As the 2025 FIA Formula 3 season enters its crucial European leg with the triple-header kicking off at Imola, all eyes are on PREMA Racing’s Noel León. The Mexican driver is seeking to bounce back from a tough start to his sophomore campaign and reignite his championship hopes with one of the most storied teams in junior single-seaters.
León, who took four podiums and finished 10th in the standings during an impressive rookie year with Van Amersfoort Racing in 2024, made a high-profile switch to PREMA for 2025. The move was expected to catapult him into title contention. However, with just a single point to his name so far this season, the results haven’t matched expectations—yet.
What are the expectations for León and PREMA?
“Obviously, we’ve been not in a place that we want to be in terms of performance. We are not fast at the moment, but we are making steps, big improvements to me,” León admitted in a media roundtable including PitDebrief. “From Melbourne to Bahrain, we did a big step. I’m really looking forward for the European season, because we found some stuff in the car that looks to be good. We tried on the sim and it was better.”
Despite the early-season struggles, León is far from discouraged. In fact, he sounded a note of cautious optimism about PREMA’s prospects heading into Imola, a circuit where overtaking is notoriously difficult but momentum can be critical across the triple-header stretch.
“Yeah. I hope to have a great weekend from here onwards. I have a lot of confidence in that team. We’re going to be up there to fight for wins and podiums,” he said, a small slip of words that underscored his drive to be fighting at the front once more.
PREMA, typically a dominant force in F3, has endured a slower-than-usual start in 2025, with all three drivers searching for consistency and outright pace. But León insists the foundation is strong.
“To be honest, I really enjoy to work with Prema. We have such good moments working. We spent a lot of days on the simulator in the winter as well.”
León added: “We did some testing. To be honest, it’s a great team. It has a lot of history in motorsports.”
The approach to the triple header starting at the Imola GP
This weekend’s return to Europe could be the turning point León and PREMA have been working toward; Imola, while tight and technical, presents a more familiar environment for teams and drivers alike, particularly after two challenging rounds in Australia and Bahrain.
When asked by PitDebrief how he would approach recovery drives in a circuit like Imola should qualifying not go his way, León was pragmatic but hopeful: “Australia and Bahrain are places where it’s quite easy to overtake with long DRS zones. Imola can be a bit more difficult, but you still have the opportunity to overtake and move forward if you have good pace. But I’ll try to focus on having a good quali.”
Tyre management will also play a critical role at the Imola GP, and León has noticed a welcome change this season. “The tyres now has a bit less deg than last year. I don’t know if it’s because of the size or just because of the different compound. I mean, it’s the same compound but can be a different material. So for me, it’s a step forward,” he explained.
“Obviously, last year in Imola, we had so much deg. Melbourne as well. After lap six, seven, we have so much deg. So in this car this year, it’s been better. We can race better. We can manage a bit better the tyres, which at the end of the day makes everything better, no? Because we manage the tyres, and at the end, we have some overtakes. You can now do as a driver a bit more of a difference in the tyre management.”
Hopes for a good Qualifying
A good qualifying will be crucial, as León acknowledged the need to convert improved car performance into results. He also reflected honestly on his season so far, saying: “I mean, I had really difficult weekends, to be honest, in my sights. Qualifying, it’s not been good. We didn’t put all the package where it needs to be, and then we didn’t have the pace, to be honest, in the first two rounds. So for me, it’s been really difficult weekends. As I say, we are making improvements on the car and everything, and I’m really looking forward to these weekends and be on the points again, because I only scored one point from the last two rounds.“
A look to the future
Yet even in the face of frustration, León’s belief in the long game is clear. The Mexican driver knows that championships are rarely decided in the opening rounds, and with two-thirds of the season still to go, Imola could be the reset he needs.
“It’s a very important part of the season now with the triple header coming up. Important to keep scoring points and still improving. I think that [the] preparation we’ve done has been quite good. We’ve done a lot of simulator, and yeah, we’ve just been trying to improve.”
If the gains from the sim work translate on track, León and PREMA could be poised for a much-needed breakthrough in Imola. And with the confidence of a proven podium finisher and the backing of a championship-winning team, Imola might just mark the start of the comeback.
