Rafael Camara sealed the 2025 Formula 3 Championship with a commanding Feature Race victory at the Hungaroring, making history by wrapping up the title with a round to spare.

The Trident driver dominated a rain-affected race, fending off challenges and capitalising on rivals’ misfortunes from qualifying to secure an early championship triumph on Sunday.

He shattered multiple records during his FRECA championship-winning campaign and has continued that form in F3 — setting a new benchmark for most pole positions in the junior series and now securing the title earlier than anyone has ever done before.

Completing the podium places was Mari Boya in second and Tuukka Taponen in third.

The championship leader lined up on pole at the start of the Feature Race after his last-gasp effort in qualifying, with Boya joining him on the front row.

His closest title rivals, Nikola Tsolov and Tim Tramnitz, started further down the order for the penultimate round of the championship.

Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak’s Sprint Race victory on Saturday helped close the gap in the teams’ standings, with Campos Racing now just eight points behind Trident.

Camara leads as Tramnitz spins around

Just before the formation lap, heavy rain swept over Budapest, leaving a soaked track for the 30 drivers lining up for the Feature Race.

Given the treacherous conditions, race control opted to begin the formation lap behind the Safety Car, with a rolling start to follow.

Camara led the pack into Turn 1 and immediately began pulling away, building a gap at the front on the opening lap.

While the top positions remained largely unchanged early on, drama unfolded further back as Tramnitz spun and dropped down to 24th place.

Ugo Ugochukwu, meanwhile, climbed into fifth with a clean overtake on Theophile Nael into Turn 1 on Lap 2.

Out front, Camara and Boya had pulled five seconds clear of Tuukka Taponen in third by Lap 4, with the Spaniard steadily reeling in the race leader.

Just as Boya was beginning to close the gap, the Safety Car was deployed following a crash at Turn 13 involving Brad Benavides.

The AIX Racing driver made contact with Roman Bilinski and was sent into the barriers, bringing his race to an abrupt end.

Bilinski continued at the back of the field as the Safety Car peeled into the pits at the start of Lap 7.

Camara floored it out of Turn 13 to resume his lead into Turn 1, while Charlie Wurz seized sixth place from Nael.

Just behind, Ugochukwu got a strong run on Gerrard Xie for fourth, initiating a side-by-side battle that stretched from Turn 2 to Turn 5.

The American bravely swept around the outside of the Hitech driver — but the fight ended in contact.

Xie clipped the Prema car, sending both drivers off and bringing their races to a halt at the side of the track.

Tsolov climbs up the order after second Safety Car restart

The Safety Car returned once again for a third time and didn’t restart until the end of Lap 10.

The Trident driver preserved his lead ahead of Boya as, further down the order, Tsolov continued his charge — climbing into 11th and edging closer to the points.

Towards the rear, Noel Leon and James Hedley clashed at Turn 13 amid a multi-car scrap. Leon tapped Hedley into a spin, though the Brit managed to keep the car going.

Meanwhile, Tsolov overtook his team-mate Inthraphuvasak for 10th, then swiftly dispatched the ART duo of Wharton and Laurens van Hoepen to move up into eighth, with Alessandro Giusti now in his sights.

On Lap 14, the Bulgarian made the move stick at Turn 1 to take seventh, while van Hoepen snatched ninth from Wharton — allowing Inthraphuvasak to slip past the Australian into the final points-paying position.

Tsolov continued his charge, moving up into sixth ahead of Badoer, as the race transitioned to a timed format due to multiple interruptions.

Martinius Stenshorne and Bruno del Pino rolled the dice with a switch to slick tyres from the back of the field.

A handful of others followed suit, hoping for a strategic edge — but the track remained too wet for the crossover point to come into play.

Camara crowned champion after rain-soaked Hungarian Feature Race

Van Hoepen took Giusti for eighth as Wurz applied the pressure to Taponen for third place in the final few minutes of the Feature.

A four-way battle for the last spot on the podium ensued, with Nael and Tsolov also joining the fight at the front.

Camara extended his lead to over two seconds as he entered the final lap with the clock running out for the race.

He even took the fastest lap to add to his domination in the Feature and crossed the line to make history once again, following his compatriot Gabriel Bortoleto from 2023 in becoming F3 World Champion.

Boya settled for second and Taponen completed the top three in Budapest. Wurz narrowly missed out on a podium finish in fourth, with Nael ending up in fifth place just behind the Austrian.

Tsolov completed a spirited drive, which wasn’t enough to prevent Camara from taking the title, to finish sixth from 21st at the start.

Badoer finished seventh, van Hoepen eighth, Giusti ninth and Inthraphuvasak claimed the final point in the Feature Race.

Trident extends its lead in the Teams’ Standings to 19 points ahead of the Monza finale.

READ MORE – Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak holds off late challenge to win F3 Sprint Race in Hungary

The post Rafael Camara clinches F3 title with Feature Race victory in Hungary appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak held his nerve to convert pole position into victory in a dramatic and incident-filled Formula 3 Sprint Race at the Hungaroring.

The Thai driver faced intense pressure throughout, particularly from Ugo Ugochukwu in the closing stages, but managed to stay composed and lead every lap on his way to a hard-fought win – his second of the season.

