In his second FIA Formula 3 season with Hitech TGR, Martinius Stenshorne arrives in the 2025 Monaco F3 Round with momentum and growing confidence. Currently 6th in the drivers’ standings with 20 points, the Norwegian has shown marked progress compared to his rookie season, where he finished 18th overall.
Qualifying is everything around the streets of Monte Carlo
As one of the most prestigious and demanding circuits on the calendar, the Circuit de Monaco presents unique challenges, particularly in qualifying. With overtaking notoriously difficult, a strong starting position is critical – a fact not lost on Stenshorne.
“Yeah, like Ugo [Ugochukwu] said, it’s going to be important.” answered Stenshorne to a question from Pit Debrief on one lap performance.
The recipe for a successful Monaco weekend: Sim racing and experience
To prepare for the unique demands of the Monaco circuit, Stenshorne has combined simulator work with experience gained from last year’s round around the streets of Monte Carlo, aiming to make the most of every session.
“We’ve done some sim prep on Monday and obviously I have a bit of experience from last year here now. So, I feel a bit more confident going into the weekend.”
Full push for a competitive weekend
With Thursday practice and Friday qualifying set to define the trajectory of his race weekend, the McLaren junior driver emphasized an aggressive early approach:
“So yeah, we’re going to full push in practice and qualifying to have a good start to the weekend.”
Despite Formula 3’s early morning time slots, Stenshorne expressed appreciation for the fans who turn up to support the drivers.
“Yeah, it’s nice that there is a lot of fans here watching our races. Of course, I don’t think there’s that many awake that early in the morning that we have our races, but anyway, it’s really nice.
“And I think it’s just a nice energy boost that there are so many people here spectating us.”
Learning from the best
An admirer of Gabriele Minì’s performances around Monaco, Stenshorne hopes to draw inspiration from the Italian F2 driver and make use of his data with Hitech to fight for pole position on Saturday.
“Yeah, of course, Gabi. Gabriele Minì, he has been doing really well here in the past two years. Of course, he was in Hitech two years ago when he did the pole position.
“He was really quick here. So, for sure, we have really good data from him and we’re trying to do the same.”
Translating experience into results
Answering a question from Pit Debrief about his Monaco experience, Stenshorne acknowledged that more practice in Formula Regional might have helped him earlier. Nevertheless, the McLaren backed driver explained that he is feeling comfortable around this track, having raced here in 2024.
“Yeah, of course, having a bit of experience on a track like this is really nice. I was one year late in FRECA to have some experience for last year as well.
“But, anyway, I’m going into this week a bit more confident, knowing a bit more how this track is and how it works in the race weekend.
Confident, the Norwegian aims for a strong finish this weekend for Hitech TGR in the 2025 Monaco F3 Round.
“So, I’m trying to just take that experience and put it on a good result for the team.”
With strong track knowledge and lessons from his Hitech predecessors, Stenshorne heads into Monaco eager to convert preparation into points.
