2: Mini, P3: Beganovic, P4: Mansell, P5: Goethe, P6: Tsolov, P7: Lindblad, P8: Vans Hoepen, P9: Fornaroli and P10: Dunne.
Jenzer Motorsport’s Charlie Wurz ended up quickest of all in the opening session. The Austrian saved his best effort for the final five minutes to go top on a 1:21.182, while Trident’s Santiago Ramos got closest to him, just half a tenth back in second.
Joshua Dufek set the early pace for AIX Racing, though it was beaten shortly afterwards by ART Grand Prix’s Laurens van Hoepen, as he set a 1:22.409 to lead after 10 minutes of running.
Van Amersfoort Racing’s Noel Leon then moved to the top of the timing screens, lowering the fastest effort to a 1:22.387 to narrowly head up the field. Sami Meguetounif then put Trident in P1, going quicker still onto a 1:22.325.
After a minor lock-up on his first flying lap, Luke Browning went quickest of all approaching the halfway stage on a 1:21.781. Teammate Martininius Stenshorne made it a one-two for Hitech Pule Eight.
Fornaroli took back over at the top with 16 minutes to go of the session, lowering the benchmark to a 1:21.663 to lead the way.
After a lull in action, and return to the pits, cars ventured back out onto the circuit with under 10 minutes to go for the final laps.
Charlie Wurz for Jenzer Motorsport was the first to go quickest of all, deposing Fornaroli and then going quicker still, putting in a 1:21.182 to go almost half a second quicker than anyone else.
Santiago Ramos closed the gap down to just 0.054s with under two minutes remaining to go second.
Qualifying-
Luke Browning earned his first pole position in FIA Formula 3, opting to run without a tow on the final runs to take the top spot around the Red Bull Ring.
The Hitech Pulse Eight driver was at the head of the train going into the final few laps and was able to record a 1:20.222 without a slipstream to lead PREMA Racing’s Arvid Lindblad and MP Motorsport driver Tim Tramnitz.
In the opening stages, Noel Leon set the pace before being deposed by Nikola Tsolov, then Oliver Goethe and finally Gabriele Mini, with the PREMA driver’s 1:21.013 the time to beat.
The Van Amersfoort Racing driver repositioned himself in P1 with his next effort, just over a tenth quicker than Mini, before the Alpine Academy driver responded to go quickest by just 0.005s.
A return to the pits and switch to a fresh set of tyres, the field was back out onto the circuit. After trying unsuccessfully to not lead the field across the line to gain a tow, Browning led the line for the final flying laps without a slipstream and set a 1:20.222 for provisional pole.
Lindblad got closest to him, moving into second just 0.048s off that effort, while Tramnitz was another late improvement for MP.
The full top 10 are- P1: Browning, P2: Lindblad, P3: Tramnitz, P4: Mini, P5: Beganovic, P6: Goethe, P7: Van Hoepen, P8: Montoya, P9: Dunne and P10: Tsolov.
It was as you were at the start with Trident’s pole-sitter Santiago Ramos leading teammate Sami Megueounif away with the home favourite Boya in third.
But there was plenty of battling in the midfield with Christian Mansell, Gabriele Mini, Luke Browning and Nikola Tsolov going four-wide down the main straight, with the Australian driver taking 13th ahead of his rivals.
Ramos and Meguetounif were now squabbling for the lead at the start of Lap 3, but the Trident pair then collided at Turn 1. The Frenchman spun off while the former was forced to pit with a puncture.
This promoted Boya into the lead ahead of Dunne and Goethe, but the Safety Car was quickly called upon with Callum Voisin and Nikita Bedrin stopping on track after colliding at the same corner.
The action resumed on lap 7 and Van Amersfoort Racing’s Neol Leon was on the move again. The Mexican driver got past Arvid Lindblad at Turn 5, putting him sixth after starting in P13.
As lap 10 got underway, Dunne was now right on the back of Boya, with Goethe just behind. They had separated themselves from the field as Martinius Stenshorne made the move past Laurens van Hoepen for P4, with Leon later following him through to fifth.
On lap 14 of 21, a DRS train had now been formed from Boya in the lead to Sebastian Montoya in the final points paying position – the Colombian having gone from P27 on the grid to P12.
But it was soon to be bad news for the Campos driver after he made slight contact with Mini at the exit of Turn 4. The Prema driver sustained a puncture causing him to lose control of his car which sent him into Montoya, with both ending up in the gravel and the Safety Car was called upon once again.
However, with so few laps remaining, the Safety Car was withdrawn at the end of the final lap to leave Boya unchallenged to cross the line for his first victory in the championship.
The full top 10 are- P1: Boya, P2: Dunne, P3: Goethe, P4: Stenshorne, P5: Van Hoepen, P6: Leon, P7: Fornaroli, P8: Beganovic, P9: Lindblad and P10: Tramnitz.
Day 3-
It was as you were at the start with Mansell getting a strong launch from pole to lead Lindblad and his ART teammate Nikola Tsolov.
