As the 2025 F3 season enters a decisive phase, Campos Racing’s Mari Boya arrives at Spa-Francorchamps for the Belgian GP weekend on the back of strong recent performances. With rain expected throughout the weekend and his title ambitions still alive, the Spanish driver remains focused, composed, and ready to deliver.
Weather, strategy, and the challenges of Spa
Spa-Francorchamps is renowned for its complex layout and notorious weather patterns, making it one of the most demanding circuits on the F3 calendar. Boya understands that success at Spa hinges not only on raw speed but on the ability to adapt quickly to changing conditions. He acknowledges the role weather will play this weekend, especially following a similarly wet race at Silverstone.
While speaking to select media, including Pit Debrief, Boya explained, “Yes, well always Spa and the weather is a special topic, I will say. We are coming from Silverstone. I think we, especially on Sunday, took the right decision. It was a good learning for us and especially with the wet tyre that we didn’t drive too much this year so I think we took some good information in there to have in count for here in Spa, but we will see, we will see.”
Boya believes that the unpredictable conditions at Spa demand a different level of precision. From tyre selection to pressure settings, every decision can determine the outcome.
“It’s always tricky. F3 Qualifying is the most important part of the of the weekend, I will say, but in Spa I will say the weather we have to be really really sure about the decision we take in tyres and some pressures and everything has to be in the right point to perform.”
Staying calm under pressure vital for rainy-weather success
Moreover, having gained valuable experience at a similarly rainy Silverstone, Boya believes his approach to changing conditions has evolved.
“[It’s] just that every time that we go on track with a different situation it’s a good time to learn. We are still exploring a lot with this new car and from Silverstone, we just need to take that in this situation when something is changing pretty close to our race, the most important thing is to be cool and to follow your instinct, read as much as possible the situation on track and then just follow your instinct by the experience that you have and I think these the last races worked pretty well for us and I just will follow the same for here.”
The Aston Martin Academy link
Off track, Boya recently made headlines when Aston Martin announced him as the first member of its Driver Academy. The partnership aligns him with a Formula 1 team known for investing in young talent, offering new opportunities for development and exposure. Though early days, Boya has already started to engage with the team.
“Well, I only have been two races with them. I went to the campus, to the workshop as you want to call it for my presentation but at the moment I didn’t spend much time with them. The thing that I always say, you know, they are just focused on this F3 season for me. For sure there are a lot of plans that I really like and I would love to do in the future but the main focus now is F3 and after we finish this championship we will see other things or future plans that we have but yeah at the moment it’s just focusing on this season and then we will see.”
This clear prioritisation of his F3 campaign highlights Boya’s commitment to performing in the present while preparing for long-term growth.
Consistency as a foundation for success
In junior formula racing, consistency often separates the contenders from the rest of the field. In response to a question from Pit Debrief, Boya acknowledged the challenge of maintaining high-level performances in a category with limited track time and a tightly packed grid.
“Yeah, I think that it’s hard to be consistent in a championship that you don’t have many laps. Qualifying is really important and there are many factors that can affect your performance so I always think that the thing to be consistent or the better is just focusing on yourself, trying to maximise all that you can do and then if the pace is good enough and nothing happened outside of your control normally is good enough to be consistent.”
This consistency has proved vital during the middle phase of the season, where grid penalties, weather, and traffic often disrupt race weekends. Boya’s ability to extract results even in chaotic conditions has set him apart from many of his rivals.
No title pressure for Boya
Although Boya finds himself in contention for the championship title, he insists that pressure is not weighing on his shoulders. Instead, he views his current form as a reason to embrace the challenge.
“For sure not,” he answered when asked if he was under more pressure given his position in the championship fight.
“I mean I’m just in a good moment. I have been scoring really good points in the last few races so yeah and just enjoying the time, as I mentioned no, I always prefer the to be the one that is changing the leader in which in this case the leader started really well the year but he has been suffering the last few races and especially when the deg is appearing is maybe one of the weak points and I know that with the soft compounds and the last few races will be interesting I will say for sure and I look really yeah open and I’m ready to to fight for everything.”
Rather than buckle under expectation, Boya remains energized by the prospect of closing the gap. He views his recent results not as isolated achievements but as part of a building process that could lead to a title run.
Learning from the past at Spa
Spa has not always been a favourable circuit for Boya, with previous outings marked by a mix of potential and misfortune. Nevertheless, he enters this year’s event with renewed confidence and a clear understanding of what is required to succeed.
“Well, to be honest, it’s a bit confusing this track because in my first year in F3 we did the right choice going for the wets and we were sitting in P3 after we take a risk and we boxed trying to go for slicks and was not a good call but still the pace was good.”
“Then I come from a win in the same year in Eurocup where I felt really strong. And last year well I struggled a bit in Qualifying set two but race’s pace was really really strong but when someone crashes into you or you’re starting a position that is maybe not yours, you maybe had to take some risk.”
His memories of Spa have taught him how quickly things can change at the circuit. But they have also given him confidence that he can fight at the front, provided the starting position and circumstances align.
“But I’m really confident about this weekend and about this track. I know what I need to do to perform and if I am starting in the top 10, I think we can fight for both races so this keeps me calm and I’m confident about not only myself [but] also from all the team I have behind also helping and pushing myself to the limit.”
The combination of race pace, team support, and lessons from previous visits could make this Spa outing one of his most rewarding yet.
Boya aiming to obtain upward momentum in Spa
Mari Boya enters the Spa F3 weekend with a clear focus: maintain his upward momentum, make smart strategic calls, and continue building on the foundation of recent success. While the title fight adds intrigue to his campaign, his mindset remains grounded in execution and development. With his eyes firmly on performance, the backing of Aston Martin’s academy, and increasing consistency, Boya may well be poised to deliver one of his strongest performances of the season in Belgium.