Ugochukwu took another podium finish in second and Charlie Wurz completed the top three for Trident, also taking back-to-back Sprint Race podiums.

Inthraphuvasak started alongside James Hedley on the front row with championship leader Rafael Camara down in 12th place after his super pole lap on Friday.

The Brazilian was not in a position to take the title on Saturday, but could further strengthen his chances with a good result in the Sprint with his nearest rivals starting way down the order.

Tim Tramnitz went from 17th place and Nikola Tsolove started the race all the way down in 21st place.

Inthraphuvasak leads amid chaotic opening lap

At lights out, Inthraphuvasak made a strong start, moving across to defend from Hedley and retain the lead into Turn 1.

In the middle sector, however, the Thai driver made a small mistake, giving Hedley an opportunity to challenge.

Inthraphuvasak quickly shut the door, which allowed James Wharton, starting third on the grid, to draw alongside Hedley for several corners.

The AIX Racing driver managed to hold position, while behind them, Alessandro Giusti crashed heavily into the wall with front-left suspension damage on his MP Motorsport car just before Turn 13.

Further chaos unfolded down the order, prompting the deployment of the Safety Car on Lap 2 to recover the stricken vehicles.

Into Turn 6, Ivan Domingues attempted an ambitious move around the outside of Laurens van Hoepen.

The gap disappeared rapidly, leading to contact between the two. Both ran through the gravel trap and were forced to pit for front wing repairs.

Replays later revealed that Giusti had damaged his front-left tyre while battling Ugo Ugochukwu for sixth. The contact with the side of the Prema car broke his suspension, sending him into the wall moments later.

The Safety Car returned to the pits at the end of Lap 4, with the track cleared and Inthraphuvasak still leading the field.

Hedley remained in second, with Wharton in third. Brando Badoer followed in fourth ahead of Ugochukwu, Charlie Wurz, Theophile Nael, Mari Boya, Gerrard Xie, and Tuukka Taponen rounding out the top 10 in the early stages.

Midfield battles and Ugochukwu’s charge towards the front

Camara gained one place up to 11th amid the opening-lap chaos. Tramnitz ran 15th, while Tsolov had only climbed to 19th by that point in the Sprint.

Noel Leon was inside the top 10 on Lap 4 but ran wide at Turn 6 while battling Xie, dropping to 13th in the process.

Camara lost a position to Brad Benavides on Lap 6, dropping to 12th. However, Benavides was soon forced to hand the place back after completing the overtake illegally.

In the process, he also lost another position as Leon capitalised, having already passed the championship leader before Benavides allowed Camara back through.

One lap later, Ugochukwu executed a well-timed switchback at Turn 1 to snatch third place from Wharton.

By Lap 11, Leen had climbed into the points, first overtaking Taponen for 10th before sweeping past Xie into Turn 1 to claim ninth.

Just behind, Camara launched an aggressive move on Taponen at the same corner. The pair came perilously close to contact but emerged from Turn 1 unscathed.

A lap later, Camara completed his charge into the top 10 by overtaking a struggling Xie, just as Ugochukwu swept past Hedley and began his pursuit of the race lead.

By Lap 14, the American had closed the gap to Inthraphuvasak and entered DRS range of the Campos driver.

Meanwhile, Wurz moved past Badoer for fifth, then overtook Wharton a lap later to take fourth and set his sights on the podium by targeting Hedley.

Leon brings out the Safety car as Inthraphuvasak holds on for victory

Further back, Leon launched an attack on Nael for eighth place into Turn 4. As the Mexican edged ahead, Nael refused to yield.

The two ran wide, making contact off-track, and Leon was left stranded on the side of the circuit, bringing his race to an early end. Nael continued on in ninth.

The Safety Car was deployed on Lap 15, giving Inthraphuvasak and Hedley a brief respite at the front. Camara, meanwhile, had climbed to eighth — adding valuable points to his championship campaign.

A one-lap shootout commenced as the Safety Car peeled into the pits and Wurz made his way onto the podium past Hedley into Turn 1.

Ugochukwu, meanwhile, locked up and ran wide, ending his chances of taking the victory in the Sprint Race.

Inthraphuvasak therefore held on for victory at the Hungaroring, adding to his Sprint Race victory from Silverstone earlier in the season

Ugochukwu and Wurz joined Inthraphuvasak on the podium, finishing second and third, respectively.

Hedley narrowly missed out on a top-three result, crossing the line in fourth, just ahead of Wharton in fifth.

Badoer secured sixth place, followed by Boya, Camara, Nael, and Xie, who rounded out the top 10.

The result marked a milestone for the Chinese driver, as he claimed his first-ever point in F3.

READ MORE – Rafael Camara secures crucial F3 pole position in Hungary to strengthen title push

The post Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak holds off late challenge to win F3 Sprint Race in Hungary appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Rafael Camara took a crucial step towards clinching the Formula 3 championship by claiming pole position at the Hungaroring.

The Trident driver delivered a tense final qualifying run to secure his fifth pole of the season, narrowly edging out Mari Boya in a thrilling battle.

Tuukka Taponen completed the top three for ART Grand Prix with a brilliant effort late on to secure a second row start for the Feature Race.

Camara kicked off his potential title-clinching weekend in ideal style, going fastest in Free Practice for Trident with a 1:33.888s.