Oliver Goethe though was the one driver to lose out in the early exchanges as he dropped from fifth to eighth, promoting Luke Browning and Leonardo Fornaroli.
Mansell was coming under pressure from Lindblad for the lead and the PREMA Racing driver’s attack finally paid dividends on lap 5 as he went round the outside of Mansell at Turn 1 to take the first position.
Approaching the halfway stage of the race, Mansell was now over a second and a half behind Lindblad, with Browning being told to make the move past the ART driver.
Goethe was able to get past van Hoepen for P6, with the Dutchman now coming under pressure from Martinius Stenshorne.
On lap 17, Lindblad was now well over three seconds clear out front while Mansell had escaped from DRS range of Browning. The Hitech driver was now coming under pressure from Tsolov and Fornaroli as they battle for the final spot on the podium. The Trident driver then made his way past on lap 22, going round the outside of Tsolov at Turn 1.
Fornaroli now set his sights on Browning up ahead, the gap between the pair just a second. Tsolov though was beginning to struggle on his tyres, losing out to Goethe for P6 on the next lap.
Browning and Fornaroli went wheel-to-wheel for P3 on the penultimate lap and further behind, Stenshorne and van Hoepen were doing the same for P7. However, the McLaren junior and ART rookie collided at Turn 4, leaving both with punctures.
On to the final lap and Fornaroli went around the outside of Browning at Turn 2 to take P3, just as heavy rain hit the track.
The full top 10 are- P1: Lindblad, P2: Mansell, P3: Fornaroli, P4: Goethe, P5: Browning, P6: Tsolov, P7: Dunne, P8: Beganovic, P9: Leon and P10: Ramos.
Martinius Stenshorne led the way at the Barcelona free practice, as the Hitech Pulse-Eight driver completed a lap of 1:28.774 to top the timesheets ahead of Campos Racing’s Oliver Goethe and PREMA Racing’s Gabriele Mini.
After a quiet first half of the 45 minute session, the drivers head out on to the track for their flying laps of the day, and after the first efforts, it was Mini that went fastest.
The Championship leader completed a lap of 1:28.847 to go six-tenths clear at the front ahead of Van Amersfoort Racing’s Noel Leon in second.
Next to go to the top of the timesheets was Campos’ Goethe, who set a time of 1:28.810, while his teammate Sebastian Montoya moved up to third behind Mini.
While most of the gird came back into the pitlane with 10 minutes left, Hitech Pulse Eight’s trio of drivers stayed out on track. Stenshorne then went quickest with a 1:28.774 while Luke Browning was two-tenths back in fourth as Cian Shields went to P8.
As the session entered into the final five minutes, the red flags were waved with Campos’ Mari Boya in the barrier at Turn 1. The home favourite appeared to suffer an issue on the run down the main straight sending him through the gravel and then into the wall.
Qualifying-
Christian Mansell is set to start Formula 3’s 100th race from Pole Position after he beat PREMA Racing’s Arvid Lindblad to top spot in a dramatic qualifying.
The ART Grand Prix driver set a 1:28.463 on his final attempt in the session to take his maiden Pole in the category, with Lindblad ending up second just 0.036s off the pace, while Mansell’s teammate Nikola Tsolov was third.
After the first set of laps, it was the third ART driver Laurens van Hoepen who went fastest. The Dutchman’s time of 1:29.187 saw him beat Trident’s Leonardo Fornaroli to the top spot by less than a tenth.
The drivers then returned to the pitlane and strapped on a second set of Pirelli hard tyres in preparation for the next set of push laps. As they crossed the line to complete the second flying efforts it was Luke Browning that went fastest with a 1:28.888.
On the final runs, the fastest effort changed hands multiple times before Mansell eclipsed Lindblad’s time by just 0.036s with his lap of 1:28.463 giving him his first Formula 3 pole position.
The full top 10 are- Pole: Mansell, P2: Lindblad, P3: Tsolov, P4: Browning, P5: Goethe, P6: Fornaroli, P7: Stenshorne, P8: Van Hoepen, P9: Dunne and P10: Boya.
FIA Formula 3 has announced the calendar for the 2025 FIA Formula 3 Championship. With next season will consist of a total of 10 round again, and all support events of the FIA Formula One World Championship and the FIA Formula 2 Championship. The 10 teams and 30 drivers will contest a total of 20 races across three continents.
F3’s seventh season will kick off in Melbourne, Australia on March 14th to 16th. With the final and tenth round of the 2025 F3 season will be taking place in Monza, Italy on September 5th to 7th.
