Tim Tramnitz, one of Germany’s rising motorsport talents currently competing in Formula 3, recently shared his thoughts on several topics during a media session ahead of the 2025 Imola Grand Prix. The young driver addressed questions ranging from Germany’s absence from the F1 calendar to the challenges of his second F3 season and preparation for the upcoming triple-header.
As the F3 field prepares for the Imola round, Tramnitz returns to the historic Italian circuit with positive momentum, having secured a win and podium finish at the same venue during the 2024 season. This previous success at Imola represents one of the highlights of his Formula 3 career thus far and provides him with valuable track experience heading into the 2025 event.
Second season challenges
Now in his sophomore F3 campaign, Tramnitz offered interesting insights on how his experience has been somewhat offset by the introduction of new cars. “Yeah, I mean, of course, experience is always a big factor and helps quite a lot. On the other hand, I think some of this experience kind of got taken away by having a new car, because the car and the tyres are reacting different compared to last year,” he explained.
He clarified that his year of experience primarily benefits him in understanding the structure of race weekends and anticipating potential challenges.
“The experience, I would say, is mainly helping me in simply knowing how the weekend is scheduled, what might happen in qualifying, where there can be a mess of traffic, for example.”
However, regarding actual driving performance, Tramnitz suggested the new car has created somewhat of a reset, noting that “in terms of driving, I would say it doesn’t really make a big difference compared to last year because of the new car. Yeah, so for sure, for all the second year drivers, it was not the best situation, I would say.”
Reflections on pre-season testing
Regarding the in-season test at Bahrain, Tramnitz found it exceptionally valuable, particularly given the introduction of a new car. “I think the Bahrain test was very helpful. I think especially not only for us drivers, also for the teams, as it’s a very different situation compared to the last years with having a new car,” he explained.
While acknowledging that additional testing opportunities would always be beneficial, he emphasised that Bahrain’s diverse layout—featuring both high-speed and low-speed sections—made it an ideal testing ground.
“I think in the end, the three days test of Bahrain was quite long and quite useful in general. Also, Bahrain is a track layout where you have high-speed parts, you have low-speed parts. So it’s a track where you can really try a lot of things,” he noted, adding that “of course, another test would help always.”
Tim Tramnitz prepares for the Triple-Header, with Imola as the first stop
Looking ahead to the upcoming triple-header—one of the most intense periods of the season—Tramnitz emphasised its importance in the championship battle. “I think for sure the triple header is one of the most important part now of the championship to have a good rhythm and be very confident in general,” he stated, highlighting that “after the next three weeks or four weeks, half of the season is already done. So everything happens very quickly.”
“In the end, you really need to see it race by race. Always maximise what is in your control and what you can do as a driver.” Tramnitz expressed confidence that this approach would yield results, saying, “I’m sure if we manage to do this, we’ll come out with a good amount of points from the triple header. So, yeah, that’s the main goal.”
Hopes for Germany’s return to F1
When asked about the absence of a German Grand Prix on the Formula 1 calendar, Tramnitz expressed optimism about its potential return. “Yeah, well, first of all, I hope so, that we’ll have a Grand Prix back in Germany. And maybe it’ll also help to have more German F1 drivers again on the grid to help a Grand Prix coming back to Germany.”
Tramnitz believes the motorsport interest in Germany remains strong, noting the substantial fanbase following series like DTM. “I think the interest in Germany is still there, also from the fans. There are a lot of fans following the DTM, for example. And we have yeah, some very big racetracks in Germany as well.”
“I think the fans would love to see a race back in Germany,” Tramnitz remarked, while acknowledging his limited ability to assess the likelihood of this happening. “But obviously, it’s very difficult for me to judge and to know how high the chances are. I know that there are some talks for Hockenheim on Nürburgring, which are, of course, the biggest racetracks. But yeah, I personally love to drive on one of those tracks in either F3, F2 or F1, of course.”
Heading into the 2025 Imola GP, Tim Tramnitz is currently sat second in the F3 Championship standings. The German driver will be hoping to make a repeat of last year’s podium, not only in the Sprint but also in the Feature Race.
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— Formula 3 (@Formula3) April 13, 2025
Back-to-back Feature Race wins puts Camara firmly at the summit ✅
Gains for Tramnitz, Voisin, Tsolov and Taponen elsewhere#F3 #BahrainGP pic.twitter.com/GbRTbLLs7C
