Mari Boya wins the F3 British Grand Prix in a rain-filled race around Silverstone. He was closely followed by Théophile Naël and Noel Leon, who rounded out the podium.
All 30 drivers lined up on the grid, as there were flashbacks to last year as the rain intensified before the lights went green.
The top 3 in the championship will start in the first three rows, with Tsolov starting in pole position, looking to close the gap between himself and Câmara. Championship leader Rafael Câmara starts 3rd, with Tim Tramnitz in 5th.
With just 29 points separating the top 3, each driver will be fighting for every point available.
Delayed start
The rain has intensified around Silverstone, resulting in a delayed start for the F3 race. This has allowed drivers to switch over to the wet tyres. However, the championship top 3 have all remained on slick tyres for the start of the race.
Strømsted will be investigated after the session for an unsafe release in the pit lane, ehich caused him to hit MP’s Tim Tramnitz.
As the drivers get away for the formation lap, the rain is still falling, and radars suggest it will intensify as the session goes on. Boya is told by his engineer, “big rain expected in 20 minutes.”
This adds an extra layer of chaos to the already insane race in Silverstone.
Lights Out
As the lights go out, the front 3 are immediately overtaken by Mari Boya on the wet tyres, who, with better traction, takes the race lead. As those on the slips drop down the field drastically, it looks like the drivers on wet tyres made the smartest move strategically.
The championship top 3 have been majorly disadvantaged in this race, with Tsolov, our pole sitter, dropping down to P14, out of the points in a crucial championship race.
Rafa Câmara, starting from P3, has tumbled down the field to P20 after opting for slick tyres. However, this is a gamble his TRIDENT team believes will pay off once the rain clears mid-race. Meanwhile, Tramnotz is close behind Câmara in 21st position.
PREMA Racing’s León currently holds third. While Naël and Bilinski are also capitalising on the tricky conditions in the top four.
It is reported that there’s a 10-second performance gap between the wet and slick tyres. Yet half the field remains committed to the dry compound. A gamble that’s proving costly, particularly for the championship leaders.
Meanwhile, on Lap 7, Boya continues to dominate out front after an early switch to wets, building an almost 3-second lead as those behind scramble for grip. A victory as it stands will put Boya firmly into championship contention in 2025.
Changeable conditions
Contrary to what TRIDENT have told Câmara, Campos has emphasised to Boya that the rain will increase in the next five minutes. However, with the drying track, those on slicks may benefit momentarily.
On lap 9, Tsolov receives a call from Campos to box for wet tyres. However, the Bulgarian requests to hold off for one more lap, sensing that the track is beginning to dry out.
Meanwhile, in the battle among the slick tyre runners, Câmara is suddenly finding pace. The TRIDENT driver pulls off a brilliant move to overtake both Tsolov and Ugochukwu.
As Campos predicted, the rain intensified during lap 10, forcing all the slick tyre runners to pit for inters. A slow stop from TRIDENT meant Tsolov and Ugochukwu reclaimed their positions ahead of Câmara. The trio are now 20th, 21st and 22nd respectively.
The rain intensifies on lap 11, with even Mari Boya out front complaining of low visibility. It seems only a matter of time before this race is neutralised by a Safety Car.
Safety Car
The treacherous conditions across the circuit have added yet another challenge for drivers. Louis Sharp, who had been enjoying a strong race, loses control and spins into the gravel along the Main Straight. His race is brought to an end at the midpoint of the race.
As a result, the Safety Car is deployed, neutralising the field and giving drivers on newer wets a crucial opportunity to catch up to the pack. With visibility dropping and grip levels deteriorating, the next few laps could prove pivotal in shaping the outcome of the race.
A few laps under the safety car have allowed the pack to be closer. Race control has now confirmed that lapped cars will be allowed to unlap themselves.
Despite being under the safety car, the conditions are still hard for drivers to navigate. Martinius Stenshorne, Rafa Câmara and Nikola Tsolov are going off track due to limited traction and visibility.
On lap 15 of the Feature Race, the session was red-flagged due to worsening weather and mounting concerns for driver safety. Heavy rain and low visibility made conditions increasingly treacherous, prompting race control to halt proceedings.
However, the FIA quickly confirmed that the race would resume. Those on newer wet tyres will benefit greatly from this, as they will have more grip in their tyres.
The championship top 3 remain out of the points at the back of the field.
The Feature race will not continue with worsening conditions ahead of the drivers.
Full classification for F3 British Grand Prix
Mari Boya claimed his maiden F3 feature race win around Silverstone, cementing his name as a championship hope in 2025. Naël secured yet another podium finish in the rain. Leon comes home in third, capping off an amazing weekend for PREMA racing.
Drivers will receive only half points because F3 did not complete the full racing distance.
Here is the full classification for the F3 British Grand Prix.
- M. Boya
- T. Nael
- N. Leon
- R. Bilinski
- C. Ho
- J. Wharton
- L. Van Hoepen
- S. Ramos
- B. Del Pino
- T. Inthraphuvasak
- N. Lacorte
- T. Taponen
- I. Domingues
- B. Badoer
- A. Giusti
- C. Wurz
- M. Stenshorne
- T. Tramnitz
- C. Voisin
- N. Tsolov
- U. Ugochukwu
- R. Camara
- G. Xie
- N. Johnson
- M. Zagazeta
- N. Stromsted
- N. Marinangeli
- J. Hedley
- L. Sharp
- B. Benavides
