After a short break, the Formula 3 season returns for Round 3 at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola.
Despite the hiatus, the drivers and their teams have been keeping themselves busy having had three days of in-season testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in April.
But their attentions will now turn to getting back underway in Imola, so here is everything you need to know ahead of the weekend.
WHERE DO WE STAND?
After two rounds of racing in Sakhir and Melbourne, Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Luke Browning, aided by his Feature Race victory in Bahrain sits at the top of Drivers’ Championship with 37 points.
He is joined by Trident’s Leonardo Fornaroli who achieved two podium finishes so far this year, including last time out in Melbourne where he placed second in the Feature Race.
PREMA Racing’s trio Gabriele Minì, Dino Beganovic and Arvid Lindblad round out the top five. All three took home trophies from Melbourne although Beganovic took the Feature Race victory.
MP Motorsport rookie Tim Tramnitz is in sixth place helped by his P3 finish in the Sakhir Feature Race. He is followed by ART Grand Prix pair Christian Mansell and Laurens van Hoepen, the latter having ended up on the podium in both Sprint Races this year.
Campos Racing’s Mari Boya set the fastest time of the in-season test in Barcelona and will be hoping to continue that form in Imola as he looks to climb up from ninth in the Standings.
In the Teams’ Championship, PREMA sit at the top with 83 points, while Trident trail them by 23 points in second. Hitech sit third with Martinius Stenshorne having taken the Melbourne Sprint Race win.
ART Grand Prix are fourth on 45 points – two points behind Hitech – while Campos round out the top five. Van Amersfoort Racing and Rodin Motorsport currently sit ninth and 10th and are the only teams yet to score a point this season.
FROM THE GRID – Leonardo Fornaroli, Trident
“It’s one of my favourite tracks and it’s also quite close to home, so I really like the circuit. You absolutely need to have a good Qualifying here because it’s a tricky circuit to overtake so the more you qualify in front the better it is for the race. You just need to put your perfect lap together without any mistakes.
“You can overtake down the main straight with the DRS zone then heading into Turn 1 and we also have Turn 7. But we only have three good opportunities to overtake, and maybe the last corner, apart from that it’s very difficult to overtake.
“We tried only one race simulation in the test last year and the degradation was quite high so I guess in the races we will have to save a lot.
“I’ve raced in Imola three times in Formula 4, one time in Regional and with Formula 3 I’ve only done the tests. So of course I want to have a good weekend, it’s one of my favourite circuits so if I have a good result, I will definitely be happy.”
TECHNICAL GUIDE
A narrow old school track, the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari will provide a big test for the drivers. To start the lap, they must navigate a high speed first sector, before the track provides a different examination for the remainder of the lap with plenty of slow speed corners.
This means that downforce levels are quite high especially with the low-speed chicane and penultimate corner, which could be an overtaking opportunity. To add to that, there are plenty of gravel traps to boot, meaning that one misstep could compromise their Qualifying laps and potentially the rest of their weekends.
TYRE TALK
For the second consecutive race weekend, the drivers will have the medium tyres at their disposable. The Imola track surface is old and smooth but tyre degradation is still a factor especially when you consider that temperatures could be high.
The last time Formula 3 raced in Imola in 2022, the Feature Race saw the drivers battle mixed conditions. While some opted to start on mediums, others chose the wet tyres, so could we see history repeat itself this weekend?
Gareth Hynes, Pirelli Formula 2 and Formula 3 Trackside Engineer
“After their first few laps of the track, the drivers might immediately have to deal with degradation on the Medium. The track is known for being very technical and has a complex combination of corners, some of which are downhill, and braking zones.
“The rear tyres could come under stress making it difficult to maintain a balance between the tyres all the way to the end of the race. The weather in Imola could affect when tyre degradation starts, if temperatures are higher than usual. This Italian round therefore requires the drivers to be very sensitive when it comes to tyre management.”
KEY STATS
There is currently a tie at the top of the Drivers’ Championship, with Hitech Pulse-Eight’s Luke Browning and Trident’s Leonardo Fornaroli leading the way on 37 points.
Fornaroli, as well as PREMA Racing’s Gabriele Minì, and Campos Racing’s Oliver Goethe are the only drivers to have scored points in all four races this season.
Only two teams have won races this year, with Arvid Lindblad and Dino Beganovic race winners for PREMA, while Browning and Martinius Stenshorne have taken top spot for Hitech.
All four of those drivers are first time race winners in Formula 3.
Trident secured a front row lockout at Imola in 2022 with Zane Maloney taking pole position ahead of Roman Stanek.
Stanek won the Feature Race after Franco Colapinto took victory in the Sprint for Van Amersfoort Racing the day prior.
Formula 3 Media