The Brazilian must outscore closest rival Nikola Tsolov by at least 12 points, and third-placed Tim Tramnitz by seven, to seal the championship.

Brad Benavides and Roman Bilinski rounded out the top three, while Tsolov’s session was cut short after his Campos Racing car came to a halt on track.

With the entry list confirmed for the penultimate round of the championship, the only change sees Nikita Johnson return to Hitech, replacing Freddie Slater.

Boya heads Campos 1-2 in early stages of qualifying

Every team headed out for the 30-minute session, except for Campos, whose drivers remained in the garage for the time being.

Ugo Ugochukwu was the first to set the pace after the initial warm-up laps, with the in-form Prema driver going quickest early on.

Camara briefly knocked him off his perch before his lap was deleted for track limits, allowing his team-mate Noah Stromsted to take provisional pole with a 1:33.354s.

Laurens van Hoepen slotted into second for ART Grand Prix, followed by team-mate Taponen and James Wharton in fourth and fifth, marking a strong early showing for the French squad.

Callum Voisin held sixth, Alessandro Giusti seventh, with Noel Leon, James Hedley and Bilinski rounding out the top 10

Campos then came to life, as Boya went fastest in the first two sectors and grabbed provisional pole with a 1:33.013s.

Tsolov moved up to fourth, while Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak made it a provisional 1-2 for the Spanish outfit with just over half of the session remaining.

Meanwhile, Camara found himself languishing in 28th and returned to the track for another run – Tramnitz also down the order in 16th place.

Tsolov struggles as Campos team-mate Boya thrives

The order shifted dramatically once again, with Charlie Wurz unexpectedly vaulting to provisional pole.

The Austrian improved on his second attempt to edge ahead of Ugochukwu by just 0.001s, while Giusti climbed to third for MP Motorsport.

Theophile Nael also moved up the order into fourth, and Camara recovered from an earlier disrupted lap to slot into fifth and rejoin the fight for pole.

Brando Badoer and Leon had briefly made it a 1-2 for Prema before being shuffled back to sixth and seventh as others improved.

Santiago Ramos moved into eighth, Stromsted could only manage ninth, and van Hoepen rounded out the top 10 after the second round of flying laps.

Boya had slipped to 11th, while Tramnitz improved just enough to put himself on provisional reverse-grid pole.

But Campos wasn’t done yet — Boya, out in clean air once more, surged back to the top with a 1:32.653s to reclaim provisional pole.

His team-mates couldn’t match him this time, with Inthraphuvasak only improving to eighth, and Tsolov slipping all the way down to 15th — crucially outside the top 12.

With under five minutes remaining, the grid prepared for one final flying lap, but Camara’s outlap was once again disrupted.

He had to dive into the pits to avoid traffic at the final corner before heading out for another warm-up lap.

Camara snatches pole from Boya in tense finale

Track conditions continued to improve, adding another twist to the battle for pole in the closing stages of qualifying at the Hungaroring.

Badoer climbed into the top five before Gerrard Xie shook up the order by vaulting onto the front row for Hitech. Moments later, Taponen snatched provisional pole position in a nail-biting finish, edging out Xie by just 0.001 seconds.

Yet there was more to come, with the Campos drivers and Camara still to complete their final attempts.

Inthraphuvasak secured 12th place — reverse-grid pole for the Sprint Race — while Tsolov failed to improve, remaining down in 21st place, a severe blow to his championship hopes. Tramnitz also struggled, ending up 17th.

Despite earlier setbacks on his outlaps, Camara delivered when it mattered most, claiming pole with a 1:32.510s — extending his F3 pole record to five this season.

Boya improved again but had to settle for second, just 0.008 seconds shy in a tense finish at the Hungaroring.

Taponen capped off one of the season’s best qualifying performances by securing a second-row start from nowhere, alongside Xie.

Nael finished the session to take fifth place ahead of Wurz, Ugochukwu, Badoer, Giusti, Wharton, Hedley and Inthraphuvasak completing the top 12.

The Thai driver will start the Sprint Race from pole with Hedley alongside him on the front row.

READ MORE – Relentless rain forces early end to Spa F3 Feature Race

The post Rafael Camara secures crucial F3 pole position in Hungary to strengthen title push appeared first on Motorsport Week.

The Formula 3 Feature Race at Spa-Francorchamps was cut short after just two laps due to relentless heavy rain.

Persistent downpours and poor visibility forced race control to deploy the red flag multiple times before ultimately cancelling the event, leaving drivers and teams frustrated as no points were awarded.

Brad Benavides was denied a chance at a maiden victory, but Rafael Camara preserves his 28-point lead heading into the final two rounds of the season.

The AIX Racing driver started from pole position after setting the fastest lap in Friday’s qualifying session — the first pole of his F3 career.

Championship leader Rafael Camara lined up alongside him on the front row.

The Brazilian’s title rivals, Nikola Tsolov and Tim Tramnitz, started from seventh and 13th on the grid, respectively.

Red flag issued as rain soaks Spa at lights out

After a dry weekend at Spa, the heavens finally opened on Sunday, forcing drivers to switch to wet-weather tyres for the first time.

The Safety Car led the field on the formation lap as the grid cautiously navigated the treacherous conditions.

