Campos Racing emerged as the standout force at the 2025 F3 British Grand Prix, where rough weather, fierce on-track battles and post-race penalties saw standout performances and dramatic baron weekend performances for some frontrunners. Nikola Tsolov dominated the early running with pole position, Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak made history as Thailand’s first F3 race winner in the Sprint, and Mari Boya mastered wet conditions to take his maiden Feature Race win, all while a flurry of collisions, strategy gambles and steward decisions tightened the Championship fight heading into Spa. Read our report now to find out more.
The Chronicle Headlines
- Nikola Tsolov dominated early at the 2025 F3 British Grand Prix, taking P1 in Free Practice and also pole in Quali with back-to-back fastest laps.
- Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak made history as Thailand’s first-ever FIA F3 winner in the Sprint.
- Mari Boya clinched his maiden Feature Race win in a chaotic wet race, which officials red-flagged due to worsening conditions.
- Title rivals Câmara and Tsolov lost out in the Feature after to slick tyre gamble failed to pay off.
- Post-race penalties saw Théophile Nael drop places for track limits and Brando Badoer penalised for collision with Tsolov in the Sprint.
- Campos Racing take the Teams’ Championship lead by three points as title battle heats up.
Free Practice: Tsolov Sets the Benchmark
Campos Racing’s Nikola Tsolov kicked off the 2025 F3 British Grand Prix in strong form, continuing his season-long momentum as he comfortably topped Free Practice with a swift 1:45.847. The Bulgarian posted the only time inside the 1:45s all session.
Early on, Nicola Lacorte set the initial benchmark, but as the tyre prep laps played out and teams began to gather data. Campos, looking strong on all fronts, quickly rose to the top, with teammates Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak and Mari Boya trading places up front. Tsolov restored the Campos 1-2 late on before going fastest outright with a late flyer.
Behind him, TRIDENT’s Charlie Wurz finished in P2, 0.289s off Tsolov, while Tim Tramnitz kept MP Motorsport in the mix with the third-best time. Rafael Câmara and Martinius Stenshorne were also pacey, but lost laps to track limits.
Elsewhere, Rafael Câmara, fighting to protect his championship lead, lost a flyifng lap to track limits, while a few drivers, including MP Motorsport’s Tim Tramnitz, ran wide through Copse and Stowe, but everyone kept their cars out of trouble ahead of Qualifying.
Qualifying: Tsolov Snatches Pole
Nikola Tsolov converted his speedy practice pace into pole position with a late lap in Friday’s qualifying session, securing back-to-back poles for Campos Racing.
In a session that swung back and forth, rookie Rafael Câmara looked set to grab pole after posting an impressive 1:45.176 to lead late on in the session, but Tsolov fired back to edge ahead by just 0.023s. PREMA’s Ugo Ugochukwu split the pair to snatch second, while Câmara had to settle for third after a scrappy final sector on his last run.
Behind them, Mari Boya slotted into fourth, keeping Campos firmly in the mix at the sharp end. Tim Tramnitz and Charlie Wurz completed the top six, while Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak qualified 12th — setting him up to start on reverse grid pole for the Sprint Race.
Track limits wreaked havoc once again; Câmara showed visible frustration after he made a mistake in his final middle sector, losing any chance to respond to Tsolov’s late push.
Sprint Race: Inthraphuvasak Makes Thai Motorsport History
Saturday’s Sprint was riddled with drama and yet more history-making in an already remarkable F3 season. Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak, having started from reverse grid pole with a 12th place Quali result, held his own in tricky early laps to become the first Thai driver ever to win an FIA Formula 3 race.
His start was clean – but the same can’t be said for those behind; as the pack bunched up through Turns 3 and 4, PREMA’s Brando Badoer lunged down the inside of Nikola Tsolov. The bold effort of the Italian ended in disaster; Badoer tapped Tsolov’s rear wheel, spinning the Campos and sending Badoer himself into the Luffield gravel trap. Tsolov dropped to the back of the field and Badoer was left beached – marking the only retirement of the race and deploying the Safety Car.
On the restart, Inthraphuvasak fended off an attack from Nael, who briefly snatched the lead after a dive down the inside at Turn 4. However, Nael’s advance forced him wide and off-track. The Frenchman kept the place for four more laps before eventually losing it again – but the stewards later ruled that Nael did not give the place back in ample time, dealing him a penalty. The Van Amersfoort Racing driver struggled in the later stages of the session, slumping down to P12 by the chequered flag.
Inthraphuvasak Secures the Win
An unphased Inthraphuvasak pulled clear once he had recovered in front, controlling the race until the chequered flag despite Martinius Stenshorne’s charge from sixth to second for Hitech. Mari Boya rounded out an impressive day of racing for Campos, fighting his way onto the podium with a late pass.
Post-race, Nael’s penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage dropped him from 12th to 19th in the classification. Meanwhile, the Stewards deemed Badoer fully at fault for the Lap 1 incident with Tsolov and handed him a three-place grid drop for the next race.
Feature Race: Boya Wins Torrential Rain
Sunday’s Feature Race was a dramatic test of tyre strategy and nerve, as rain swept across Silverstone moments before lights out. Some gambled on slicks, including Tsolov, Câmara and Ugochukwu, while others, including Mari Boya, went with Wet tyres.
As conditions worsened, the Wet runners stormed ahead at lights out. Boya quickly moved into the lead and never looked back, stretching a comfortable gap as those on slicks scrambled for any grip before bailing for Wets too late to recover.
A Safety Car for Louis Sharp’s off-rack excursion at the final corner on Lap 10 and worsening rain brought out the Red Flag on Lap 14. The race didn’t resume, and Boya’s commanding drive gave him his first FIA F3 Feature Race win, wrapping up a solid weekend for Campos Racing.
Van Amersfoort Racing’s Théophile Nael crossed the line second, with PREMA’s Noel León stepping onto the third step of the podium. Roman Bilinski, Christian Ho, and James Wharton rounded out the top six, while the slick gamble left Tsolov and Câmara out of the points fight this time.
Post-Race Penalties
After the race at the 2025 F3 British Grand Prix, several drivers received time penalties that reshuffled the final results. Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak was handed a ten-second penalty for an abnormal set-up procedure on the formation lap, dropping him from 10th to 13th. Noah Stromsted was dealt a ten-second penalty for an unsafe pit release that caused a collision with Tim Tramnitz, moving him from P26 to P28 while Nicola Lacorte was given a 30-second penalty for a starting infringement after passing two cars on the formation lap and failing to re-establish position. The penalty demoted him from 11th to 15th, while Gerrard Xie was given a 30-second penalty after a Hitech TGR mechanic left a bag of dry ice on the grid after the 15-second signal, breaching the Sporting Regulations and dropping him from 23rd to 25th.
Championship Picture: Title Battle Tightens
Rafael Câmara retains his Drivers’ Championship lead on 120 points but now faces closer competition, with Tim Tramnitz (93) and Nikola Tsolov (91) leading the chase. Mari Boya’s big haul moves him up to fourth on 85 points, with Martinius Stenshorne rounding out the top five on 76.
Campos Racing’s mega weekend puts them on top of the Teams’ Standings with 210 points, narrowly ahead of TRIDENT on 207, with MP Motorsport (160), Van Amersfoort Racing (124) and ART Grand Prix (118) trailing behind.
What’s Next?
The next stop for the FIA Formula 3 grid is the iconic Spa-Francorchamps, with Round 8 taking place from the 25th to 27th of July. After a Silverstone weekend that delivered ample amounts of drama, history and crucial points, the Championship fight is wide open.
FEATURED IMAGE: PREMA Racing
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