Van Amersfoort Racing made 2025 their most successful campaign in F3 since entering the championship. The Dutch squad scored three victories, collected multiple podium finishes, and achieved their highest-ever points tally of 138, securing fifth in the Teams’ Standings. For a team that has struggled in the ultra-competitive world of F3, it was a season that proved they are capable of challenging some of the category’s biggest names.
Strong start brings momentum
The year began with the kind of statement results every team dreams of. In Melbourne, Santiago Ramos put his name on the winners’ list immediately, claiming the Sprint Race victory. His team-mate, the promising young Frenchman Théophile Naël, added to the celebrations by finishing third in the Feature Race. It was the perfect way to start the season with the brand-new Formula 3 car, sending an early message that Van Amersfoort Racing were prepared, sharp, and ready to compete at the sharp end of the grid.
Team boss Bradley Joyce reflected on how significant that start had been, admitting that it shaped much of the optimism within the camp.
“I think it went well,” said Joyce recapping the season. “We started well in the Sprint in Australia and another podium as well, so I think we were on top of the new car quite early.”
Reinforced confidence in the first half of 2025
That confidence was reinforced in the following rounds, as Van Amersfoort Racing remained among the frontrunners. Ramos triumphed again in the Imola Feature, showcasing the team’s ability to manage the car across a demanding circuit. Later, rookie Ivan Domingues underlined the depth of talent in the squad with a brilliant win in the Barcelona Sprint Race. By the halfway point of the season, Van Amersfoort Racing were sitting fourth in the Teams’ Standings with 106 points, already surpassing many of their previous totals. For Joyce, it was validation that the team’s work over the winter had paid off.
“We had three wins, three second places, and a third, so it was a more successful season than our previous years, but I think that we didn’t finish off the season as quite as strong as we would have liked, and we would like to be a little bit more consistent in some of the races.”
Challenges in the second half
Despite the electric start, the second half of the season highlighted how unforgiving Formula 3 can be. While Van Amersfoort Racing remained competitive, their results did not carry the same weight as earlier in the year. Across the final five rounds, the team secured just one more podium and gathered only 22 points.
Joyce explained that the dip in results was partly down to inconsistencies in Qualifying. In a field as closely matched as F3, where tenths of a second can separate the top 15 drivers, the importance of getting everything perfect in one lap is magnified.
“We weren’t where we felt we should be on the grid or the races,” he explained. “F3 is so much about where you qualify, and it’s so competitive that you need everything perfect.”
He elaborated on just how many variables must align for a driver to secure a strong starting position, saying, “You need the right gaps, the right position on track, no yellow flags on your particular lap, a mistake free lap, the right tyre prep and everything has to be there, and then you can be solidly in the top 10. But it’s definitely not as easy challenge.”
Bad luck detrimental to 2025 success
Alongside those difficulties, Van Amersfoort Racing also encountered plain bad luck. Some weekends unravelled due to circumstances beyond the drivers’ control, which Joyce admitted made a big difference over the course of the campaign.
“I think we had a little bit of bad luck on occasions,” he said. “There was a couple of disappointing races that knocked us back a bit, and Monaco was not a great weekend for us. Santiago Ramos started very strong, but he seemed to have one or two issues towards the end of the year and obviously he didn’t do the final race weekend of the year, so we lost the opportunity with him, a strong driver.”
Ramos a key figure despite setbacks
Despite setbacks, Santiago ‘Santi’ Ramos was a key figure in Van Amersfoort Racing’s season. His victory in Imola was one of the highlights of the year, and his sheer pace often put him in contention. Yet Joyce recalled specific moments that showed how small mistakes can transform a weekend from front-row promise to midfield frustration.
“We had one round for instance in Silverstone, Santi was on a lap good enough for pole and then hit the limiter going into Stowe and lost half a second which put him back down the order.”
There were other misfortunes too, including his off in Barcelona that not only cost him a podium but also left him with a back injury. Joyce reflected on how those missed opportunities added up across the year.
“There are little bits, I think in Barcelona he was third and went off and hurt his back, which also cost us, so there are a few situations. A bit more consistency and I think there could have been better results at the end.”
Ultimately, Joyce accepted that unpredictability is simply part of the F3 landscape. The sheer number of winners in 2025 emphasised how volatile the championship can be.
“There is a lot of luck that needs to go your way and there were a lot of different winners this year. It was a topsy turvy year for everyone other than Rafael Câmara, who had a really strong season. It was very much up and down.”
Naël committed and in control
While Ramos often captured the spotlight, the most consistent performer across the campaign was Théophile Naël. The 18-year-old Frenchman emerged as one of the revelations of the season, scoring three podiums and finishing eighth in the Drivers’ Standings. That result marked the best championship finish ever achieved by a Van Amersfoort Racing driver in F3.
Joyce was full of admiration for Naël’s talent and approach. He said, “He is a hundred perfect committed driver. He has a lot of car control and skill and he does push very hard, so it works out for him that he can get through the field really well and that’s why you see those strong drives.”
Naël’s commitment often brought him through the pack, but it also left him vulnerable to incidents beyond his control. Joyce noted how cruelly luck sometimes swung against the young Frenchman.
“But the other days where he was on a good drive and then one manoeuvre from another driver just wiped him out and he got shuffled back again. That’s where the other small element of luck comes in place.”
What particularly impressed Joyce was Naël’s ability to manage tyres. In a championship where degradation can make or break a result, this gave the team an advantage.
“He is very good in that way, and I also think our car was quite good on the tyres, so we seemed to have a good handle on degradation compared to other cars.”
Focus shifts to winter development
With the 2025 F3 season wrapped up, Van Amersfoort Racing are already looking ahead to 2026. For Joyce, the task is clear: build on the foundations of 2025, while making sure the team becomes more consistent and refined across all areas.
“When you are trying to run a racing team, you have broad targets but you don’t think in those sort of broader targets,” he said. “You look into the finer details of everything, so we need some more aspects on the car, we have some ideas to work on during the tests and further in-factory understanding as well.”
The off-season will not just focus on technical developments. Joyce believes that communication, decision-making, and operational preparation are just as important as engineering improvements.
“We also have ideas to work on how well the team performs in communication, in decision making, and in preparation moving forward. So you don’t have one silver bullet and you suddenly move up all those places.”
Instead, the plan is to keep improving in every department, no matter how small the details. Joyce is convinced that this is how Van Amersfoort Racing can make the jump from midfield contenders to genuine frontrunners.
“You work hard in every aspect you can and maybe then we are a front running team, and we are running first or second. It’s about many aspects and some of that is about the driver, but also in the driver itself it’s just about extracting their full potential. That’s all you can do, just make sure you are getting the very best you can out of the drivers.”