However, at the top of Eau Rouge, AIX Racing’s James Hedley was the first to run into trouble, spinning off the track but narrowly avoiding the barriers at Raidillon.

Moments later on the Kemmel Straight, Prema’s Brando Badoer collided with the rear of title contender Tramnitz, sending the German into a spin.

With visibility severely reduced by the spray, Badoer hadn’t seen the MP Motorsport car ahead. The impact destroyed his left front wheel and front wing, ending his race immediately.

Tramnitz managed to keep his car running and rejoined at the back of the field.

Race control soon displayed the red flag due to the undriveable conditions, and the grid returned to the pits to await a decision on whether the race could resume.

Both Hedley and Tramnitz were able to return to the pit lane as well.

After 20 minutes of waiting, race control signalled a 10-minute countdown before a potential Safety Car-led restart.

Feature Race cancelled due to intense rainfall

The race officially got underway as planned, with all 30 drivers returning to the circuit for the opening lap.

Spray remained heavy, and visibility was still poor — a fact underscored when Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak spun off at Turn 8.

The Campos driver had to take evasive action to avoid his team-mate, Tsolov, after misjudging the gap between them.

Inthraphuvasak’s car came to a halt on the kerb and became stranded, unable to reverse back onto the track.

Elsewhere, Bruno del Pino, who was running in 10th place, was instructed by the stewards to drop to 27th, just behind Hedley, though the reason for the penalty was not immediately clear.

Just two laps after the restart, the race was halted once again, with visibility still too poor to continue safely.

Within minutes, race control confirmed there would not be enough time for another restart, and the race would not resume.

As the minimum number of laps had not been completed, no points were awarded.

Up next on the calendar is Round 9 in Budapest, with Camara still holding a healthy championship lead after extending his advantage over Tramnitz by one point.

READ MORE — Noah Stromsted cruises to maiden F3 victory in Spa Sprint Race

The post Relentless rain forces early end to Spa F3 Feature Race appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Noah Stromsted delivered a commanding performance to claim his maiden Formula 3 victory in Saturday’s Sprint Race at Spa-Francorchamps.

The Danish driver led comfortably after taking the race lead early on, building a huge gap to take the chequered flag with ease, marking a breakthrough moment in his F3 career.

Behind Stromsted, Ugo Ugochukwu finished second and Charlie Wurz took third to round out the podium — both drivers securing their maiden top-three finishes in the junior series.

Freddie Slater started from pole position for the Sprint Race after qualifying 12th, benefiting from the reversed-grid format in his Hitech debut. Lining up alongside him on the front row was Stromsted for Trident.

Championship leader Rafael Camara began the race from 11th, sharing the sixth row with Sunday’s polesitter, Brad Benavides.

Among Camara’s closest title rivals, Tim Tramnitz started 13th, Nikola Tsolov lined up sixth, and Mari Boya was further back in 16th.

Stromsted takes the lead on Lap 2

At lights out, all 30 cars surged down the short run to Turn 1, with Freddie Slater managing to retain his lead from Noah Stromsted as battles broke out throughout the midfield.

Championship leader Rafael Camara made early progress, gaining two positions to move into 10th, while Ugochukwu also climbed the order, advancing to sixth.

On Lap 2, Stromsted capitalised on a strong run down the Kemmel Straight to overtake Slater and seize the race lead.

By Lap 4, Ugochukwu continued his charge, moving his Prema up into podium contention. Using the slipstream to full effect, he swiftly dispatched Bruno del Pino and Wurz.

Tramnitz found himself down in 18th place on Lap 6, Benavides dropping to 16th and Callum Voisin to 13th place.

Boya clawed his way into the top 10, running just behind Camara in ninth. Ahead of them, the Spaniard’s Campos team-mates, Tsolov and Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak, occupied eighth and seventh respectively.

On Lap 7, Ugochukwu continued his charge toward the front, overtaking Slater at the end of the main straight to move into second place.

Del Pino was rapidly losing ground, falling from third on the grid to eighth, as Wurz, Stenshorne, Inthraphuvasak, and Tsolov each moved up a position.

Slater also began to fade, with Wurz claiming third on Lap 8 to secure the final spot on the podium.

With four laps to go, Stromsted looked firmly on course for victory, holding a commanding five-second lead over Ugochukwu.

Mercedes junior clinches first F3 victory at Spa

By Lap 9, Slater’s struggles continued as he slipped to seventh, overtaken by Stenshorne, Tsolov, and Camara.

The title contenders quickly dispatched Stenshorne on the following lap, while Slater fell further down the order to 10th.

Meanwhile, Boya —running in eighth — was handed a five-second time penalty for exceeding track limits and was also placed under investigation for a collision with Benavides, compounding a difficult day for his championship hopes.

Heading into the final lap, Wurz was clinging on for the final podium position from Tsolov behind.

However, Stromsted crossed the line for victory in the Sprint Race ahead of Ugochukwu and Wurz — both claiming their maiden podium finishes in F3.

Just behind the podium finishers, Tsolov crossed the line in fourth, edging out title rival Camara in fifth to claw back a single point in the championship battle.

Inthraphuvasak came home sixth, followed by Stenshorne in seventh and del Pino in eighth.

