Campos Racing’s Mari Boya took his first podium of the season, and the third of his F3 career in the 2025 Monaco GP Feature Race. After starting P3, the Spanish driver overcame a chaotic race, which saw eight drivers fail to complete the race, to claim P3, joining teammate Nikola Tsolov on the podium.
Boya “quite happy” for podium finish after difficult start to the season
While speaking to the media, including Pit Debrief, after his podium finish, Boya stated that he was happy to have achieved the result, especially after his less-than-ideal start to the 2025 season.
“I’m quite happy to be honest. We didn’t have the start of the championship as I hoped or maybe even deserved but it is what it is. We are changing a bit the dynamic of how we work and I think we are starting to get the results so I’m very happy with it.”
Boya denied fastest lap by teammate Tsolov
Boya’s excellent result was one that was hard-earned, with the Spaniard fighting off Rodin Motorsport’s Callum Voisin while keeping himself in the battle for P2 against Voisin’s Rodin teammate, Roman Bilinski.
Reflecting on his race, Boya acknowledged his competitiveness, especially at the start, but admitted that he had not had enough pace to get past Bilinski, especially with Polish driver executing a near-flawless race of his own. Having identified early on that he was not likely to overtake the Rodin Motorsport driver, Boya stated that he had aimed to set the fastest lap. While he did this initially, it was eventually taken away by teammate and race winner Tsolov at the end of the race.
“The race was all about the start, I would say,” Boya said. “I tried to put some pressure at the beginning to Roman which I felt was faster than him at that point. I saw he was not making any mistakes so I decided to go for fastest lap which I did quite early on in the race and in the last lap I had it, but Nikola made a good last lap.”
“And then, yeah, I saw Roman maybe seven laps until the end before the Safety Car came. He struggled with the tyres so I [knew that] if I had a chance, it was that moment so I tried to push. I was following him quite easily. He didn’t make mistakes and then I had to defend a bit. I used a bit too much [of] the front tyres and then I didn’t have that pace but okay.”
A “quite clean” Feature Race in Monaco
Later, in response to a question from Pit Debrief, asking about his reaction to the disruption during the 2025 Monaco F3 Feature Race, Boya emphasised that he had focused on his start, knowing that he would not be able to predict the race, and especially the effect of tyre degradation (deg).
“I just focused on the start. I think it was the only thing I could do and maybe trying to wait until the last part of the race once I saw I was P3 to see if the deg was playing a game in this race. But clearly it wasn’t because when I saw that the deg was appearing, [then] came the first Safety Car so then it was hard to make the difference.”
Despite the many incidents, including the two Safety Cars, Boya added, “So yeah, I think it was quite a clean race until the last maybe seven laps.”
Boya “really comfortable” as he continues to chase points in 2025
Though it was his first podium finish, the Monaco F3 Feature Race was the fourth time that Boya claimed points in 2025. After a slow start to the season, this marks a turnaround in the Spanish driver’s fortunes, and a much need one given that this is his third season in the FIA F3 Championship. While Boya acknowledged his disappointing start to the season, he stated that things seemed to be improving. He emphasised his comfort in and confidence in his car, and stated his aim to remain consistent in the upcoming races.
“I’m quite happy, as I said. This first part of the championship happened [with] many things that were outside, completely out of my control. But, things are starting to look much better, especially Qualifying. At the moment, it’s looking much better than what it was and it [is] making much easier all my weekends. I just try to follow this dynamic. I feel really comfortable and the car is working really nice, so [I] just enjoy the moment and there’s still plenty of races of get more points.”
Strong momentum vital for triple-header
Boya’s excellent performance in the 2025 Monaco F3 Feature Race also comes at the end of the second weekend of the European triple-header, and after a mixed weekend in Imola. When asked about his approach to managing the triple-header, Boya explained that it was important to start “with [a] good feeling” and to build up confidence and momentum. He highlighted his improvement from Imola to Monaco and stated that he hopes for better results in Barcelona.
“First of all, I think it’s really important when you have three races in a row to start the first one with [a] good feeling and slowly getting the confidence. We don’t have really too much time to rest and to prepare for the next round so it is important to carry on momentum and I think it’s what we did. Imola was good, it could have been much better. Monaco has been better. Let’s hope Barcelona goes in this direction.”
Campos competitive in races but struggling with performance over one lap
He spoke further about his and Campos Racing’s momentum going into the Barcelona Round, echoing Tsolov’s stance. Having identified the limitations beyond their control in the early part of the season, Boya stated that the team needed to priortise and fine-tune the things in their control. While he acknowledged the team’s apparent lack on one-lap pace, especially compared to rivals Trident, he noted their competitive race pace.
“Yes, I fully agree with Nicola. We just need to work with things that we can manage and control. And I think this first part of the championship we’ve had many issues outside our control. Australia, Qualifying in Bahrain, Imola issue in Race 1.”
“So, I think the pace is really good. Especially in the races I would say we are the most competitive ones but it is true that in one lap it seems like we are slightly losing a bit but the most important thing is the races is where you get the points and we will be competitive there so let’s keep our strong points there and try to fix maybe some that are not that strong.”
Qualifying the most important part of the F3 weekend
Fine-tuning of their one-lap pace, especially in Qualifying, will be especially important for Campos Racing’s championship fight. When asked by Pit Debrief, if there were any lessons that he planned to take into the latter half of the season, Boya emphasises the importance of a strong Qualifying session and stated that the team would need to keep working on mastering their one-lap performance in it.
“For me, it’s exactly the same as all the years in F3,” the veteran F3 driver said, “The most important part of the weekend is on Friday, that is Qualifying. Then all the weekend, it’s nearly done. You can have really good pace but it matters a lot the position you start. The people in front… yeah… the points in just the top 10, so for sure, we keep working on Qualifying.”
Having started near the front of the grid, in P3, the position in which he ultimately finished, Boya was asked if he had maximised his performance in the 2025 Monaco F3 Feature Race. Agreeing with Bilinski, the Campos driver explained that he had needed a mistake from the drivers in front of him, Tsolov and Bilinski, to be able to do more. However, he added that he had learnt “little things” about where he had been lacking and could improve
“Yeah, quite similar to [Bilinski], I would say the position was [maximised]. It was hard for me [to do] more. I just needed a mistake from the guys in front and they didn’t do it so, at that point, the position is maximised, but then, through the race, there are many, many things that you learn and you understand more the tyre where to push, where you [are] lacking and these things you just learn for the rest of the season.
Boya confident ahead of home race
Boya’s excellent performance in the 2025 Monaco F3 Feature Race comes just a week ahead of his home race in Spain. When asked about his confidence going into the weekend, Boya replied, “Every time I’m having more and more confidence. Every round, I’m getting more and more points. For sure, Nikola was a bit unlucky for us, but the confidence and the pace is super high so just waiting [to] get the results.”
