Campos Racing’s Mari Boya has turned a corner at the halfway point of his third FIA Formula 3 campaign, with improved F3 Qualifying performances helping to lift his form after a challenging start to 2025.
The Campos Racing driver collected just four points from the opening two rounds—having qualified 23rd in Melbourne and 20th in Sakhir—before adding 32 more across the next three events. This run included a third-place finish in the Monte Carlo Feature Race, where he secured a career-best P3 in Qualifying.
Breakthroughs in Qualifying
For Boya, Saturday’s one-lap shootouts have long been a weakness. The Spaniard admitted that Qualifying was what he had been “struggling with the most” across his time in F3. Indeed, Monaco marked only the sixth time in the last season and a half that he qualified inside the top 12.
Some of his early struggles, like in Bahrain, he admitted, were self-inflicted. Yet he also acknowledged that other poor results came down to circumstances outside his control. Despite this, Boya has taken full responsibility for the performance swings.
While speaking to the media in the Imola paddock in May, Boya said, “I do not really believe in bad luck. I always prefer to see where I can improve, so that I do not repeat something that went wrong. I focus on the things I can change, and that is what I spend time on.”
He added, “I think that’s the approach I am going with.”
Confidence and support at Campos
A major factor in Boya’s improved form in the 2025 F3 championship is the strong relationship he enjoys with Campos Racing. Now in his second year with the Spanish outfit, the 21-year-old feels fully embedded in the team and praised its atmosphere and progress over the winter.
“What I will tell you is the team are doing an amazing job, they are super confident, which gives me a lot of confidence, and this is helping me deliver,” Boya said. “At the moment, we are just missing starting the races a bit more at the front. I am not even asking for a Pole Position, I am just asking for a top six. It is a good place to start both races.”
Despite the tricky start to the 2025 F3 season, Campos Racing’s Boya believes that he has the pace to compete for wins, though he believes that his Qualifying performance is a major determinant in the outcome of his race weekend.
“I know that the pace is there, so it’s just the results, and focusing on quali, that’s the main objective for me. I am not scared of fighting in the top three and for the win. If the pace is there in the races, then it’s easy, you have many laps to show the pace you have. In Quali, it’s a bit different, and that’s what I am struggling with the most, because of many things, but it is what it is.”
Backing of Campos Jr. and more control vital for Boya’s season
Campos Team Principal Adrián Campos Jr. remains one of Boya’s biggest supporters, even through the tough periods. That backing, Boya explained, has made a real difference—especially as he asked the team to help refine specific areas of the car over the winter break.
“Last year was strong,” he said. “But this year, I asked them to work on places on the car where I felt I had not had the control. Maybe you never have 100% control of things, but I wanted just a bit more control, and I can already see it.”
Boya described pre-season testing in Bahrain as one of the most productive of his career. That made his disappointing Qualifying in the race weekend itself all the more frustrating.
“Testing in Bahrain was one of the most productive tests I have had in my whole life, so I was confident going to there for the race weekend. That is why Qualifying badly there hurt a bit more, because we got many conclusions on aspects that I had wanted to improve.”
A return to F3, not the initial plan
Boya returned for a third season in F3 despite initially planning to graduate to Formula 2. He admitted that staying in the category was not his preferred outcome, but a lack of support and structure at the time made the step up unviable.
“Initially it was not my idea or plan to return,” he explained. “Last year, at the beginning of the season I was feeling as strong as I am now, but now I know I am stronger than last year. “The plan was to go up. I felt I was one of the strongest drivers in F3, on potential, but the results did not show that. I think I want to jump to F2 with my back a bit more covered, with maybe a bit more support, a structure in F1, if it is possible.”
He continued, “I am waiting to find this, but results will help. There are many people in F1 watching, and it is not all about the results. It is the main thing, but they are looking at many things.”
Mental coaching and personal growth
To strengthen his performances under pressure, Boya recently began working with a mental coach. Although she does not travel to races, she remains in close contact to guide his mental preparation and decision-making across a race weekend.
“She is never with me on track but I am constantly writing and telling her how everything is going,” he explained. “She is giving me advice about how to react in different situations, especially in F3 after Friday, the weekend more or less can be over, as you only have three laps to qualify.”
“Those three laps must be clean, but they must also be fast as well. But clean and fast together is sometimes hard to do. There is big pressure and you are not alone on track. Maybe the car is not as you would love it to be, but you still have to be on point on Friday. It’s sometimes a bit hard, but she is giving me good advice. Not only how to work on a weekend, but also how to work when I go to the simulator.”
The techniques have proven useful beyond the cockpit. Boya applies the same principles while playing padel—one of his favourite off-track activities—helping him build mental resilience in a lower-pressure setting.
“Also, the techniques I use, I use them when I go to a padel tournament, which I also like a lot outside of racing, and it’s helping me. I can more or less train what she is telling me to do on something that is not that important, so then when I come to race, it is something that is familiar to me,” he said.
Eyes on the final stretch
With five rounds remaining, Campos Racing’s Boya sits 12th in the 2025 F3 Drivers’ Standings. While the likes of rookie Rafael Câmara and the TRIDENT team have drawn plenty of praise for their form so far, Boya remains confident there is time to climb the order.
“For sure, Câmara has done a good job,” he said. “He is a rookie, and TRIDENT for sure have done a good job. Normally, in this category they are really strong, but Câmara is also doing a great job in there.”
Looking ahead, Boya’s goal is consistency—something he believes will ultimately decide the title.
“The Championship is long, and I will tell you, the guy that will win more is not the guy that has more luck – it is the one who is most consistent. The objective is to improve on what we have done until now, and then improve, improve, improve.”