Brando Badoer secured ninth and Slater finished 10th but received four five-second penalties for track limit violations, handing Alessandro Giusti the final point of the Sprint.

READ MORE — Brad Benavides snatches maiden F3 pole position after chaotic Spa qualifying

The post Noah Stromsted cruises to maiden F3 victory in Spa Sprint Race appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Brad Benavides claimed his first-ever Formula 3 pole position in a dramatic and unpredictable qualifying session at Spa-Francorchamps.

After an intense battle and several twists — including lap time deletions and reinstatements — the AIX Racing driver edged out championship leader Rafael Camara, while Callum Voisin pulled off a surprise third place.

The session was marked by significant track evolution and chaos in the closing minutes, leaving the grid tightly bunched but Benavides on top for the first time in his F3 career.

Mari Boya kicked off his weekend perfectly by topping the rescheduled Free Practice session at Spa with a time of 2:06.111s.

The Campos Racing driver went straight to the front on his very first lap as everyone scrambled to maximise the shortened 30-minute session.

Boya’s fastest lap time put him four tenths clear of team-mate Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak, giving the Spanish team an early one-two.

The practice session was moved to the original qualifying time slot after earlier foggy conditions grounded the medical helicopter.

As a result, qualifying was pushed to later in the evening, with Camara aiming to extend his 27-point advantage over Tim Tramnitz, while Nikola Tsolov sits 29 points behind the Trident driver.

Freddie Slater replaces Nikita Johnson at Hitech as the only change to the entry list for this weekend.

Camara on top in early stages of F3 Spa qualifying

With qualifying finally getting underway, after the Formula 2 session in the afternoon, 30 drivers headed out on track with the sun still shining.

After nearly 10 minutes into the session, the purple sectors started to arrive, with Ugo Ugochukwu stealing the fastest first sector time from Theophile Nael.

The American initially went fastest, but Camara soon responded with a quicker lap of 2:05.557s, shaving two tenths off Prema driver’s fastest lap time.

Several drivers — including Martinius Stenshorne, Noel Leon, Roman Bilinski, Sharp, and Boya — posted times fast enough to break into the top 12, only to have their laps deleted for track limits by the stewards.

As a result, Inthraphuvasak inherited third place, Tukka Taponen was fourth, and Tsolov fifth after the first runs.

Following a brief cooldown period for the tyres, drivers launched second attempts on the same set of tyres, shaking up the order once again.

Stenshorne stayed within the track limits this time around to improve to sixth, while Bilinski and Slater moved into ninth and tenth, respectively, squeezing into the top 10. Boya improved to 11th, but Leon had another lap time deleted.

Nael displaces Camara at the top to initially steal provisional pole

Inthraphuvasak improved but remained 0.190s off Camara’s best, while Alessandro Giusti made a surprise surge to third for MP Motorsport. Meanwhile, his team-mate Tramnitz languished down the order in 18th place.

Ugochukwu could only improve to fourth, with Tsolov climbing back to fifth, and Noah Stromsted entered the battle with a seventh-place effort.

While most drivers took a prolonged break to change tyres, Van Amersfoort Racing sent its drivers back out quickly.

Nael immediately surged to the top of the timing charts with a lap time of 2:05.508s, as Santiago Ramos followed closely behind.

He secured third place, just a tenth off his team-mate’s fastest lap, while Ivan Domingues rounded out the team’s strong showing by sneaking into the top 10.

As the rest of the grid returned to the track and settled into their warm-up laps, the running order began to shift dramatically.

Boya was the first to respond, reclaiming the top spot before a wave of chaos reshuffled the entire top 10.

The track evolved so dramatically that the Spaniard soon found himself down in 16th as others improved.

Benavides denies Camara pole amid dramatic final shuffle

Out of nowhere, Benavides snatched provisional pole with a 2:04.253s, edging out Camara, who could only go second.

In a shock twist, the Brazilian had his lap time deleted and plummeted to 23rd, as the grid bunched up ahead of the final runs.

Drama intensified when his lap time was reinstated, restoring him to second — a relief amid heavy traffic, with most of the field crawling to the line together in the closing moments.

Despite the scramble, no one was able to improve with the pack remained tightly bunched.

Amid the drama, Benavides claimed his first F3 pole position, with Camara in second and Voisin snatching an unexpected third place.

His Rodin Motorsport team-mate, Bilinski, took fourth ahead of Stenshorne in fifth, Ugochukwu sixth, Tsolov seventh, Inthraphuvasak eighth, Charlie Wurz ninth, Bruno del Pino 10th, Stromsted 11th and Slater taking 12th place.

The British driver will start the Sprint Race from reverse-grid pole with the Trident of Stromsted joining him on the front row.

Tramnitz couldn’t salvage his qualifying session and finished 13th, agonisingly short of a top-12 finish.

READ MORE — Mari Boya triumphs amid torrential rain to win Silverstone F3 Feature Race

The post Brad Benavides snatches maiden F3 pole position after chaotic Spa qualifying appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Mari Boya delivered a masterclass in wet-weather racing to secure a hard-fought victory in the Formula 3 Feature Race at Silverstone.

The Aston Martin junior navigated treacherous conditions as heavy rain lashed the circuit.