Round
Date
Location
1
14th – 16th March
Melbourne, Australia
2
11th – 13th April
Sakhir, Bahrain
3
16th – 18th May
Imola, Italy
4
22nd – 25th May
Monte Carlo, Monaco
5
30th May – 1st June
Barcelona, Spain
6
27th – 29th June
Spielberg, Austria
7
4th – 6th July
Silverstone, Great Britain
8
25th – 27th July
Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
9
1st – 3rd August
Budapest, Hungary
10
5th – 7th September
Monza, Italy
F3 is providing fantastic action on track for our fans this year and I am delighted that the series will again be joining Formula 1 at 10 events next season. The skill of the drivers and the intense action on track is thrilling for our fans and demonstrates the talent in the pipeline we have for the future. F3 is a vital part of our pyramid system, and I want to thank the FIA, Bruno Michel, CEO F2/F3, and his team, all the competitors for the amazing job they do, and pay tribute to Dallara, Mecachrome, Aramco, and Pirelli for their continued support of the series. We are all looking forward to the rest of the season and an exciting 2025. Stefano Domenicali, President & CEO of Formula 1.
The FIA Formula 3 Championship provides a wonderful opportunity for young drivers from regional and national series to race at venues which feature on the schedule of the pinnacle of the sport – the FIA Formula One World Championship. Once again, we have an exciting calendar for 2025. F3 demonstrates the FIA’s commitment to nurturing young talent and broadening their horizons. FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
I’m very pleased to keep ten rounds, 20 races, for Formula 3 in 2025. Next season’s calendar comprises the same tracks as in 2024. We’re bringing F3 on three different continents, which is fantastic for these young drivers, who are able to learn new tracks and race in front of the F1 and F2 paddocks. So far, in 2024, we’ve seen some incredible racing, so I expect the same for next year. FIA Formula 3 CEO, Bruno Michel.
Tsolov got the launch he needed to retain first, but Tramnitz was able to leapfrog the ART of van Hoepen to take second into Turn 1.
Further back and coming through Casino Square, contact between the third ART of Christian Mansell and PREMA Racing’s Arvid Lindblad put both into the wall. Their clash left the AIX Racing car of Joshua Dufek, MP Motorsport driver Alex Dunne and Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Cian SHields unable to avoid a collision behind.
It brought out the Safety Car before the first lap was completed, but with five cars needing to be cleared a red flag followed.
Racing got back underway entering lap 4 with a rolling start and Tsolov retained his lead comfortably over Tramnitz.
The gaps fluctuated between those in the top 10 in the early phases of green flag racing, as Tsolov was able to repel Tramnitz thereby preventing the MP driver from gaining the DRS advantage.
Lap 13, the race was run for Kacper Sztuka, who stopped on the inside of Turn 1 with a puncture after contact with Var’s Sophia Floersch, bringing out a Safety Car once again. It was a short interruption and racing action then resumed going onto Lap 16, and Tsolov re-launched into a decent lead.
Over the line to start lap 20, the gap was up to 3.5s over Tramnitz, who had van Hoepen and Leon charging and within a second in the fight for the podium positions.
The full top 10 are- P1: Tsolov, P2: Tramnitz, P3: Van Hoepen, P4: Leon, P5: Loake, P6: Boya, P7: Beganovic, P8: Browning, P9: Fornaroli and P10: Goethe.
Day 4-
Mini got a good launch to hold onto the lead over Mansell into Turn 1 as Browning followed the pair in third position. Further round the opening lap, Jenzer Motorsport driver Charlie Wurz was left in the barriers at Portier after contact with Rodin Motorsport’s Piotr Wisnicki to bring out a Safety Car.
Racing got back underway entering lap 3, with Mini retaining the lead over the chasing pack but with Mansell was right in his wheel tracks.
Joseph Loake proved overtaking was possible around the Principality, diving to the inside of Mari Boya’s Campos Racing car at La Rascasse on lap 6.
With the opening third of the race run, Mini still had Mansell for company in second, unable to break out of DRS range to the Australian driver, while Browning had dropped several seconds back in third.
ART’s Laurnes van Hoepen was on the move next, making a brave dive to the inside of Van Amersfoort’s Noel Leon at Mirabeau to move into 10th.
Lap 20, and there was three-car collision at Turn 5 involving Leon, ART driver Nikola Tsolov and Sami Meguetounif. The Trident driver was left out of the running, the other pair rejoined but not before the safety car was deployed.
Tsolov had attempted a pass on the inside but tagged the VAR driver into a spin, leaving Meguetounif nowhere to go in avoidance. The Safety Car was withdrawn entering lap 23, and Mini got a good enough restart to keep Mansell behind him.
Loake attempted another pass on Boya, but with the door firmly shut on him at the Turn 6 hairpin, MP Motorsport’s Tim Tramnitz profited to seize eighth position.
Mini repelled the last gasp challenge from Mansell to secure his first victory of the season and his second Feature Race triumph on the streets of Monte Carlo.
The full top 10 are- P1: Mini, P2: Mansell, P3: Browning, P4: Lindblad, P5: Fornaroli, P6: Beganovic, P7: Boya, P8: Tramnitz, P9: Loake and P10: Goethe.
PREMA’s Gabriele Mini led the opening session of the Monte Carlo weekend on a 1:27.400 in a session heavily disrupted by Red Flags.
Overcast conditions gave way to rain, ensuring the Italian’s early laptime remained quickest ahead of Leonardo Fornaroli and teammate Dino Beganovic.
