Hailing from Spain, Bruno del Pino is here to show what he’s made of. The rookie joined Formula 4 with Drivex School, his uncle and former Formula 1 driver Pedro de la Rosa’s team, before moving to Eurocup-3 in 2023.
Being in MP Motorsport is not entirely new for del Pino. In fact, he has plenty of experience with the Dutch-based team. With his stints in Eurocup-3 and Formula Regional, he won the rookies’ title in the former category in 2023. His 3rd place finish in the 2024 Eurocup-3 season sealed the deal for his graduation to Formula 3 in 2025, where he’d be donning orange once again alongside Red Bull junior Tim Tramnitz and Williams Driver Academy junior Alessandro Giusti.
After six rounds, del Pino is currently the lowest out the three MP drivers in 18th. With 10 drivers separating him and teammate Giusti, there seems to be a need for del Pino to step up and catch up before it is all too late.
Disappointing debut in Melbourne
Del Pino’s first F3 Qualifying was tricky, as he failed to set a time within 107% of the fastest time. He was eventually given permission to start from the back of the grid for both the Sprint and Feature races. Nonetheless, his debut would end in even more disappointment as a collision with AIX Racing driver Javier Sagrera caused both of them to DNF in the Sprint.
The Feature Race was no better, with del Pino finishing outside the points in P26. This culminated in a 30th place in the Drivers’ Championship, in what was a weekend to forget.
Little bit of consolation in Bahrain
After an upsetting weekend in Melbourne, del Pino originally managed to qualify P5 overall at Sakhir. Due to a starting procedure infringement, however, he was subjected to a pit lane start. This ruined his chances of finishing at the top for the Sprint Race, and he finished the session at P19. The Feature would see del Pino taking home two points with a P9 finish, the first points of his Formula 3 career. He climbed up 11 places in the Drivers’ Championship because of this, entering the triple header in 19th place.
Taking on pole in Imola and unfortunate damages
The MP drivers qualified in succession at Imola, with Tramnitz in P11, del Pino in P12, and Giusti in P13, classifying del Pino as the Sprint Race’s pole sitter. Del Pino was not able to fend off experienced teammate Tramnitz, the latter managing to capture the lead 3 laps in. He kept the position until the end, earning a P2 finish and his maiden Formula 3 podium.
What seemed to be a weekend going well turned upside down during the Feature Race. A misjudged move from del Pino caused him to have some contact between Campos Racing’s Nikola Tsolov on Lap 11, bringing damage to del Pino’s front wing and causing him to pit. He was not able to rejoin the pack after pitting, staying at the bottom of the list in P27.
These events brought del Pino four places higher in the standings, entering the Monaco round at 15th place.
Zeroing in on Monte Carlo
Under Group A, del Pino’s pace in Monaco’s Qualifying was not enough to put him in the top 10. He finished in P13 for his group and P25 overall. This was even intensified when he received a 5-second penalty for a false start at the Sprint, and later on a 10-second penalty for leaving the track and overtaking Brando Badoer in the Prema car. This ultimately dropped him to P29.
It did not look good for del Pino in the Feature Race either as his contact with Nicola Marinangeli in the first lap of the race caused him to DNF just 2 laps in, ending his Monte Carlo weekend in a blink of an eye.
Ultimately, the Spanish rookie wrapped up Monaco roughly, falling 2 places down to 17th in the Drivers’ Championship standings.
Falling further in Barcelona
Del Pino went on to qualify P20 in Barcelona, continuing his unsatisfactory qualifying stints. The Sprint Race saw him 8 places higher though, finishing in P12 while teammate Giusti put it in P6. Exceeding the track limits four times, however, greatly affected del Pino’s Feature Race results, dropping him to P17.
It was another point-less weekend for del Pino, costing him one place in the standings. He left Spain P18 in the standings.
Game over is far from happening for the Spanish rookie
After five rounds, it is clear that del Pino will not let his first season slip away without a fight. It is evident from his podium in the Imola Feature Race that he can still qualify as a contender for a points finish. Unfortunately, penalties and constant collisions with other drivers hinder him from finishing his races.
With an extensive break before the season resumes in Spielberg, the Spanish rookie will surely take his time to reflect. As his teammates flourish in the top 10 of the Drivers’ Championship standings, he can maximise this situation and turn it into the drive to push forward and prove everybody wrong.
Perhaps the last five races will be kinder to del Pino. For now, all he can do is regroup, refocus, and anticipate his redemption at the Red Bull Ring.