Boya started from third on the grid but opted for the wet-weather tyres at the start, which set him on the way to his first victory of the season.

Theophile Nael and Noel Leon completed the top three as both drivers also started on the wet tyres.

Nikola Tsolov started the race from pole position, lining up alongside Ugo Ugochukwu on the front row.

The Campos driver had been untouchable in Friday’s qualifying session, but his hopes in the Sprint Race were dashed by a Lap 1 incident with Brando Badoer, which denied him a chance to score points.

Championship leader Rafael Camara capitalised on the opportunity to extend his lead in the standings, especially with Tim Tramnitz also failing to score.

The Brazilian started third on the grid, just behind Tsolov, setting the stage for what promised to be an exciting battle at Silverstone.

Sudden rain shower postpones start of the race

Just minutes before the formation lap, light rain began to fall, leaving drivers and teams scrambling over whether to start on slicks or switch to wet tyres.

As the rain steadily intensified, the race officials delayed the start by five minutes, giving drivers the opportunity to switch to wet-weather tyres.

Nael was one of the first drivers to switch onto the wet tyres, the rest of the grid sticking to the slicks ahead of the formation lap.

However, once the tyre blankets came off, the grid was split in terms of tyre choice.

Replays also showed an unsafe release by Noah Stromsted and Trident into the path of Tramnitz – with the stewards stating it would be investigated after the race.

Tsolov and Ugochukwu stuck with the slick tyres, but Boya went for the wet tyres, as spray was visible on the lap to the grid.

Matias Zagazeta was the only driver to pit, reverting to the slick tyres from the wet tyres.

Boya takes the race lead as wet tyre runners gain the advantage

Tsolov lost his lead to Boya at lights out, the Spaniard on the right tyre at the right time.

The running order quickly shuffled as drivers on wet tyres surged past those who had gambled on slicks, with Tsolov remaining the leading slick tyre runner while Camara slipped rapidly down the field.

By Lap 2, Tsolov was down to 16th with the rain still falling heavily.

Nael jumped up to second, Leon third, Sprint Race winner Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak fourth, Laurens van Hoepen fifth, Roman Bilinski sixth, Christian Ho seventh, James Wharton eighth, Bruno del Pino ninth and Santiago Ramos 10th.

On Lap 4, van Hoepen dived down the inside of Inthraphuvasak into Vale for fourth place on the track.

Leon continued to pile pressure on Nael for second place up the road, while Tsolov, now over 40 seconds adrift, was in serious danger of being lapped.

Meanwhile, Bilinski carved his way past Inthraphuvasak and van Hoepen to claim fourth, as the Thai driver continued to slide down the order — with Wharton advancing to seventh.

Charlie Wurz abandoned his gamble on slick tyres, switching to wets in the hope that a Safety Car would bring him back into contention.

Louis Sharp moved up to eighth as Inthraphuvasak lost yet another position, while Martinius Stenshorne became the next to make the switch to wet tyres on Lap 9.

Heavy rain brings out the Safety Car as Sharp aquaplanes into the wall

Camara began to recover, eventually overtaking Tsolov to become the leading slick tyre runner — albeit all the way down in 17th place.

As the rain returned, multiple drivers on slicks, including title contender Tramnitz, opted to pit.

Tsolov and Camara both eventually dived into the pits on Lap 10 as the rain intensified dangerously.

Shortly after, Sharp aquaplaned off the circuit and into the wall, ending his race on the spot.

The Safety Car was deployed on Lap 11 to allow the recovery of Sharp’s stricken Rodin Motorsport car at Club corner, while the stewards assessed whether conditions were still safe enough for racing to continue.

Visibility was virtually zero as the lapped cars were released to pass the Safety Car, with both Stenshorne and Tsolov sliding off the track while attempting to rejoin the back of the pack.

Several lapped drivers cautiously tiptoed around the waterlogged Silverstone circuit, struggling for grip and running wide at nearly every corner.

Red flag curtails the race as Boya clinches victory in the Feature Race

The red flag was eventually thrown on Lap 14 with the conditions undriveable.

Amidst the chaos, van Hoepen was handed a five-second time penalty for moving before the lights went out at the start.

A ten-minute wait was initially announced by the race officials, but it was confirmed later on that the Feature Race would not be resumed.

Boya, therefore, took the race victory at Silverstone, but as the full distance was not covered, the points were reduced.

Nael finished second for his third podium finish of the season with Leon completing the top three for Prema Racing.

Bilinski takes fourth place ahead of Ho in fifth and Wharton in sixth place.

Van Hoepen drops to seventh with his time penalty, Ramos in eighth, del Pino ninth and Inthraphuvasak taking the final point-scoring position in 10th.

READ MORE – Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak takes maiden F3 victory at Silverstone

The post Mari Boya triumphs amid torrential rain to win Silverstone F3 Feature Race appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak secured his first Formula 3 win in the Sprint Race at Silverstone after starting from pole position.

The impressive performance saw Inthraphuvasak hold off fierce competition from Theophile Nael and Martinius Stenshorne to claim a memorable victory and a 1-3 finish for Campos Racing.

Stenshorne climbed from sixth on the grid to take second place with Mari Boya completing the top three – both clinching back-to-back podium finishes in F3.

