The F3 Sprint Race at the Italian GP in Monza proved to be as dramatic off the track as it was on it. After a thrilling contest of overtakes, collisions, and strategy, the stewards issued a series of penalties that dramatically changed the finishing order. Technical errors, collisions, and rule infringements all came under scrutiny, ensuring that the final classification looked very different from the provisional results at the chequered flag.
Tramnitz loses victory after technical breach
Tim Tramnitz, driving for MP Motorsport, had initially celebrated what appeared to be a hard-fought victory after leading at the front of the pack. His pace in the closing stages and ability to withstand pressure from Roman Bilinski appeared to have secured him the Sprint Race win. However, this triumph was short-lived.
Upon investigation, the stewards discovered that Tramnitz had not engaged the mandatory start set-up procedure at the beginning of the formation lap. This procedure is designed to ensure that all cars are correctly configured for a safe and consistent start sequence. Article 1.6.1 of the 2025 FIA F3 Technical Regulations and Article 11.15 of the F3 2025 System User Manual clearly mandate this activation.
Race Control had checked every car for compliance and found that only Tramnitz’s car had failed to meet the requirement. The Technical Delegate confirmed that telemetry showed no engagement of the set-up procedure. Consequently, the stewards had no choice but to impose the standard sanction: a 10-second time penalty.
This penalty dropped Tramnitz from a provisional first place to eighteenth in the official classification. In turn, Roman Bilinski inherited the victory, marking a dramatic turn of events that highlighted how even technical oversights can cost a driver dearly in modern F3.
León penalised for causing a collision
Noel León, racing with PREMA, also suffered a significant blow after the chequered flag. He had crossed the line in eighth, collecting valuable points. Yet the stewards later judged him responsible for a collision that had unfolded during the hectic first-lap scramble at Turn 1.
The incident involved León, Charlie Wurz, and Brando Badoer. As the pack approached the braking zone, León defended against pressure from behind. Unbeknownst to him, however, the three cars entered the corner side-by-side. León believed the battle was only two-wide, but Wurz and Badoer both confirmed they were fully aware of being three-wide.
When León moved slightly towards the racing line, the chain reaction caused contact: his car struck Wurz, who in turn clashed with Badoer. Although such multi-car incidents are not uncommon at Monza’s first chicane, the stewards determined León to be wholly responsible for initiating it.
Ordinarily, causing a collision attracts a 10-second penalty. However, the panel accepted that the situation was highly dynamic and confusing, acknowledging León’s genuine misjudgement as a mitigating factor. As a result, the officials reduced the sanction to five seconds. Even so, this dropped León down the order from eighth to nineteenth, stripping him of all his points for the Sprint.
Câmara demoted for leaving the track and gaining an advantage
Rafael Câmara, racing for Trident, became embroiled in a separate battle that ultimately cost him dearly. The Brazilian driver had fought hard with Tuukka Taponen through Monza’s fast and unforgiving first sector. At Turn 4, Câmara found himself alongside Taponen but drifted onto the dirty part of the circuit.
Unable to maintain grip, he left the track and cut across the run-off area before rejoining safely. While his re-entry avoided immediate danger, the stewards noted that he rejoined still side-by-side with Taponen and continued to fight for the corner. According to the regulations, a driver who leaves the track must surrender any advantage gained.
The stewards ruled that Câmara had not done so. By rejoining still in contention rather than yielding, he retained a lasting advantage, contravening Article 27.3 of the Sporting Regulations. Accordingly, the officials imposed a 10-second time penalty.
The consequence was severe. From a provisional twelfth position, Câmara tumbled down to twenty-fifth place in the final classification, erasing what had been an impressive recovery drive.
Lacorte penalised twice in a chaotic race
Nicola Lacorte endured one of the most difficult races of the field, leaving Monza with two separate penalties that cemented a poor result.
His troubles began even before the racing got underway. During the formation lap, Lacorte overtook James Hedley and failed to restore the correct order before the Safety Car Line 1. Regulations stipulate that if a driver overtakes in such a manner, they must either re-establish their original grid position before the designated line or start from the pit lane. Lacorte did neither, breaching Article 37.8 of the Sporting Regulations. This violation triggered a mandatory 10-second stop-and-go penalty, which he served during the race.
Later, Lacorte became embroiled in another incident. On lap eight, while attempting to overtake Fernando Barrichello into Turn 1, he locked up both front wheels. His braking misjudgement forced Barrichello off the track. The stewards reviewed the footage and concluded that Lacorte’s move was reckless and in breach of Appendix L, Chapter IV, Article 2 (b) of the International Sporting Code. For this, he received a further 10-second time penalty and two penalty points on his licence.
These combined infractions relegated Lacorte to twenty-eighth place in the final classification, highlighting a Sprint to forget for the DAMS Lucas Oil driver.
Benavides penalised for causing a collision
Finally, Brad Benavides also joined the list of sanctioned drivers. The AIX Racing driver became involved in a collision with Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak at Turn 8. In this case, the evidence showed that Benavides misjudged his braking, arriving too fast into the corner and striking the back of his rival.
The stewards considered him wholly responsible and applied the standard 10-second time penalty. In addition, Benavides received two penalty points on his licence, further impacting his season tally. He finished in twenty-sixth position, a disappointing outcome after a scrappy race.
Final classification after the 2025 Monza F3 Round Sprint Race at the Italian GP
After the application of all penalties, the finishing order looked dramatically different from the provisional one. Roman Bilinski inherited victory, with Martinius Stenshorne elevated to second and Laurens Van Hoepen promoted to third. Further back, Alessandro Giusti, Callum Voisin, and Noah Strømsted all climbed positions thanks to the demotions of penalised rivals.
- Roman Bilinski
- Martinius Stenshorne
- Laurens Van Hoepen
- Matías Zagazeta
- Mari Boya
- Alessandro Giusti
- Callum Voisin
- Noah Strømsted
- Ugo Ugochukwu
- Théophile Naël
- Tuukka Taponen
- Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak
- Nikita Johnson
- Bruno Del Pino
- Gerrard Xie
- James Wharton
- Fernando Barrichello
- Tim Tramnitz (provisionally P1, 10 second time penalty for a technical infringement)
- Noel León (provisionally P8, 5 second time penalty for causing a collision)
- Nicola Marinangeli
- Louis Sharp
- Nikola Tsolov
- Christian Ho
- James Hedley
- Rafael Câmara (provisionally P12, 10 second time penalty or leaving the track and gaining an advantage)
- Brad Benavides (provisionally P26, 10 second time penalty for causing a collision)
- Brando Badoer
- Nicola Lacorte (provisionally P28, 10 second time penalty for forcing another driver off the track)
DNF: Charlie Wurz, Ivan Domingues
