Théophile Naël has made a strong start to his debut campaign with Van Amersfoort Racing for the 2025 FIA F3 season. He began his single-seater career in 2022 in Spanish F4 and went on to win the championship in 2023 during his first full season. Naël then stepped up to the Formula Regional European Championship (FRECA) in 2024, finishing the year 9th overall before joining VAR for his first season in F3.
Naël currently sits in P8, after bringing in some strong points for his maiden season. At the halfway point, we reflect on his achievements so far in the 2025 F3 Championship.
First Podium in F3 for Naël in the Feature Race in Melbourne
Naël had a strong start to the season in Round 1 in Melbourne. He put in an incredible lap in Qualifying to come across the line in P3, where he eventually started the wet Feature Race from. With the race riddled with rain and safety cars, Naël held onto P3, claiming his first F3 podium and securing 19 points in total from the 2025 Melbourne weekend.
Round 2 struggles in Bahrain
After scoring valuable points in Melbourne, Naël struggled to find his rhythm in the heat of Bahrain, managing only P22 in Qualifying. A technical issue forced him to retire from the Sprint Race, cutting his chances short. He recovered well in the Feature Race, climbing several positions to finish P15. However, his poor qualifying position ultimately kept him out of the points.
Tough times at the start of the triple header in Imola
Naël showed some improvement in Qualifying in Imola, but could only manage P21, putting him on the back foot for both the Sprint and Feature Races. He crossed the line in P20 in the Sprint and endured a tough Feature Race, finishing down in P26. Despite the challenges at Imola, Naël ended the weekend 10th in the championship standings with 19 points to his name in the 2025 F3 season.
Challenging times on the streets of Monte Carlo in Round 4
With Monaco’s unique split-group qualifying format, Naël was placed in Group A, where he set a best time of 1:26.004, only good enough for P12 in his group. Once both groups were combined, he was classified P23 overall. Despite the setback, he showed solid race craft in the Sprint Race, avoiding trouble and finishing P16. However, his Feature Race ended prematurely after a close on-track battle resulted in him clipping the wall. Naël was unable to contribute any points to his tally in the 2025 F3 Monaco weekend.
Naël finds success in Spain for Round 5
Overall, Van Amersfoort Racing rounded out the triple header strongly in Spain, coming away with three podium finishes across their F3 drivers. Naël found good rhythm in Qualifying, securing P4. After a fierce opening lap in the Sprint Race, he moved up to P7 after starting in P8 due to the reverse grid format. Making some bold overtakes, he crossed the line in P5, adding much needed points to his tally.
Naël had a strong start in the Feature Race, quickly moving from P4 to P3, and following closely behind the race leader. Later in the race, after the Safety Car restart, he made a move on Van Hoepen to claim P2 in the Feature Race, securing a second podium in his debut season. Naël doubled his points in Spain, coming away with 24 points after a successful weekend, and moving him up to P8 in the 2025 F3 Drivers’ Championship.
Encouraging results for Naël heading into the second half of the 2025 FIA F3 season
Although Naël has only scored points in two race weekends so far, he has positioned himself well for a strong second half of the 2025 FIA Formula 3 season. With 43 points to his name, he sits in P8, only 11 points behind Stromsted in P4. His two podium finishes, paired with impressive race craft, have laid a solid foundation for consistent points finishes in the rounds to come.
