The third round of the 2025 FIA F3 Championship took place at Imola, delivering a weekend of competitive racing and varied outcomes across the Sprint and Feature Races. The Sprint Race saw MP Motorsport secure a one-two finish, with Tim Tramnitz leading teammate Bruno del Pino, while Santiago Ramos claimed victory in the Feature Race following a closely contested battle in the final laps. Incidents, penalties, and strategic moves shaped both events, with several drivers making significant progress through the field. As the championship continues to develop, the Imola round provided further insight into team and driver performance at this stage of the season.
Tramnitz claims the 2025 Imola F3 Sprint Race victory
The F3 Sprint Race at Imola delivered intense drama and fierce wheel-to-wheel battles. Starting from reverse-grid pole, Bruno Del Pino led confidently into Turn 1, resisting early pressure from his MP Motorsport teammate, Tim Tramnitz. However, chaos unfolded behind as Laurens van Hoepen ran wide and Ivan Domingues spun, prompting an early yellow flag.
As the race settled, Del Pino opened a small gap. Nevertheless, Tramnitz responded strongly, overtaking him to take the lead. Further back, Ugo Ugochukwu passed Noel León, immediately followed by Louis Sharp in a decisive move. Drama erupted at Tosa when Nicola Marinangeli retired with a missing wheel, triggering a Virtual Safety Car that soon became a full Safety Car.
At the restart, Tramnitz maintained control, while Nikola Tsolov pressured Mari Boya for third. Boya’s race soon unravelled due to power issues, and he dropped down the order before retiring. A separate incident involving Matías Zagazeta brought out another Safety Car. Meanwhile, Callum Voisin received a ten-second penalty for forcing another driver off track.
When racing resumed, Del Pino remained within striking distance of Tramnitz. Tsolov fended off Sharp, while Tuukka Taponen forced León wide, allowing Martinius Stenshorne to climb to seventh. Stenshorne then overtook Ugochukwu, who also lost a place to Taponen.
On the final lap, Del Pino closed to within 0.3 seconds of the leader. Yet, Tramnitz held firm under pressure to secure victory and lead an MP Motorsport 1–2, with Del Pino second. Tsolov completed the podium, becoming the twelfth different podium finisher of the 2025 season.
Câmara secures pole for third consecutive Feature Race
Rafael Câmara once again demonstrated his one-lap pace by taking pole for the third consecutive Feature Race of 2025. The Trident driver set the benchmark with a 1:32.206 in Qualifying at Imola. Santiago Ramos secured P2 for Van Amersfoort Racing, just over two-tenths adrift, while Câmara’s teammate, Noah Strømsted, lined up P3.
Tuukka Taponen of ART Grand Prix took fourth, ahead of Rodin Motorsport’s Louis Sharp and Roman Biliński in fifth and sixth respectively. The fourth row featured Ugo Ugochukwu and Noel León for PREMA and Campos Racing, while Nikola Tsolov and Mari Boya completed the top ten.
Behind them, the MP Motorsport trio of Tramnitz, Del Pino, and Alessandro Giusti occupied P11 to P13. AIX Racing’s Brad Benavides returned to the series in P14, replacing Nikita Bedrin. The remainder of the grid included Brando Badoer (P15), Martinius Stenshorne (P16), and Laurens van Hoepen (P17), with the final row featuring Nicola Marinangeli and Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak in P29 and P30.
Ramos snatches the lead on Lap 1
As the lights went out, Câmara made a strong launch from pole, but Ramos swept around the outside of Turn 2 to claim the lead. Taponen slotted into third, followed by Sharp, while Strømsted dropped to fifth under pressure from Biliński. Further down, Théophile Naël suffered a puncture, forcing an early pit stop and relegating him to the back of the field.
Câmara strikes back and retakes the lead
By Lap 3, Câmara and Ramos had pulled clear of Taponen. At the start of Lap 4, Câmara regained the lead with a decisive DRS move along the main straight. He immediately pushed to escape DRS range. Behind them, Strømsted began his recovery, passing Sharp for fourth. As battles continued throughout the field, Marinangeli eventually retired, ending a difficult weekend.
Despite briefly dipping a wheel into the gravel, Câmara maintained his lead. However, the pressure from Ramos remained relentless. Meanwhile, Strømsted overtook Taponen for third, as Biliński demoted Sharp to sixth.
Domingues triggers Virtual Safety Car
On Lap 12, Domingues collided with Benavides and spun into the gravel, becoming the second retirement. Although Benavides continued, he later received a ten-second penalty. A brief Virtual Safety Car period allowed marshals to clear the track before racing resumed.
Ramos prevails after late battle
As the final five laps began, Ramos intensified his attack. He closed the gap to 0.3 seconds before retaking the lead from Câmara with a clean move. A subsequent mistake from Câmara allowed Strømsted to move into second place. With DRS activated, Strømsted closed in on Ramos during the final lap, but the Mexican driver defended masterfully.
Ultimately, Ramos crossed the line to claim a hard-fought victory, with Strømsted in second and Câmara completing the podium. Taponen and Boya rounded out the top five after strong drives.