There were rumbles of thunder as the session got underway though the drops of rain didn’t warrant a move away from dry tyres. Rodin Motorsport’s Joseph Loake was the first driver of the weekend to use the run-off area at Sainte Devote before rejoining the track.
But moment’s later, AIX Racing’s Tasanapol Inthraphyvasak went off into the barriers at the same place to bring out an early Red Flag. With running resumed 32 minutes remaining of the session.
However, another Red Flag quickly followed as Rodin’s Callum Voisin repeated the same incident as the first red flag at Turn 1 to half the session.
The field went back out onto track with 24 minutes remaining as Mini still led the way with a 1:27.400 for PREMA. Rain began to fall though just as the first flying laps began and it was Sami Meguetounif that this time found the barriers.
With 13 minutes left of practice, the green light was back on and drivers ventured back out fitted with wet Pirelli tyres as the rain intensified, preventing any further improvements.
Day 2-
Group A-
The even numbered cars hit the track first with Oliver Goethe of Campos Racing leading the first 15 runners out onto the circuit.
P2 in the championship, Luke Browning set the first benchmark to beat laying down a 1:26.170. That was bettered by championship leader Leonardo Fornaroli right away, as he put in a 1:25.963 in the Trident.
Browning went quicker as the track continued to improve, recording a 1:24.532 on his next effort to return to P1. Whilst Fornaroli couldn’t get back on terms as he filtered through half a second down on the Brit’s lap.
With three minutes to go Browning found more pace to bring the time to beat down to a 1:24.230, Having gone purple in sector one, Gabriele Mini moved up into P2.
Under a minute left of qualifying and Boya was pushing to the absolute limit and tagged the inside wall at Turn 15, undoing his effort having gone fastest in sector one.
Browning had been up on his time and a fastest middle sector put him on course for an improvement. But exiting Turn 16 he tapped the wall, damaging his suspension and forcing him to abandon his lap.
Mini obliged and set the provision pole time moments later on a 1:23.942, 0.288s quicker than Brownings earlier time.
Group B-
Just at the flying laps were about to get underway, the Jenzer Motorsport car of James Hedley went into the barriers at Turn 1, losing his front win and bringing out the red flags.
Once the session resumed, it was Dino Beganovic that laid down the initial time to beat a 1:25.569, 0.249s quicker than next-best Mansell in the ART car.
Further improvements from the PREMA duo of Beganovic and Arvid Lindblad took the pace down to a 1:24.9 in the Briton’s favour, that was until Mansell leapfrogged the pair with a 1:24.921.
Joseph Loake popped his Rodin Motorsport car up to P2 as the drivers began to push the limits further approaching the closing stages.
Into the final two minutes of qualifying and Lindblad went quickest of all in the first sector, while teammate Beganovic was purple in the middle sector. Just before the Swede could finish his lap, the Red Flags were out as Sebastian Montoya and Charlie Wurz were off at Turn 1.
The full top 10 overall is – P1: Mini, P2: Mansell, P3: Browning, P4: Lindblad, P5: Fornaroli, P6: Beganovic, P7: Boya, P8: Loake, P9: Leon and P10: Tramnitz.
McLaren have announced that two more drivers are joining their development programme – Alex Dunne and Martinius Stenshorne. Both currently race in Formula 3, Dunne for MP Motorsport and Stenshorne for Hitech Pulse-Eight.
Dunne impressed McLaren when he won the 2022 British F4 Championship with Hitech Grand Prix, with the 18 year old from Ireland also put in an eye-catching performance in Bahrain earlier this year securing his first F3 points.
Norwegian Stenshorne comes for a rallying background and was a prolific karter in his junior days, and has already tasted victory in F3 with a Sprint race win in Australia.
McLaren’s Driver Development programme was established in 2022, and funnels young talent towards F1, Formula E and IndyCar.
McLaren have a history of developing and promoting young talent – notably very happy to advance both Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris to F1, with both drivers going straight into the sharp end of the grid.
We’re pleased to announce that Alex and Martinius have joined our Driver Development programme. They are both exciting and promising young talents within motorsport, with proven records on track in their respective junior categories including this season’s FIA Formula 3 Championship. The entire team is looking forward to welcoming Alex and Martinius to the McLaren family and we’ll be working closely to support their development within our talent pipeline. Stephanie Carlin, Director of F1 Business Operations – who runs the junior programme.
It’s an honour to join the McLaren Driver Development programme. I’m looking forward to getting started with the team. McLaren provides the perfect environment for me to develop my skillset as I continue my journey in motorsport. I’m grateful for Zak [Brown] and Stephanie’s support and I’m excited to meet the rest of the team at MTC. Dunne on the news.
I’m incredibly excited to join the McLaren Driver Development programme, it’s an honour to now be part of the McLaren family. The team has a great history of developing talent, so I’m looking forward to growing with the team and learning from their expertise as I continue on my journey towards the top of motorsport. Thank you to Zak, Stephanie and the entire team for their faith in me, I can’t wait to get started. Stenshorne adding to the news.
