Brad Benavides set the pace on Day 1 of post-season testing at Imola for the 2025 FIA Formula 3 Championship. Driving for AIX Racing, the American produced a rapid 1:33.022 in the dry afternoon session to lead the field, narrowly ahead of Rodin Motorsport’s Pedro Clerot. However, earlier in the day, it was Campos Racing’s Ugo Ugochukwu who dominated the wet morning session, topping the timesheets with a 1:47.411 as tricky conditions challenged the field.
Morning session: Ugochukwu quickest amidst heavy rain
As testing commenced in the morning, heavy rain and a damp track welcomed the 30-car field. Initially, teams limited running to reconnaissance laps, evaluating grip levels and tyre behaviour. However, as the final hour began, the intensity ramped up, and competitive times began to emerge.
Campos Racing teammates Ugochukwu and Théophile Nael traded fastest laps early on, with Nael briefly topping the table on a 1:49.629. Nevertheless, Louis Sharp of Prema Racing soon inserted himself between the pair, showing early pace.
Ugochukwu then returned to the top, improving to a 1:49.240. Moments later, James Wharton of Prema posted a 1:49.365 to go second, just 0.125s behind. Wharton soon eclipsed the benchmark with a 1:47.851, but his time was swiftly bettered by MP Motorsport’s Mattia Colnaghi and then by his teammate Tuukka Taponen, who clocked a 1:47.499.
However, Ugochukwu responded immediately, reclaiming P1 with a 1:47.411 and staying there until the chequered flag. Despite a pair of red flag interruptions—first for Hiyu Yamakoshi at Turn 13, then for Alessandro Giusti at Turn 6—no driver could topple Ugochukwu in the closing stages.
The Campos driver led a strong top ten, which featured three MP Motorsport entries and a trio from Trident.
Morning Session Standings
- Ugo Ugochukwu – Campos Racing – 1:47.411
- Tuukka Taponen – MP Motorsport – 1:47.499
- Alessandro Giusti – MP Motorsport – 1:47.618
- James Wharton – Prema Racing – 1:47.851
- Théophile Nael – Campos Racing – 1:47.856
- Mattia Colnaghi – MP Motorsport – 1:47.897
- Noah Stromsted – Trident – 1:47.943
- Matteo De Palo – Trident – 1:48.044
- Freddie Slater – Trident – 1:48.151
- Ernesto Rivera – Campos Racing – 1:48.253
- Bruno Del Pino – Van Amersfoort Racing – 1:48.348
- Jin Nakamura – Hitech TGR – 1:48.418
- Louis Sharp – Prema Racing – 1:48.448
- Fionn Mclaughlin – Hitech TGR – 1:48.974
- Pedro Clerot – Rodin Motorsport – 1:48.998
- Taito Kato – ART Grand Prix – 1:49.022
- Brando Badoer – Rodin Motorsport – 1:49.068
- Kanato Le – ART Grand Prix – 1:49.099
- Maciej Gladysz – ART Grand Prix – 1:49.118
- Michael Shin – Hitech TGR – 1:49.186
- Brad Benavides – AIX Racing – 1:49.218
- Yevan David – AIX Racing – 1:49.301
- Hiyu Yamakoshi – Van Amersfoort Racing – 1:49.431
- Nicola Lacorte – DAMS Lucas Oil – 1:49.697
- Christian Ho – Rodin Motorsport – 1:49.811
- Jesse Carrasquedo – Van Amersfoort Racing – 1:49.994
- Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi – DAMS Lucas Oil – 1:50.023
- Enzo Deligny – Prema Racing – 1:50.123
- Gerrard Xie – DAMS Lucas Oil – 1:51.223
- Fernando Barrichello – AIX Racing – 1:51.553
Afternoon session: Benavides dominates afternoon running in the dry
Following lunch, the rain eased, and conditions improved throughout the afternoon. Despite the damp surface early on, drivers steadily found pace on the wet tyres. Nael initially went fastest with a 1:46.090, though Ugochukwu again emerged strong, lowering the time to a 1:44.938.
As the track dried further, times began to tumble. Bruno Del Pino, Noah Stromsted, and Wharton all briefly led before Ugochukwu regained control. However, ART Grand Prix’s Taito Kato became the first driver to dip below 1:40, posting a 1:39.896.
Once slick Medium tyres came into play, lap times dramatically improved. Fionn Mclaughlin set the early standard with a 1:35.902, though the top spot continued to change hands—first with Jesse Carrasquedo, then Clerot, then Taponen.
Ultimately, Benavides delivered a blistering 1:33.022, a time that no one could beat. Clerot came closest, just 0.088s adrift, while Colnaghi and Giusti also impressed in P3 and P4 respectively.
A second red flag, this time for Louis Sharp, interrupted running once more. Although Ugochukwu was on a flying lap and had just set the fastest first sector, the session ended prematurely due to another stoppage caused by Del Pino at Turn 3.
Afternoon Session Standings
- Brad Benavides – AIX Racing – 1:33.022
- Pedro Clerot – Rodin Motorsport – 1:33.110
- Mattia Colnaghi – MP Motorsport – 1:33.128
- Alessandro Giusti – MP Motorsport – 1:33.382
- Freddie Slater – Trident – 1:33.400
- James Wharton – Prema – 1:33.448
- Tuukka Taponen – MP Motorsport – 1:33.522
- Christian Ho – Rodin Motorsport – 1:33.658
- Louis Sharp – Prema – 1:33.720
- Hiyu Yamakoshi – Van Amersfoort Racing – 1:33.747
- Kanato Le – ART Grand Prix – 1:33.817
- Brando Badoer – Rodin Motorsport – 1:33.870
- Bruno Del Pino – Van Amersfoort Racing – 1:33.894
- Ugo Ugochukwu – Campos Racing – 1:33.939
- Gerrard Xie – DAMS Lucas Oil – 1:34.054
- Théophile Nael – Campos Racing – 1:34.126
- Jin Nakamura – Hitech TGR – 1:34.164
- Taito Kato – ART Grand Prix – 1:34.180
- Maciej Gladysz – ART Grand Prix – 1:34.236
- Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi – DAMS Lucas Oil – 1:34.258
- Jesse Carrasquedo – Van Amersfoort Racing – 1:34.307
- Ernesto Rivera – Campos Racing – 1:34.308
- Noah Stromsted – Trident – 1:34.351
- Enzo Deligny – Prema – 1:34.448
- Matteo De Palo – Trident – 1:34.449
- Fionn Mclaughlin – Hitech TGR – 1:34.802
- Michael Shin – Hitech TGR – 1:35.039
- Yevan David – AIX Racing – 1:35.106
- Nicola Lacorte – DAMS Lucas Oil – 1:35.914
- Fernando Barrichello – AIX Racing – 1:36.108
Looking ahead
As the test heads into its final day tomorrow, teams will look to consolidate their findings and finalise line-ups ahead of the 2025 campaign. With mixed conditions and an evolving track surface, Day 2 promises even more opportunities for young drivers to showcase their potential.
The green flag is scheduled to wave at 09:00 local time.