The Campos driver started the race from pole ahead of DAMS Lucas Oil’s Christian Ho on the front row.

Championship leader Rafael Camara lined up 10th on the grid, with title rival Tim Tramnitz starting eighth and Sunday’s polesitter Nikola Tsolov back in 12th.

Inthraphuvasak maintains the lead as Tsolov tumbles down the order

The Thai driver held his lead into Turn 1 as Nael jumped up to second ahead of Ho.

Further back, the other Campos of Tsolov was hit by Prema Racing’s Brando Badoer, who made a lunge at Turn 2 but caught Tsolov on the exit.

Tsolov was able to continue, but Badoer retired on the spot, leaving the title contender to rejoin the order down in 29th.

The Trident trio of Camara, Charlie Wurz, and Noah Stromsted scrapped through Maggots, Becketts, and onto the Hangar Straight, with Wurz eventually coming out on top just as the Virtual Safety Car was deployed to clear Badoer’s stricken Prema.

Moments later, the VSC was upgraded to a full Safety Car.

The Austrian was warned by Trident over the team radio to go easy with his team-mate Camara after a few close calls battling hard on Lap 1.

Racing resumed at the end of Lap 4 with the running order: Inthraphuvasak, Nael, Ho, Stenshorne, Laurens van Hoepen, Noel Leon, Boya, Tramnitz, Ugo Ugochukwu, and Wurz.

Stenshorne immediately pounced at Turn 1, diving past Ho to snatch third, while Camara made quick work of Wurz to climb back into the top 10.

Nael grabs top spot but forced to relinquish it

On Lap 6, Nael took the race lead as he went around the outside of the Campos driver, emerging ahead on the exit of Turn 2.

However, the Frenchman ran off the track at Turn 1 in the process, with the incident noted to determine whether he was forced wide or gained an advantage.

Ho slipped to fifth soon after, as van Hoepen pulled off a superb dive into Vale to snatch fourth place.

As Inthraphuvasak applied the pressure to Nael on Lap 10, Van Amersfoort Racing ordered its driver to give the place back, the 19-year-old taking the race lead back.

Stenshorne made it a three-way fight at the front as further back, Tramnitz lost multiple positions, dropping to 11th and out of the points.

By Lap 13, Inthraphuvasak had broken clear of Nael’s DRS threat, while Stenshorne piled the pressure on the VAR driver just behind.

Further back, Ugochukwu got the better of team-mate Leon to move into seventh, as Boya dispatched Ho for fifth.

One lap later, Stenshorne made a decisive move on the Hangar Straight, cruising past Nael for second and setting his sights on the leading Campos.

Ugochukwu continued his charge, moving up to sixth as Ho slipped further down the order after starting on the front row.

Inthraphuvasak holds off Stenshorne as Boya snatches podium in chaotic finale

Van Hoepen then went wheel-to-wheel with Nael for the final podium spot at the end of the Hangar Straight, but both ran wide through Vale, opening the door for Boya to snatch third.

Stenshorne continued to chase down Inthraphuvasak heading into the final lap, but he managed to hold off the threat and clinch his first victory in the junior series.

Boya completed the podium whilst Nael dropped out of the points after being handed a 10-second time penalty by the race stewards.

He was deemed to have left the track and gained an advantage with his fight with van Hoepen through Turns 16 and 17.

The ART driver finished fourth ahead of Ugochukwu in fifth place, Ho sixth, Leon seventh, Camara eighth, Wurz ninth and Roman Bilinksi in 10th.

The Rodin Motorsport driver started the race from 16th and fought back to claim the final point in the Sprint.

READ MORE – Nikola Tsolov claims F3 Feature Race pole at Silverstone after Austria setback

The post Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak takes maiden F3 victory at Silverstone appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Nikola Tsolov bounced back strongly at Silverstone, securing pole position for the Formula 3 Feature Race just weeks after his heartbreaking disqualification in Austria.

The Bulgarian driver showed resilience and pace to lead the field, setting the tone for a crucial weekend as he looks to make amends and continue his championship push.

He was stripped of his Feature Race victory at the Red Bull Ring after his car failed a post-race inspection for not meeting the minimum plank thickness requirement.

His championship rival Rafael Camara qualified third, with Ugo Ugochukwu securing second to complete the front row.

The Campos Racing driver made an impressive start to his racing weekend, clocking the fastest time in Free Practice with a 1:45.847s.

Championship leader Camara heads into the racing weekend with a 24-point lead, with Tim Tramnitz now behind him in the standings as Tsolov dropped back down to third following his disqualification

Nicola Lacorte returned to action at Silverstone with DAMS Lucas Oil after serving a suspension that sidelined him at the Red Bull Ring.

Nikita Johnson, who filled in for Lacorte in Austria, remains on the F3 grid as he steps in to replace Jesse Carrasquedo Jr. at Hitech.

Trident and Campos battle for early supremacy

The Trident duo of Noah Stromsted and Camara were among the first to set flying laps, with the Brazilian immediately going quickest on a 1:46.318s after the initial warm-up runs.

Prema Racing’s Ugochukwu then split the pair, moving into second by just 0.023s, before MP Motorsport’s Tramnitz and Alessandro Giusti briefly took control at the top.

Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak soon jumped up to split the MP Motorsport pair, but it wasn’t long before Tsolov carried his dominant form from practice into qualifying, snatching provisional pole with a 1:45.655s — over three-tenths clear of championship rival Tramnitz in the early running.

Further back, Mari Boya sat in 12th at the halfway mark, provisionally in position for reverse-grid pole, while his Campos team-mates filled two of the top three spots.

AIX Racing’s Brad Benavides was the first to make gains on the second flying laps, vaulting up to fourth, though still four-tenths adrift of Tsolov’s benchmark.

Rodin Motorsport’s Roman Bilinski soon demoted him to fifth, while Tramnitz found further improvement but remained 0.205s off provisional pole.

Bruno del Pino then surged into the top three, before the Trident pair also improved — Stromsted falling short of Tsolov’s time, but Camara went 0.479s faster to take over at the top with a 1:45.176s.

ART suddenly found pace, with all three drivers posting strong times to break into the top 10.

Laurens van Hoepen climbed to fourth, while Tuukka Taponen and James Wharton improved to sixth and seventh, respectively.

With just over five minutes remaining in the session, Charlie Wurz joined his Trident team-mates at the top, rising to fourth quickest.

Qualifying shootout leads to thrilling finale as Tsolov bags pole

The track evolution became clear as more rubber was laid down on the Silverstone circuit, with Theophile Nael jumping up to the front row, just three tenths behind Camara.

Martinius Stenshorne briefly climbed to second before Tramnitz reclaimed the spot.

Tsolov responded to Camara’s challenge by seizing provisional pole with a 1:45.043s, while Ugochukwu narrowly missed out by 0.023 seconds amid a rapidly shifting order.

Camara was unable to improve further, settling for third place behind Ugochukwu, who secured second.

Boya set a late lap to move back up the order, finishing just behind the Trident driver.

This result meant Tsolov claimed his third pole position of the season, title contender Tramnitz rounding out the top five.

The top 10 saw plenty of late changes, with Wurz snatching sixth place in the closing moments, pushing Stenshorne down to seventh.

Van Hoepen climbed to eighth after a strong late effort, while Nael held on to ninth with an earlier lap.

Noel Leon, who had struggled earlier in qualifying, shot up to tenth for Prema.

Just outside the top 10 was Christian Ho, whose decent lap earned him 11th and a front-row start for Saturday’s Sprint Race.

In 12th, Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak couldn’t quite match his Campos team-mates but secured reverse-grid pole with that finish.

READ MORE – Nikola Tsolov loses F3 Feature Race victory following disqualification in Austria

The post Nikola Tsolov claims F3 Feature Race pole at Silverstone after Austria setback appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Nikola Tsolov has been disqualified from the Formula 3 Feature Race in Austria as Martinius Stenshorne inherits the race victory.

The Campos Racing driver dominated from pole position and fended off a challenge from his title rival, Rafael Camara.

It would have marked his third win of the season, but a post-race technical inspection found his car to be non-compliant.

Tsolov was summoned to the stewards after his car failed to meet the minimum plank thickness requirement.

A document from the FIA read: “The Stewards received a report from the Technical Delegate (Document 58).

“They summoned the Driver and Team Representative of Car 12 (Document 60) and heard the Team Representative and Technical Delegate.

“Having considered the matter extensively, the Stewards determined that the rear plank of Car 12 was below the minimum thickness required and is therefore in breach
of Article 3.2.2 of the Technical Regulations.”

“The Team explained that they had measured the plank before the race and that it was compliant, and that the reason for the measurements being outside of the tolerances
was due to wear during the race.

“The team further noted that a section of the plank was missing at the edge on the same side that was found to be noncompliant.

“They offered that whatever impact damaged the edge could have also caused that side of the plank to thereafter ride lower thus causing the nonconformity.

“The Team did not offer any incident that could have caused the damage other than transitting curbs which the Stewards consider to be a normal part of racing.

“The Technical Delegate stated that the plank appeared to be a normal post-race plank.”

Title contenders benefit from Tsolov’s disqualification

Hitech’s Stenshorne takes his second win of the season and his first in a Feature Race.

The Norwegian produced a stunning drive from 15th on the grid, charging through the field to claim a podium, and now victory, from well outside the top 10.

Tim Tramnitz climbs from 17th on the grid to finish an impressive second, while Mari Boya is promoted to the podium in third after starting 14th.

In a remarkable twist, the gap between Camara and the Bulgarian has now widened, with Tsolov dropping behind Tramnitz in the standings.

The Trident driver now holds a 24-point lead in the Drivers’ Championship after six of the 10 rounds in the 2025 F3 season.

Laurens van Hoepen has also been disqualified for failing to comply with the tyre pressures defined in the Pirelli technical preview.

The ART driver finished ninth in the race and, as a result, loses out on a points finish.

The race classification following the post-race penalties is as follows: Stenshorne, Tramnitz, Boya, Ugo Ugochukwu, Camara, Charlie Wurz, Noah Stromsted, Callum Voisin, Brad Benavides and Theophile Nael takes the final point in 10th place.

READ MORE – Nikola Tsolov cruises to F3 Feature Race victory from pole in Austria

The post Nikola Tsolov loses F3 Feature Race victory following disqualification in Austria appeared first on Motorsport Week.