Polesitter Kacper Sztuka had Leon tucked intot he slipstream from lights out and with the tow, the Mexican rounded the MP rookie to take the lead into the first chicane. Tramnitz followed through on his teammate to take second place before Goethe then moved himself up to third, having started sixth on the grid.
Contact for Campos’ Mari Boya left the Spaniard spinning at Turn 6 and in the gravel. That brought out the Safety Car before the opening lap was even completed.
Leon led the restart entering lap 4, with a comfortable buffer over Tramnitz in second and the VAR driver’s lead was 1.2s after the first lap under racing conditions.
The Safety Car came back out on lap 5, after Callum Voisin found the barriers on the exit of Turn 7. Contact with the Jenzer Motorsport car belonging to Charlie Wurz bounced the Rodin Motorsport driver wide and then into the wall.
Leon didn’t get the same launch as first time around as racing got back underway on lap 8, but despite his best efforts, Tramnitz couldn’t find room to pass into the first chicane.
Further back, Sami Meguetounif went spinning into the gravel after the slightest of touches with the rear of Dino Beganovic’s PREMA ahead of him into Turn 2. The Trident driver was left beached in the gravel and out of the race, requiring another Safety Car.
Gabriele Mini had been tucked up behind the ART Grand Prix car of Laurens van Hoepen, but the Italian driver finally cleared him into Turns 5 & 6 with a brave pass into the chicane.
There was a fourth Safety Car deployed on lap 13, but it was quickly withdrawn, and racing resumed on lap 15. Once again, Leon managed the restart perfectly to keep hold of the lead as the top three broke clear of the chasing pack.
Beganovic was able to pass Sztuka for fourth with two laps to go, as the Swede made his way by the MP rookie into the first chicane. Browning tried to follow the PREMA through but suffered contact with the Polish driver that broke his front wing and left him in the gravel at Turn 7.
The brief Virtual Safety car which was withdrawn on the final lap allowed Goethe to catch Leon unaware and take the lead out of Turn 15. The German led through the final corners to earn the Imola Sprint victory.
The full top 10 are- P1: Goethe, P2: Tramnitz, P3: Leon, P4: Beganoivc, P5: Sztuka, P6: Mini, P7: van Hoepen, P8: Lindblad, P9: Bedrin and P10: Ramos.
Day 3-
Santiago Ramos perfected his start and led the trio of Tridents flying in formation to the first chicane, Fornaroli and Meguetounif with tows close behind.
Sprint race winner, Oliver Goethe was following the Prema of Arvid Lindblad in the battle for fourth after climbing up three spots on the opening lap. The Campos driver was able to find a route through on the second lap to take P4 from the Briton.
Onto Lap 3 and Fornaroli had the tow with DRS to sweep into the lead of the race into the first chicane. Further back, Goethe took third from Meguetounif while Luke Browning made a move on the Prema of Dino Beganovic into the same corner.
With DRS, Goethe was by the pole sitter Ramos at Turn 2 on lap 5, brave on the brakes to sweep around the outside of the Mexican for P2. One lap later and the Red Bull Junior had the lead of the race after an issue for Fornaroli on the main straight put him down to fifth position.
Trident teammates Ramos and Meguetounif were in battle on lap 12 as the Frenchman cleared taking second position into Turn 2. Goethe meanwhile had built up his advantage in the lead and was ahead by 2.5s at the halfway point.
Fornaroli’s fightback continued at the expense of Ramos on lap 14, clearing his teammate to take third. Browning moved ahead of the Mexican driver on the next lap to move himself into P4 to keep title rival Fornaroli in sight.
Up ahead, Meguetounif had slowly closed down the gap on race leader Geothe and moved to within DRS range going into lap 17, just 0.7s behind across the line.
With five laps to go, the Frenchman rounded the Campos driver to take the lead at the first chicane, though Fornaroli was catching the pair with a lap over a second quicker that the top two.
The Italian was into DRS range of Goethe on lap 19 but couldn’t find a way to pass the Campos driver before the end. This left Meguetounif to take his maiden Formula 3 race win on Trident home soil ahead of Goethe and Fornaroli.
The full top 10 are- P1: Meguetounif, P2: Goethe, P3: Fornaroli, P4: Browning, P5: Beganovic, P6: Mini, P7: Lindblad, P8: Ramos, P9: Boya and P10: Montoya.
Campos Racing’s Oliver Goethe was the man to beat in Free Practice around Imola, with the German driver’s 1:32.047 the time to beat in the opening session of the weekend. Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Luke Browning finished in P2, 0.3s down on the top time while Mari Boya made it two Campos cars in the top three.
A very quiet opening 10 minutes gave way to some early laptimes, and it was Joseph Loake that went quickest for Rodin Motorsport. His 1:36.795 put him fastest in the initial stages before the rest of the field ventured out.
PREMA Racing’s Arvid Lindblad lowered the benchmark to a 1:33.784 on his first lap, with ART Grand Prix driver Christian Mansell slotting into P2, 0.2s down.
There was a red flag with 24 minutes of the session to go after Campos Racing’s Sebastian Montoya found the barriers at the exit of Turn 15, running resumed with 18 minutes left.
