With Rafael Câmara honing in on the Formula 3 Drivers’ Championship, the likes of Nikola Tsolov and Tim Tramnitz will be eyeing a late challenge in Hungary.
After the cancellation of Spa’s Feature Race, F3 returns to action at the Hungarian Grand Prix. With only the Hungaroring and Monza to go, both the Drivers’ and Teams’ Championship battles are wide open. It’s Câmara, Tsolov and Tramnitz battling for the former, while Campos and Trident go head-to-head for the latter.
With the Hungarian GP promising to be an exciting weekend, here are your top drivers and stories to keep an eye on.
Rafael Câmara
Câmara will head into Round 9 of the F3 season knowing that the Hungaroring could be home to the greatest achievement of his young career. The Ferrari Academy driver has garnered a reputation for being a qualifying specialist in his debut season in the series. Winless since his last pole position in Catalunya, Câmara hopes to set a crowning weekend off with pole.
Should the Brazillian leave the Hungarian GP weekend with a gap of 40 points or greater to P2 in the Drivers’ Championship, there will be no catching him at Monza. Such a large gap seems unlikely given the season so far, but Câmara will no doubt be aiming to get as close as possible to make the Italian GP a peaceful outing.
Câmara finished P3 on his Hungaroring debut in 2024 in the Formula Regional European Championship, followed by a P6 in the second race.
Nikola Tsolov
Tsolov has a proven pedigree at the Hungaroring, having won the F3 Feature Race last year. The Campos man found himself in a close battle with Câmara earlier in the season. However, a disqualification in the Austrian Feature Race and a pair of poor results at Silverstone dented his title hopes.
Tsolov’s gap of 28 points to Câmara will not be viewed as insurmountable. However, a Feature Race victory in Hungary and at Monza is a lofty-but-needed target for Tsolov – as the Drivers’ Championship uses Feature Race victories as a decider in the case of a tie.
As mentioned, Tsolov won the 2024 Feature Race at the Hungaroring, but his other outings at the circuit are not as positive. In 2024’s Sprint, he finished P29, while 2023 saw a retirement in the Sprint and a P25 in the Feature Race.
Tim Tramnitz
Tramnitz has had a solid season in his second year in F3. The MP Motorsport man has rarely finished outside of the top-10, but a patch of three pointless outings at Silverstone and Spa have paused the German’s title push.
The MP Motorsport man can still win the Drivers’ Championship, as can anyone down to P13 in the Standings, but his gap of 33 points will prove a lofty challenge. Tramnitz may also face a fight from Mari Boya, who is another contender just eight points behind him. If Tramnitz is to mount a challenge, he must shake off the poor performances of the last two race weekends.
Tramnitz has an up-and-down history in Hungary. Notably, he finished P4 and P20 in 2024’s Sprint Race and Feature Race respectively. A year before in the Formula Regional European Championship, Tramnitz managed a P8 and P16.
Trident vs Campos Racing
The battle between Trident and Campos is about as close as it can get in the Teams’ Championship. Heading into the final two weekends of the season, Trident lead Campos by just 11 points.
Trident have the advantage of Drivers’ Championship leader Câmara picking up plenty of points for the Italian outfit. Noah Strømsted and Charlie Wurz have also contributed, with the drivers sitting P6 and P15 respectively. While Trident have Câmara in the Championship battle, Campos have Boya and Tsolov. The Spanish team will also be benefitting from a buoyant Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak, who claimed a maiden victory not too long ago in the British GP Sprint Race.
A close finish is practically guaranteed between these two teams at the Hungaroring, with Monza likely to be a battleground for a winner-takes-all finale.
