Formula 3 was back this weekend, and some drivers were setting their intentions for the season with impressive drives during the 2025 Sakhir GP F3 weekend. Trident’s Rafael Câmara continued an impressive start to his debut season with another dominant victory in the Feature Race, while Nikola Tsolov equalled a record in the Sprint for most F3 Sprint wins.
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- Câmara’s Double Blow saw the TRIDENT driver top the boards in both Qualifying and the Feature Race at the 2025 Sakhir GP F3 weekend. The 19-year-old rookie has emerged victorious from both Feature Races this season, winning both Australia and Sakhir, solidifying his position as a title favourite early in the season.
- Tsolov’s Grit saw the Bulgarian driver clinch the Sprint Race win, tying him with the all-time record of Sprint Race victories. His consistency in scoring points also sees him firmly in the hunt for the Championship early-doors.
- Debutant Freddie Slater’s F3 Podium made the Brit turn heads. The youngster, who was competing with AIZ Racing this weekend, does not have a full-time seat, but an impressive start could see him back in the paddock in the future.
- Tuukka Taponen also secured a maiden F3 podium, showing early doors that there’s a a highly competitive rookie class this season.
- A remarkable comeback from Tim Tramnitz in the Feature Race proves the German has the racecraft to fight at the front — if he can nail Qualifying. The MP Motorsport driver stormed from P13 to P3 in the Feature Race.
Câmara continues momentum in Free Practice
Fresh from his Feature Race win in Melbourne, Rafael Câmara wasted no time getting up to speed under the Sakhir sun. The Brazilian topped the timesheets in Free Practice with a 1:50.984, edging out Campos Racing’s Nikola Tsolov by 0.127s.
The early stages of the session saw little action, with Van Amersfoort Racing’s Ivan Domingues the only driver on track. Then, in the final 15 minutes, the pace picked up as all 30 drivers piled out of the pits for some push laps. Tsolov was first to break the 1:51 barrier, setting a strong early benchmark, but Câmara answered back in style, claiming top spot.
ART’s rookie Tuukka Taponen slotted into third, while Santiago Ramos impressed with P4 for VAR. MP Motorsport had three cars in the top 10, with Alessandro Giusti, Tim Tramnitz, and Bruno del Pino all showing strong early pace. Charlie Wurz made it two TRIDENT cars in the top six, while PREMA’s Ugo Ugochukwu rounded out the top 10.
Câmara Holds His Nerve For Another Pole Position
Câmara once again proved he’s here to take Formula 3 by storm in a tense qualifying session, snatching pole with a late flyer of 1:49.214 — just enough to fend off Rodin Motorsport’s Callum Voisin by 0.156s. It marked Câmara’s second consecutive pole in his second race weekend of his Formula 3 career, showing he’s a forced to be reckoned with this 2025 season.
TRIDENT teammate Charlie Wurz left it late to jump into P3, completing a strong showing for the Italian team. Christian Ho placed fourth for DAMS Lucas Oil, while Bruno del Pino put MP Motorsport in P5. Taponen, Stromsted, and Tsolov filled out positions six through eight, with Freddie Slater in 10th — giving the AIX rookie reverse grid pole for the Sprint.
Sprint: Tsolov Triumphs to Equal Records
Saturday’s Sprint Race was a wheel-to-wheel thriller, with Nikola Tsolov storming from P5 on the grid to victory. The Bulgarian driver managed to overthrow Freddie Slater, who was in the third AIX for this weekend only, in a battle to claim his fourth F3 Sprint win — equalling the all-time record.
Slater impressed in his maiden outing, securing the lead early on from pole-sitter Joshua Dufek and defending hard against Tsolov for several laps. But the Campos driver’s persistence paid off, eventually snatching the lead for good.
Tuukka Taponen claimed his maiden F3 podium with a composed drive to third. Callum Voisin made strong late moves to finish fourth, while Stenshorne, Tramnitz, and Christian Ho were among the big gainers in the second half of the race. A late Safety Car, triggered by a crash involving Dufek and Domingues, bunched the field, but Tsolov held firm on the restart.
TOP 3 FINISHERS:
- Nikola TSOLOV (Campos Racing)
- Freddie SLATER (AIX Racing)
- Tuukka TAPONEN (ART Grand Prix)
Câmara Goes Two-for-Two Feature Race Victories
Rafael Câmara was back on top in Sunday’s Feature Race for the second F3 race weekend in a row, delivering a masterclass from pole position. Despite briefly losing the lead to Voisin at Turn 1, the Brazilian bided his time and retook control on Lap 5, eventually pulling out a commanding six-second gap by the flag. The youngster, who has a clean sweep of Feature Race wins in 2025, fought back from a twelfth place finish yesterday to remain at the top of the Championship table.
Voisin stayed close in the opening stages of the race but couldn’t match Câmara’s relentless pace, settling for second. Meanwhile, the drive of the day came from MP Motorsport’s Tim Tramnitz. Starting 13th, the German stormed through the field to climb ten places to third, overtaking Taponen with just a few laps to go.
Behind the leaders, the battle for the podium spots was fierce. Taponen fended off repeated attacks from Tsolov to finish fourth, while Stromsted, Giusti, and Mari Boya — storming up from 20th to 8th — all starred in the midfield melee. Wurz began to fade later on after tyre struggles, dropping out of the points from a strong starting position.
TOP 10 FINISHERS:
- Rafael CAMARA (TRIDENT)
- Callum VOISIN (Rodin Motorsport)
- Tim TRAMITZ (MP Motorsport)
- Tuukka TAPONEN (ART Grand Prix)
- Nikola TSOLOV (Campos Racing)
- Noah STROMSTED (TRIDENT)
- Alessandro GIUSTI (MP Motorsport)
- Mari BOYA (Campos Racing)
- Bruno DEL PINO (MP Motorsport)
- Christian HO (DAMS Lucas Oil)
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