2025 F3 Belgian Grand Prix weekend was dramatic and disjointed. The unpredictable weather at Spa-Francorchamps saw the grid at a standstill, but also made way for maiden victories in the Belgian hills. Mari Boya set the early pace, Brad Benavides secured with a maiden pole for AIX Racing, and Noah Stromsted clinched his first ever F3 race win in the Sprint. The Championship battle is tightening, and this weekend could prove to be make-or-break for some.
The Chronicle Headlines
- Weather proved to be the grid’s greatest enemy this weekend. The Practice session was delayed and Feature race postponed due to undriveable conditions.
- Brad Benavides claimed his maiden Pole position in F3 – along with AIX’s maiden P1 classification in the series also.
- More firsts this weekend – Noah Stromsted reached the chequered flag in P1 in the Sprint, claiming his maiden F3 victory.
- McLaren junior Ugo Uguchukwu stood on the podium in P2, earning his first F3 podium after a storming race.
- Points were not awarded in the Feature race after it never got off the ground in the rain. Opportunities are becoming even more valuable with only two weekends left to go in the F3 calendar.
Free Practice: Boya Kicks off the Weekend
The F3 weekend at the 2025 Grand Prix was off to a sluggish start, as foggy conditions around the Circuit de Spa Francorchamps delayed the session start. The medical helicopter was unable fly in the adverse weather. Running, then, was a no go – race control must have a helicopter ready to operate. 45 minutes later, drivers were jumping out of their cars after having never left the pits – race control postponed the session.
Later that day in the slot initially reserved for Qualifying, Mari Boya made the most of a rescheduled and shortened free practice session. The Spaniard finished on top with a time of 2:06.111. The Campos Racing driver wasted no time, setting the pace on his first flying lap in what became a shortened 30-minute session.
Boya’s teammate Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak briefly held P2, for a Campos 1-2 in the opening minutes of the session, but McLaren Junior Ugo Ugochukwu was quick to displace him in the beginnings of a strong weekend. However, it was the second McLaren junior of Martinius Stenshorne who came closest to challenging Boya, ending up just 0.121 seconds off Boya’s lap.
Bruno del Pino brought MP Motorsport into the mix with a lap that slotted him into P3. A lull in the midst of the session saw most drivers returning to the pits. In the final ten minutes, a flurry of action and improved lap times – but even so, nobody could topple Boya from the top spot.
Stenshorne and del Pino completed the top three, followed by Ugochukwu and Inthraphuvasak. Théophile Nael showed early signs of good form for the weekend in sixth for Van Amersfoort Racing, ahead of Brad Benavides, Nikola Tsolov, Roman Bilinski and Noah Stromsted, who rounded out the top ten.
Qualifying: AIX Secure a Maiden Pole in Spa
In a session full of twists and turns – much like the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps itself, Brad Benavides produced a standout performance to claim both his and AIX Racing’s first-ever pole position in Formula 3. The American’s final lap of 2:04.253 came at exactly the right moment – just as track conditions improved in the final minutes.
Championship leader Rafael Câmara looked set for another impressive weekend in his rookie season. The Brazilian went quickest on his first run with a 2:05.557. Ugochukwu slotted into second, and Boya initially appeared in the top five. However, the Campos driver’s lap time was deleted for exceeding track limits at Pouhon.
The second half of the session saw drivers switch to fresh tyres, and with the track evolving rapidly, lap times began to tumble. Théophile Nael briefly moved to Pole, with team-mate Santiago Ramos also making strong gains. However Benavides, who was one of the first to begin his final flying lap, posted a 2:04.253 which would prove unbeatable.
Câmara improved on his second flying lap, but fell short by just over a tenth of a second. Callum Voisin secured third for Rodin Motorsport, ahead of his teammate Roman Bilinski in fourth and Stenshorne in fifth.
Ugochukwu finished in P6. Nikola Tsolov and Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak followed him. Charlie Wurz and Bruno del Pino completed the top ten. With the reverse grid in effect for the Sprint race, Freddie Slater, who qualified twelfth, started from Pole on Saturday.
Sprint Race: Stromsted Seals Maiden Victory
Noah Stromsted drove to his first victory in Formula 3 in the Sprint race. The Dane led the majority of laps around the Circuit de Spa Francorchamps from the second row. The TRIDENT driver made an early move on pole-sitter Freddie Slater and never looked under threat after.
Slater had a strong start and defended his lead well through the opening corners. However, Stromsted stayed close to his gearbox and used DRS on the Kemmel Straight to take the lead on lap three. From there, the Dane pulled away. He eventually reached the chequered flag with a comfortable six-second buffer.
Behind, Ugo Ugochukwu continued his strong weekend form, moving up through the field. He stormed past Inthraphuvasak and del Pino early on, and then swept around the outside of Charlie Wurz at Les Combes to take P3. He later passed Slater on lap seven to move into second and secure his maiden podium in F3.
Wurz later reclaimed third by overtaking Slater himself, giving TRIDENT a double podium. Further down the order, Nikola Tsolov, Câmara and Stenshorne all found themselves in a lively midfield showdown.
Boya looked to be climbing into points contention, but his hopes were dashed. The Campos was hit with a five-second penalty for repeated track limits violations. The Campos driver dropped from the top ten to fifteenth after the flag. The final points went to Del Pino in eighth, Brando Badoer in ninth, and Slater in tenth.
Feature Race: A No-Points Race
On Sunday morning, the rain was torrential around the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. The session’s formation lap initially got underway – but the session was quick to be red-flagged. James Hedley was off at Eau Rouge on the formation lap. Further down the track, Brando Badoer was straight into the back of Tim Tramnitz. The Italian was unable to see Tramnitz in the sheer amount of spray being thrown up on track, and drove straight into the gearbox of the German. The conditions were undriveable.
The drivers remained in the pits under red flag conditions until 35 minutes after the session was due to begin. The grid once again headed out on track for a formation lap, but it wasn’t long before there was yet another off-track excursion. Silverstone Sprint race winner Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak was caught out by braking in front, skidding off and narrowly avoiding barriers. However the Thai driver didn’t have luck on his side – he was beeched on the kerb. The Safety Car was initially deployed, before the session was yet again red-flagged. The clock began to tick down to 15 minutes left of running – but the damage was done. The session was not resumed, and no points were awarded.
Looking Ahead
The cancelled Feature race means it was Noah Stromsted who garnered the most points this weekend. Câmara remains at the top of the standings 28 points ahead of Tsolov. Tramnitz sits a further five points behind with only two weekends left this season.
The series now heads to Budapest next weekend (1st-3rd August) for the penultimate round. Will Câmara extend his advantage in a remarkable rookie season, or will he be pipped to the post by the pack behind?
Featured image credit: Formula Motorsport Ltd