After earning himself a first row start in Qualifying, Martinius Stenshorne’s F3 Italian GP reverse grid Sprint Race ended with him in P3. A tough Safety Car restart and a couple of incidents that had him running wide caused him to lose out on his first lap lead. Nevertheless, a podium result for the Norwegian Hitech driver.
His second season in the FIA F3 Championship showcased plenty of improvements and developments for the McLaren-backed driver. As the final round of the F3 calendar is coming to its swift end, Stenshorne sits fifth in the standings due to his Sprint performance. With a win from the Austrian GP under his belt, the Norwegian has a total of 88 points.
Sprint Race at a glance
The F3 Italian GP Sprint saw Martinius Stenshorne steal the lead into Turn 1. While he ended up losing that P1 position, he did have to put those defence skills to use yet again. With Roman Bilinski putting pressure from behind, the Norwegian driver was left in quite a tough spot.
During the post-Sprint Press Conference, attended by Pit Debrief, Stenshorne shared some details of the race from inside the Hitech cockpit.
“Yeah, we had a good start, starting second. I think we did a good lap one. Then Tim [Tramnitz] had a bit more pace, so he got us. I was able to stay with him. But then, when I was fighting with Roman [Bilinski], I had to cut the track. I was told to let him by again, so then we kind of lost him. Then it was a race for P2.”
His on-track battle with Bilinski took up most of Stenshorne’s Italian GP Sprint Race. After multiple run-offs for the Norwegian as he tried his hardest to keep P2, Bilinski managed to get ahead. The Hitech driver admitted his defence strategy was more difficult due to the lack of DRS from the front car:
“Yeah, it’s not easy, especially if you’re the car in front without the DRS. It’s quite powerful, so you have to manage well. But unfortunately, he did, and I couldn’t get by.”
Recovering after Hungary
The Hungarian GP was one of the two total rounds this 2025 season where Martinius Stenshorne did not score any points. Coming from Hungaroring’s disappointment, his summer break restart helped the Norwegian restart. Pleased to recover as well as he did, Stenshorne confessed his hopes for another podium.
“Yeah, I think we had more potential in Hungary. But some things didn’t really go our way. So, it’s nice to come back for the final round like this and finish the season with a podium. Hopefully, another one tomorrow.”
The Autodromo Nazionale Monza is well known for the many overtaking opportunities it provides. Nicknamed the Temple of Speed, its challenges show in the heavy braking corners and high traffic. Especially with 30 cars on track, Sunday’s Feature race will surely provide great racing and a healthy dose of chaos.
Tyre management and fuel
This 2025 season saw the F3 championship include the usage of 100% sustainable fuel. All three podium finishers of today’s Sprint Race shared their thoughts on this switch. Stenshorne went on to explain Hitech’s side in the whole debacle, pointing out that the fuel usage did not come with any negatives.
“Yeah, not too much to add to the others, to be honest. But yeah, we haven’t had any issues with it. And of course, it’s something that is very important nowadays. We didn’t lose any power, or no one really had any issues with it. So, it’s just positive.”
While tyre degradation is not a main issue for the Italian GP, the drivers do have to make sure to avoid any major lockups, which are more frequent. In Stenshorne’s case, his F3 Italian GP had him rest easy in terms of tyre management, thanks to the Safety Cars.
“Yeah, we didn’t really struggle too much today. I think I managed quite well in the beginning, and I had a bit more towards the end. But then the safety cars and everything, it kind of resets everything a little bit.”
Looking forward to taking this momentum to Sunday’s Feature Race, the Hitech driver is leaving the Safety Car wishful thinking to a minimum.
“So, yeah, I think our tyre management today was quite good. And we will take that to tomorrow. Knowing that we also have a few more laps and maybe not as many safety cars.”
Closing out the season on a high
Seeing as the F3 Italian GP is the last race in the 2025 calendar, Stenshorne can rest easy after this podium result. Furthermore, the Norwegian highlighted the importance of such a result after the difficult couple of rounds leading up to Monza.
“Yeah, it’s always nice to get a good result. And especially at the end of the season. To finish on a high is really nice. It’s been a few tough rounds for us lately. So, to come back like this is quite positive.”
Managing tyres while trying to battle and defend is tough. This gets even more demanding with a DRS train behind you, as is the case at the Italian GP. In response to a question from Pit Debrief regarding the choice between balance and attacking, Stenshorne shared his biggest challenges:
“Yeah, it’s always a bit chaotic around here. On T1 lap 1, it was a bit close. So you have to always keep your eyes in the mirror. I think we managed it well overall, and looking forward to tomorrow.”
Summing up his second season in F3
Ending this F3 Italian GP post-sprint press conference with some reflection, Stenshorne looked over his 2025 season with Hitech. As he also benefited from last year’s perspective, the Norwegian was moderately happy with this season.
“Yeah, we had some good moments and also some not-so-good moments. I think overall, as a team, we’ve been a bit up and down. Sometimes very competitive and sometimes not.”
Nevertheless, he put the spotlight on Austria, his best race of 2025. While other rounds, such as Barcelona, had him face hardships and disappointment:
“Both in Qualifying and Races, like Red Bull Ring, for example, we had very good race pace. And then other races, like Barcelona, where we were quite slow, to be honest. But overall, I think we can still be quite happy with our season. It’s not exactly what we came for, but yeah, hopefully we can end it on a high tomorrow.”