Wurz’s teammate Max Esterson was next to take over in P1, before Browning put in a 1:32.367 to go comfortably quickest with just over 10 minutes to go.
Goethe closed the gap down to the leader to just under a tenth of a second before then going to the top of the times on his next effort. A 1:32.047 put him 0.3s clear of the pack with five minutes left.
A second red flag quickly followed after Piotr Wisnicki slid into the barriers at Turn 9, with little time left, the session wasn’t restarted.
Qualifying-
Santiago Ramos saved his best for last to lead teammates Leonardo Fornaroli and Sami Meguetounif in an exciting Imola Qualifying session. The Mexican’s 1:31.767 put him on pole in the final moments to top a Trident 1-2-3 result!
With tyre preparation laps completed, PREMA Racing’s Gabriele Mini led the way on a 1:32.598 ahead of compatriot Fornaroli. ART Grand Prix rookie Laurens van Hoepen filtered through in third, 0.172s down on the top effort.
There was a red flag with 10 minutes gone after Rodin Motorsport’s Callum Voisin spun into the gravel at Turn 4. The session resumed and Oliver Goethe took over at the top. The Campos Racing driver carried on his form from Practice to pip Mini and to take provisional pole by 0.081s.
Most drivers returned to the pits with just under half of the qualifying session remaining, but Fornaroli stayed on track and put in his personal best to go 0.3s clear in P1 on a 1:32.159. MP Motorsport’s Alex Dunne followed suit and move himself up to second, 0.141s behind with 12 minutes to go.
Dino Beganovic was the first to improve, just 0.003s quicker than Fornaroli’s earlier time. Teammate Arvid Lindblad then took over with a 1:32.109.
Into the final two minutes and there were green and purple sectors throughout the field. Fornaroli restored himself onto provisional pole to go 0.2s quicker than Lindblad.
The full top 10 are- P1: Ramos, P2: Fornaroli, P3: Meguetounif, P4: Lindblad, P5: Beganovic, P6: Mini, P7: Goethe, P8: Van Hoepen, P9: Browning and P10: Tramnitz.
The top five remained the same at the start with pole-sitter van Hoepen covering off Stenshorne to retain the lead. His ART teammate and home favourite Christian Mansell stayed in third ahead of the Red Bull-liveried cars of Oliver Goethe and Lindblad.
However, van Hoepen and Stenshorne quickly became embroiled in a multi-lap battle for the lead on lap 3. But this battle brought the rest of their rivals into play, with the top 10 only covered by three seconds.
On lap 6, Mansell was now coming under attack from Lindblad with the PREMA driver taking P3 at Turn 9. Just behind the pair, Goethe lost P5 to his Campos teammate Mari Boya at the same corner.
In the battle for points, Dino Beganovic was on the move in other PREMA car and quickly dispatched Fornaroli at Turn 12 for 9th, the Trident driver then ran wide onto the gravel, dropping him to 15th.
Back at the front, Stenshorne had built a gap of over two and a half seconds to van Hoepen, but the ART driver was then overtaken by Lindblad. As the race moved past the halfway stage, Beganovic was now coming under attack from Sebastian Montoya. The Campos driver made the move past on the run down to Turn 1, with the Swede then losing another position to Charlie Wurz two corners later.
Van Amersfoort Racing’s home hero Tommy Smith collided with the rear of Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak at Turn 1. The Thai racer was out of the car and the race whilst the Australian continued on.
Back to green flag racing, Beganovic made the move past Wurz for P8 at the popular Turn 9. The Austrian ran wide at corner exit, losing further positions to drop him down to 13th.
The full top 10 is – P1: Stenshorne, P2: Lindblad, P3: Van Hoepen, P4: Boya, P5: Goethe, P6: Mini, P7: Dunne, P8: Montoya, P9: Fornaroli and P10: Mansell.
Day 3-
Fornaroli led away from pole, staying ahead of the PREMA pair of Mini and Beganovic. But there was plenty of action at the back of the pack as MP Motorsport’s Tim Tramnitz suffered a puncture after colliding with Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak.
The PHM AIX Racing driver then hit Sophia Floersch and despite both being able to continue to the pitlane, they were both forced to retire with damage.
We were back to green flag conditions, with the top three remaining the same, Luke Browning and Arvid Lindblad rounded out the top five with the pair pouncing on the PHM AIX’s Nikita Bedrin to move up the order.
On lap 11, there was more bad news for the Australian fans as Christian Mansell lost two places at Turn 11, with Jenzer Motorsport’s Charlie Wurz and Campos’ Sebastian Montoya overtaking the ART Grand Prix driver.
Beganovic after being given the all clear to overtake Mini for second, and he did just that on lap 12, making his way past at Turn 9. The PREMA driver then quickly got within DRS range of Fornaroli.
Mini’s struggles continued as by the end of Lap 13, he lost another position at Turn 9. A lap later, Beganovic took the lead from Fornaroli at the same corner. Elsewhere, Campos Racing teammates Mari Boya and Sebastian Montoya quickly got past Bedrin, moving them up to fifth and sixth.
