The 2025 F3 Austrian GP saw some Classic Formula 3 action from start to finish. But unusually, it wasn’t all about Rafael Câmara this time around. Bulgaria’s Nikola Tsolov took the fight to the Brazilian with an almost dominant weekend that also saw impressive drives from others in the field. Here’s what you need to know.
The Chronicle Headlines
- Tsolov and Câmara led the way in the one and only Practice Session.
- Tsolov took Pole Position in Qualifying with a time of 1:20.743.
- The Bulgarian finished ahead of AIX Racing’s Brad Benavides and Trident’s Noah Stromsted.
- Australian James Wharton converted Reverse Pole into Sprint Race victory – his first of 2025.
- Nikola Tsolov went on to dominate the Feature Race in Austria.
- Stenshorne and Tramnitz stormed through the pack and onto the podium while Câmara floundered back in sixth.
- Post Race, Tsolov was Disqualified for a technical infringement, promoting Stenshorne to P1.
- Tramnitz finished second with Mari Boya in third.
Practice – Red Flag Filled Chaos
Practice for the Austrian Round of Formula 3 in 2025 got off to a quiet start. Naturally in the case of Formula 3, it didn’t stay that way for too long. Prema’s Brando Badoer brought out the first set of red flags just over ten minutes into the session. He achieved this by going out onto the gravel at T8, where he remained.
Gerard Xie brought out the red flags again with eighteen minutes left on the clock. He stopped up at the infamous T3. Benavides then found the gravel down at T4 which caused the re-emergence of the red flags just as the session had gotten going again.
Despite all of this, Tsolov was still able to put in the quickest lap of the session. Câmara was close behind in second with Stromsted completing the top three.
Qualifying – Tsolov on Top
Qualifying was a pretty standard affair – albeit with one or two twists in its tail – classic Formula 3. As the session progressed, drivers went out for multiple push laps. Many near the sharp end of the grid kept improving and jousting for position. However, there were some notable names out of place. Van Hopen, Taponen, Traminitz and Stenshorne were principal among this. All of them were in the bottom fifteen spots on the grid for both of the weekend’s races.
Perhaps most shockingly though, given his strong consistency so far this season, was Rafael Câmara. The Brazilian could only put in a lap time good enough to claim seventh place.
Out front, it was the Bulgarian of Nikola Tsolov once again. He claimed Pole Position with Benavides and Stromsted in second and third respectively. Due to the reverse nature of the Sprint Race, James Wharton found himself on Pole Position for the first race of the weekend. Alessandro Giusti would line up next to him in P2.
Sprint Race – Wharton Wins
Having come into the weekend 25th in the Championship Standings, it’s fair to say expectations weren’t high for James Wharton. Last time out in Spain, Wharton scored points for the first and only time so far this season. His P8 in the Sprint Race there put him ahead of the eleven other drivers who don’t yet have any points on the board. Wharton’s confident and sublime conversion of reverse pole into sprint race victory then was a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one.
It was Australia’s first win in Formula 3 since 2021 when Jack Doohan was claiming victories left, right and centre. The win now puts him into P19 overall, just behind McLaren’s Ugo Ugochukwu.
The Rest of the Sprint Race
Things began smoothly enough in the Sprint Race but by T4 on Lap 2, that all changed. A multi-car collision between Ho, Taponen and Sharp ended all of their races and brought out the Safety Car. A lap after racing had resumed, Benavides and del Pino collided at T3 with the former being forced to retire as a result.
Lap 12 saw Ugochukwu rear-end Badoer into T3, who subsequently drove into Wurz. While Badoer was able to continue after a pit stop, his race had been seriously compromised. A post-race penalty saw Ugochukwu punished for this and his podium finish of P3 was taken from him – and given instead to none other than Nikola Tsolov. This could prove to be crucial for the Championship later on.
The rest of the race was relatively drama-free. Wharton claimed the win with Giusti in P2 and Tsolov P3. Inthraphuvasak finished in P4 with Boya, Tramnitz, Stenshorne, Voisin, Câmara and Leon rounding out the top ten.
Feature Race – Tsolov Domination*
It was a tale of two halves for the front row of the grid for the 2025 F3 Austrian GP. Tsolov got off the line well and quietly went about building a gap to the rest of the field. On the flip side, Benavides proceeded to sink like a stone into the depths of the pack.
The Formula 3 Feature Race was a very close race throughout – but was remiss of incidents. Several drivers throughout the pack were able to rise mightily up the order as the race progressed. Stenshorne and Tramnitz were the stand out examples of this. Having come from P15 and P17 respectively, it was remarkable to see them both up on the podium in P2 and P3, behind Tsolov. Van Hopen and Xie were the other ones worthy of note. Starting in P22 and P29, they finished the Feature Race in P9 and P19.
Boya, Ugochukwu, Câmara, Wurz, Stromsted, Van Hopen and Voisin completed the top ten.
All in all, it was a nip and tuck entertaining Feature Race with plenty for fans to feast their eyes upon. While it looked close at times, Tsolov’s victory was never really in doubt.
However, post race, Tsolov was disqualified for a technical infringement. Boya moved up to third behind Tramnitz in second and Stenshorne in first. Laurens Van Hoepen was also disqualified for a technical infringement, spoiling his impressive drive through the field.
2025 F3 Austrian GP
Nikola Tsolov was just one point behind Rafael Câmara in the Championship Standings when he initially won in Austria. But his DSQ puts him back down to third, twenty-eight points behind. Despite this, his overall performance this season is still caveated by the fact that this is his third year in the series and is still being beaten overall by a rookie. Even if he manages to win the title this year, his path to Formula 1 remains tricky at best.
Tim Tramnitz is keeping an eye on the Championship in second, four points ahead of Tsolov. Stenshorne and Stromsted sit in P4 and P5.
Trident lead Campos Racing in the Team Standings as we leave Austria. MP Motorsport sit eleven points behind in third with a sizeable gap back to fourth. DAMS Lucas Oil sit at the bottom of the table.
Formula 3 returns for Round 7 of the 2025 Championship at Silverstone for the British Grand Prix Weekend from 4th-6th July.
Feature Image: Red Bull Content Pool