After a string of tough rounds, Trident bounced back in style at Round 8 of the 2025 FIA F3 Championship during the Belgian GP. With all three drivers delivering strong performances, team manager Giacomo Ricci expressed his satisfaction with how the weekend played out.
Noah Strømsted was the Sprint Race winner on Saturday, which marked his first F3 victory. After starting on P2 on the grid, he marked a turnaround-race in his 2025 campaign, claiming 11 points from the Sprint Race (10 points from winning and one point for taking the fastest lap). He finished six seconds ahead of Ugo Ugochukwu in P2, with Charlie Wurz rounding out the podium in P3.
Rafael Câmara, meanwhile had a positive display in Friday’s Qualifying session, finishing in P2, behind AIX Racing’s Brad Benavides. After several rounds affected by a dip in pace, it was a welcome return to form for the Championship leader. Although torrential rain on Sunday led to the cancellation of the Feature Race, Câmara still collected valuable points with a P5 finish in the Sprint, extending his lead over Nikola Tsolov to 28 points.
Ricci reflects on Friday’s Qualifying session
Reflecting on the F3 Belgian GP, Ricci was pleased with Trident’s overall performance, but admitted that Qualifying presented significant challenges. Câmara had a positive session, but Wurz and Strømsted Qualified in P9 and P11 respectively.
“Positive weekend for us. I’m really pleased with the result we have been able to achieve. Qualifying was a difficult one, it was necessary to find a tow and with the tyres you get only one lap around here, so happy for this.”
“We were close to pole but well done to AIX for achieving their first pole position. Saturday was a good race for us, we showed very strong pace and, in the end, finishing 1-3 is very good.”
With fog delaying the Practice session and pushing Qualifying later in the day, drivers faced a last-minute scramble to set competitive lap times. Some drivers benefited from a well-timed tow, while others struggled to find clear air around Spa. With Practice reduced to just 30 minutes, which took over the original Qualifying slot, drivers had limited time to adapt to the circuit’s high-speed, high-risk demands. Despite the disruption, Trident handled the Sprint Race well and capitalised on the opportunity.
Trident’s display in the Sprint Race
The F3 Belgian GP Sprint Race proved hugely successful for Trident. With Strømsted taking the win, Wurz finishing P3, and Câmara in P5. The team collected 25 points, which was enough to reclaim the lead in the 2025 F3 Teams’ Standings with 232 points. Campos Racing, who previously held the top spot, now trail by 11 points with 221. With just two rounds remaining, the championship battle is wide open and set to go down to the wire.
Ricci praised the team’s overall performance and singled out Strømsted’s masterful control during the Sprint Race. He praised the young driver’s dominant showing, especially highlighting his composure and tyre management throughout the race. The Sprint Race also marked the first race in a while where there were no Safety Cars, a rare occasion for the F3 races.
“I’m super happy for Noah Strømsted for his first victory and very pleased for Charlie’s podium. Also, Câmara’s result was good. He just finished behind Tsolov, so he was able to recover a lot of positions and lost only one point this weekend.”
“He did a great job,” said the Trident boss. “It was a dominant performance from his side, he was managing the race and never pushed to be honest.
“Simply, he was able to increase the gap without having so much degradation, so that was good. You don’t see someone win at Spa with that gap in dry conditions, because here the DRS is extremely powerful, so it’s impressive.”
What’s next heading into Round 9 of the 2025 F3 Championship
Trident now head to Budapest for Round 9 of the 2025 F3 Championship, marking the penultimate round of the season. With only an 11-point lead ahead of Campos Racing, the team will be eager to set out at the Hungaroring and score maximum points to keep their lead in the Teams’ Championship standings.
In Round 7 at Silverstone, the team walked away with five points, only earned in the Sprint Race across Câmara and Wurz. However, Ricci is optimistic that the strong showing in Belgium sparked the momentum the team needs to close out the season on a high.
“I have to say that in the previous weekends, maybe we weren’t super lucky for different reasons but the speed has always been there,” he added.”
“We definitely came back stronger for the Spa race weekend, so I am really looking forward to Budapest. We are at the end of the Championship, so everything is still possible, but head down and keep working because only two rounds are left.”
The F3 grid heads to Hungaroring, from August 1st to 3rd, for Round 9 of the 2025 season. This marks the final opportunity before the summer break for Trident to secure crucial points, and maintain not only their lead, but also Câmara’s lead of the Drivers’ Championship.