The top three were now covered by just a second a half with Fornaroli well within DRS range of Beganovic as the drivers set off on lap 18. Mini was however beginning to show strong pace and closed in on Browning for third.
The full top 10 is: P1: Beganovic, P2: Fornarolli, P3: Mini, P4: Browning, P5: Wurz, P6: Montoya, P7: Boya, P8: Bedrin, P9: Goethe and P10: Mansell.
PREMA Racing’s Gabriele Mini set the early pace in Melbourne as the Italian topped timesheets in Free Practice ahead of Qualifying thanks to a time of 1:33.225.
Mini proved to be the one to beat for the majority of the morning session with compatriot Leonardo Fornaroli his nearest challenger, ending up three-tenths off his time. PREMA teammate Dino Beganovic wound up third.
But at the start of proceedings it was an all-PREMA top three as Mini hit the ground running with a lap of 1:34.874, leading Beganovic by three tenths, as Arvid Lindblad tucked into third.
Soon after, Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Cian Shields spun into the barrier at the final corner, bringing out the Red Flags after 15 minutes of running. The drivers were back out on track with half of the session remaining and once again it was Mini who set the pace, strengthening his grip on P1.
With three minutes left in the session, another Red Flag was waved after ART Grand Prix driver Nikola Tsolov collided with MP Motorsport’s rookie Alex Dunne. The Irishman ended up in the barriers, and the session was not resumed.
Qualifying-
Trident’s Leonardo Fornaroli took his second Formula 3 pole position, beating rival Gabriele Mini to take the top spot in Melbourne thanks to his time of 1:33.044.
Mini had provisional pole until the final flying laps and wound up just 0.019s off the top spot, but sealed a front row start for the Feature Race, with his teammate Dino Beganovic in third.
After the first set of laps Fornaroli set the pace thanks to his time of 1:33.882 with Free Practice timesheet-topper Mini over four-tenths back of his compatriot in second. The Trident driver could not improve on his next attempt, but the PREMA racer did and closed the gap to 0.020s. Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Luke Browning then went up to third, two-tenths back of Fornaroli’s time.
With only five minutes left in the session, Sami Meguetounif crashed his Trident into the barrier at the exit of the final corner bringing out the red flags. Moments prior, Mini had gone up to P1 with a 1:33.505.
The lights went green, which left the drivers with four and a half minutes to set their final laps, and it was Fornaroli who took pole position.
The full top 10 are – P1: Fornaroli, P2: Mini, P3: Beganovic, P4: Bedrin, P5: Browning, P6: Tsolov, P7: Lindblad, P8: Goethe, P9: Mansell and P10: Stenshorne.
Hitech Pulse-Eight driver, Luke Browning picked up from where he left off in pre-season testing, where he ended practice as the fastest driver with a time of 1:47.828s.
Installation laps opened practice, but it was a long wait until the teams and drivers ventured out of the pitlane for serious running. Joseph Loake of Rodin Motorsport led the way with 15 minutes left.
That was until Fornaroli came through to secure the top spot with a 1:48.599, just as a Virtual Safety Car was deployed. Mini suffered a spin at Turn 4, beaching his car in the gravel trap as the VSC quickly became a Red Flag.
Practice resumed with six minutes left of running time and everyone was eager to make the most of it. Browning and Fornaroli exchanged fastest efforts until the British driver crossed the line, with Beganovic being another late improver, moving up to third late on.
Qualifying-
Dino Beganovic claimed pole position for PREMA Racing, setting a 1:46.431 to take the first P1 of the season. The Swede driver left it until the final moments to leap up the times.
After several warm up laps, Max Esterson hit the front for Jenzer Motorsport, setting a 1:47.573 to lead early on, 0.047s ahead of Trident’s Leonardo Fornaroli.
Mari Boya was next to go quickest overall, setting a 1:47.307 though that was quickly beaten. Fornaroli returned to the top of the timesheets, with Beganovic moving up to second.
Once again, the field boxed for the final time and were back out for the final flying laps with six minutes left. Green and purple sectors began to fly and Christian Mansell put ART Grand Prix to the top with a 1:46.843 for the rest to beat.
The full top 10 are- P1: Beganovic, P2: Browning, P3: Mini, P4: Meguetounif, P5: Ramos, P6: Fornaroli, P7: Tramnitz, P8: Mansell, P9: Lindblad and P10: Esterson.
Nikola Tsolov will continue with ART Grand Prix this year, completing the 2024 Formula 3 grid. The Bulgarian driver will be racing in his second season in the Championship.
Tsolov finished his rookie campaign 22nd in the Drivers’ Standings, earning two points finishes in the second half of the season. He also became apart of the Alpine Academy last year in February, after he was an Affiliate in March 2022.
Prior to joining Formula 3, the 17 year old was victorious in Spanish F4, where he won the 2022 Championship with a dominant campaign. He accumulated a record 400 points, taking 13 race wins and a further five podium finishes en route to the title.
