Round 9 of the 2025 FIA F3 season saw the Championship title sealed, one round early. While one driver celebrated a career-defining weekend, others left the F3 Hungarian GP with their title hopes crushed. The Sprint Race delivered a mix of familiar faces on the podium, while the Feature Race was the championship leader’s to lose, and he delivered under pressure to claim the crown. Tyre degradation played heavily into the weekend, with the temperature in Budapest playing into the results. Dive into the full breakdown of the winners and losers from the F3 Hungarian GP below.
Winners of the F3 Hungarian GP
Rafael Câmara – Trident
Câmara claimed victory of the F3 FIA 2025 Championship, one round earlier than the season finisher in Round 10 in Monza. With a record-extending fifth pole on Friday, he converted this into a Feature Race win in challenging wet conditions. His consistency at the start of the year was a big key to his success, with it all paying off in the final moments of the Feature Race. The rookie can go into the Summer break having already secured the F3 Championship, and enjoy the final round when they come back in Monza.
Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak – Campos Racing
Inthraphuvasak delivered a crucial haul of points for Campos Racing, who remain locked in a tight battle with Trident for the Teams’ Championship. He dominated the Sprint Race from lights to flag, securing his second Sprint Race victory of the season. In the Feature Race, he added another point by finishing P10, bringing his weekend total to 11 points. With that performance, he climbs to P13 in the Drivers’ Standings.
Mari Boya – Campos Racing
Boya had a strong performance and claimed P2, only narrowly missing out on pole by just eight-thousandths of a second. In the Sprint, he made progress and climbed into the top 10, but the safety car put a halt to the charge, leaving him to finish P7 in the race. The wet Feature Race looked promising as Boya remained close to Câmara throughout, but ultimately couldn’t match the Brazilian’s pace, finishing in P2. His consistent results across the weekend earned valuable points for Campos Racing and elevated him to P2 in the Drivers’ Championship.
Losers of the F3 Hungarian GP
Nikola Tsolov – Campos Racing
Tsolov endured a difficult weekend at the F3 Hungarian GP, faltering with the Championship on the line. A disappointing Qualifying saw him down in P21, making the prospect of a strong points haul an uphill battle. He attempted a recovery in the Sprint Race, but a late safety car stalled his progress. In the wet conditions of the Feature Race, Tsolov managed to salvage P6 after a determined drive through the field. Despite the minor recovery, it was a costly weekend in the title fight, marking Tsolov as one of the weekend’s clear losers.
Ugo Ugochukwu – Prema Racing
Ugochukwu was set to have a promising weekend at the Hungaroring. After his recent run of form, the American had a successful Qualifying session, coming across the line in P7. He capitalised in the Sprint Race with excellent tyre management to finish P2, bagging more valuable points. In the Feature Race, Ugochukwu was once again making an impression, until a bold move on Xie at Turn 5 for P4 ended in disaster. The two collided, forcing both out of the race, with Xie later handed a 10-second penalty for the incident. Without the crash, Ugochukwu was well on track for another podium finish, but his charge was abruptly cut short.
James Wharton – ART Grand Prix
Wharton looked poised for a solid weekend after qualifying P10, putting him on the second row for the reverse grid Sprint Race. Despite a decent start, he slipped to P5 as Ugochukwu and Wurz made their way through. The real setback came in the Feature Race. He made the early move to swap from wet tyres to slicks, an ambitious call that didn’t pay off. Falling to the back of the pack, he eventually retired the car. It was a missed opportunity to score points in a race where he initially showed promise.
What’s next for the 2025 FIA F3 season?
The F3 grid now heads into the summer break, with the final round of the 2025 FIA Formula 3 Championship set for Monza from 5–7 September. While the Drivers’ Championship has already been sealed, the Teams’ title remains wide open. With just one round to go, there’s still everything to play for as the season finale approaches.
