Imola played host to the third round of the 2025 FIA Formula 3 Championship, welcoming a field that has already produced eleven different podium finishers this season. For several drivers, this marked their first experience at the challenging 4.909-kilometre Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, which has historically delivered unpredictable racing since Formula 3 debuted there in 2022. The 2025 Imola F3 Round Sprint Race proved another opportunity for a racing spectacle, with MP Motorsport’s Tim Tramnitz claiming victory.
Qualifying on Friday saw Gabriel Bortoleto’s record lap eclipsed as Camara claimed pole with a 1:32.206. However, Saturday’s Sprint Race featured a reverse grid, placing MP Motorsport’s Del Pino on pole after qualifying twelfth, with teammate Tramnitz starting alongside him.
Clean start, early incidents
As the lights went out, Del Pino led cleanly into Turn 1. Tramnitz remained close behind, challenging briefly but yielding. However, trouble flared behind them. Van Hoepen ran wide over the grass but rejoined safely. A yellow flag soon followed as Domingues spun across the track, though racing resumed shortly after.
Further down the field, Tsolov fended off Leon for fifth. Ugochukwu attacked Leon into the first corner but failed to make the move stick. Ahead, Del Pino edged out a 0.7-second lead over Tramnitz. Meanwhile, Ugochukwu and Sharp both found their way past Leon, executing a clean double pass.
Tramnitz then launched a decisive move on Del Pino to take the lead. Del Pino slipped back momentarily, but stayed within DRS range as the battle resumed. At Tosa, chaos returned—Marinangeli lost a wheel and slid into the gravel, prompting a Virtual Safety Car, followed by a full Safety Car to recover the stricken AIX Racing car.
Restarts and retirements
Racing resumed at the end of Lap 8. Tramnitz pulled clear again, with Del Pino narrowly outside DRS range. Tsolov looked to attack Del Pino for second, but the MP Motorsport driver held firm. Boya retained third until technical issues struck, causing him to plummet down the order.
Shortly afterwards, Zagazeta found himself beached in the gravel with a damaged front-right wheel, likely due to contact. A second Safety Car was deployed. Boya, unable to recover, pitted and retired from the race.
Tramnitz once again managed a strong restart when the Safety Car came in at the end of Lap 11. Del Pino and Tsolov resumed their battle for second. DRS was re-enabled, and the midfield bunched up again. Sharpe applied increasing pressure on Tsolov, while further down, Voisin and Zagazeta came under investigation for forcing other drivers off the track—Voisin received a ten-second penalty.
Ugochukwu executed a clean pass on Bilinski to advance into the top eight. Taponen then sent Leon wide at Turn 1, pushing the PREMA driver into the gravel and gaining another position.
A tight fight to the flag
With just three laps to go, Strømsted overtook Taponen for seventh into Turn 1, then began to chase down Ugochukwu. Behind him, Bilinski attempted to reclaim position, but Strømsted defended well. Ugochukwu then made a costly error, allowing both Strømsted and Taponen past.
As the final lap began, Del Pino had reeled Tramnitz back in to within 0.3 seconds. However, he could not find a way through. Tramnitz held his nerve under pressure and delivered a flawless final lap, taking the chequered flag for a commanding win. Del Pino followed closely to complete an MP Motorsport 1–2. Tsolov secured third after a consistent and determined drive for Campos Racing.
Final classification
Tramnitz’s win marked a strong statement for MP Motorsport, with Del Pino’s result making him the twelfth different podium finisher of the season. Tsolov’s third place continued his strong run of form. Sharp, Bilinski, and Strømsted rounded out the top six, followed by Taponen, Ugochukwu, León, and Giusti completing the points-paying positions.
Unfortunately, three drivers—Boya, Zagazeta, and Marinangeli—failed to finish in what proved to be a highly eventful and strategically intense Sprint Race at Imola.
Full results of the 2025 Imola F3 Round Sprint Race
- Tim Tramnitz
- Bruno del Pino
- Nikola Tsolov
- Louis Sharp
- Roman Bilinski
- Noah Strømsted
- Tuukka Taponen
- Ugo Ugochukwu
- Noel León
- Alessandro Giusti
- Rafael Câmara
- Brad Benavides
- Martinius Stensorne
- Joshua dufek
- Nicola Lacorte
- Brando Badoer
- Laurens van Hoepen
- James Hedley
- Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak
- Théophile Naël
- Christian Ho
- James Wharton
- Charlie Wurz
- Gerrard Xie
- Ivan Domingues
- Callum Voisin
- Santiago Ramos
DNF: Mari Boya, Matías Zagazeta, Nicola Marinangeli