Not only this, he has had stints in Formula Regional Middle East Championship, Macau Grand Prix and Eurocup-3.
I feel very much at home at ART Grand Prix, which is one of the greatest teams ever, so it’s a pleasure to continue with them for a second year in F3. I know the team, the circuits, the procedures and, apart from the tyres, I won’t have to learn anything new. Winter testing showed that we were consistently at the top of the timesheets, and the main target will be to be at the front at every race weekend.
Tsolov on the news.
Niko has had to take a giant step forward coming from Spanish F4 and, despite the difficulties faced by the team in 2023, his determination and focus have only strengthened. The raw results haven’t been there, but we’ve seen Niko’s formidable talent grow throughout the season and the entire team is looking forward to getting off to a good start in 2024 so we can deliver results together in line with our ambitions and our work.
PHM AIX Racing have finalised their driver line-up for the 2024 Formula 3 season following announcement that Nikita Bedrin will race for the team.
Bedrin returns for a second year in Formula 3 after sealing two podium finishes in 2023 at the Budapest Sprint Race and the Spa-Francorchamps Feature race with Jenzer Motorsport.
However, Bedrin has plenty of history with PHM AIX Racing, previously racing for the team in 2022 at the Formula 4 UAE, ADAC F4 and Italian F4 Championships – where he became a race winner at the former two events. He also won two races for the team at the Formula Regional Middle East Championship in 2023.
Welcome Back to the team, Nikita. Besides Taylor Barnard, PHM AIX Racing is supporting and educating Nikita in the third season now. No doubts about his raw speed and talent, Nikita matured on and off track and convinced us to give him another chance to prove himself, after a difficult first season in 2023. Although being compromised by some bad luck, he was able to show some respectable highlights last season with two podiums under very difficult conditions in F3. No doubts, with Nikita, his former FRMEC Teammate Joshua Dufek and Tasanapol, we have a very promising driver line-up, and I am sure, that with all the effort and work the team has done through the winter break, we will compete consistently for points and podiums.
MP Motorsport have confirmed that Alex Dunne will join the team for the 2024 FIA Formula 3 campaign. The Irishman finished second in the 2023 GB3 Championship and took part in post-season F3 testing with Hitech Pulse-Eight.
Dunne claimed five race victories during the GB3 campaign, falling just short of taking the title in what was his rookie season in the series.
Prior, to GB3, Dunne made his single seater racing debut in 2021, taking part in partial Spanish and ADAC F4 Championship campaigns. He took three poles, three fastest laps and three podiums across both series’.
In 2022, he competed in a trio of F4 Championships, winning the British F4 title and also winning races in the UAE and Italian Championships with multiple race wins across the trio. His 11 wins, poles and 17 podiums in British F4 gave him his first ever single seater title while 11 trips to the rostrum and three victories in the Italian series put him runner-up in the standings.
Dunne also topped the final Formula 3 test of 2023 around a rainy Imola circuit in what was his first taste of F3 action.
I’m thrilled to start my first full season of FIA F3 with MP Motorsport. They are proven winners in every category that they compete in, and I’m sure that they will use their experience to help me build on my initial experiences with the F3 car in the post-season FIA F3 test at Imola and then at Macau. I will be up against the best drivers at this level of single-seater racing, but that’s what I’m here for. I relish the challenge ahead and can’t wait to get started!
Dunne on the news.
We are truly excited to welcome Alex to our FIA F3 team. He has had an outstanding year in GB3 and then, fresh into an FIA F3 car, proved his innate pace at Imola and Macau. His Macau performance in particular was hard to overlook, so we were happy to pounce and snap him up for our final FIA F3 seat. Along with Tim and Kacper, we will have three very quick young drivers all eager to prove their point. I’m confident that they will all shine in their debut seasons.
Charlie Wurz will join Jenzer Motorsport for the 2024 FIA Formula 3 campaign, filling out the final spot in the Swiss team’s line-up for this season.
Wurz, son of ex-F1 driver Alexander, arrives in F3 after a partial campaign in Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine and Euroformula Open Championship. The Austrian took five podiums en route to P6 in the Standings as well as a maiden win at Monza in the latter.
Prior to that, the 18 year old began his single seater career in the Italian F4 Championship back in 2021, taking part in six races before returning for a full campaign the following year.
That same season, he won the 2022 Formula 4 UAE title with two wins and 10 podiums in total. He finished the Italian F4 season fourth, also taking one win and six podiums in total.
I am thrilled to be racing with Jenzer Motorsport for the 2024 FIA F3 season. I feel confident and comfortable having a team with such high motivation behind me. I can’t wait to get started in Bahrain in a few weeks time.
Wurz on the news.
Part of Charlie’s blood seems to be pure fuel and passion! The FIA F3 official test days we did together at the end of 2023 as well as how he was able to shine in the demanding FIA F3 Macau World Cup event was very positive. Let’s push together to achieve great results and bring the Jenzer Motorsport car – featuring the new livery – once more to the front.
Jordan's Track Talk 