Fifth F3 victory and hat trick for the Bulgarian driver.
Nikola Tsolov dominates the Formula 3 Feature Race in Monte Carlo, securing his fifth victory in the category! An exceptional weekend for the young Bulgarian driver, who joined the Red Bull Junior Team this year. He took pole position, the win, and the fastest lap, leading the Feature Race from start to finish. The only blemish was the technical issue he encountered yesterday.
Roman Bilinski and Mari Boya completed the top 3, giving Campos a double podium in the Principality. Callum Voisin pushed until the final lap but had to settle for fourth place. Tramnitz finished fifth, still securing 10 crucial points for the championship fight. Rounding out the points-paying positions were Van Hoepen, Taponen, Stenshorne, Sharp, and Giusti. Championship leader Rafael Camara was forced to retire after dramatically losing his right rear wheel in the closing laps.
In the overall standings, Rafael Camara retains the lead with 77 points despite a very difficult weekend. However, his rivals are closing in, with Tramnitz moving up to 64 points and Tsolov climbing to 61. Noah Stromsted also scored no points and drops to fourth place with 52 points.
F3 Feature Race in Monaco: the Race Report
27/27 – Final lap begins! Fastest lap from Tsolov, while Voisin makes a move on Boya around the outside of Saint Devote—but it doesn’t stick. CHEQUERED FLAG! Nikola Tsolov dominates the Monte Carlo Feature Race, finishing ahead of Bilinski and Boya, with Voisin forced to settle for fourth place.
25/27 – Tsolov pulls away, extending his lead to over three seconds on Bilinski, who now has to defend second place from the charging Boya and Voisin. Meanwhile, a 10-second time penalty has been handed to Marinangeli for his contact with Badoer.
24/27 – The Safety Car returns to the pit lane. Meanwhile, another dramatic twist! Championship leader Rafael Camara dramatically loses his right rear wheel and is forced to stop! The situation was extremely dangerous, with the loose wheel striking Dufek’s front wing. It could have had far more serious consequences.
21/27 – Wurz is unable to continue, ending his race against the Casino barriers. Meanwhile, Brando Badoer spins at Portier following contact with Marinangeli. It’s a very tough weekend for the Prema driver! Both drivers retire, and the Safety Car is back on track!
20/27 – Green flag, the race restarts! The top positions remain unchanged, while Wurz runs wide at the Port Chicane and loses a place to Van Hoepen. The Austrian driver is clearly struggling but manages to continue.
18/27 – First incident of the Feature Race! Noel Leon crashes into the wall at Portier, the same spot where he was forced to retire yesterday. A real shame for the Mexican driver, who couldn’t capitalize on a strong qualifying performance. Safety Car is deployed! Camara takes advantage and moves into the points zone.
Meanwhile, Wurz has damaged his front wing and is asking his team to check for a possible puncture. Leon hit the barriers at Portier, and Wurz, right behind him, couldn’t avoid the collision. The Austrian driver, a second-generation racer, is still continuing on track for now.
16/27 – Tsolov has extended his lead to a whopping 7 seconds over Roman Bilinski, who now has to keep an eye on his mirrors due to Boya closing in behind him. It remains to be seen whether Bilinski is simply managing his race or if the Polish driver’s Rodin car is experiencing some issues.
15/27 – Meanwhile, the first penalty of this Feature Race arrives: Brad Benavides from AIX Racing receives a 10-second penalty for gaining an advantage by cutting a chicane, likely during the hectic early laps. The American driver is currently in sixteenth place, so there are no changes in the top ten. Meanwhile, Nicola Lacorte is being called to the pits to retire his car.
10/27 – Fastest lap by Bilinski, who is closing in on Tsolov. Just like in yesterday’s Formula 2 Sprint Race, the drivers are playing a game of cat and mouse, trying to secure the fastest lap point.
8/27 – Tsolov extends his lead to 2 seconds over Bilinski, who in turn holds more than a second advantage over Boya. Behind the Spanish driver, a DRS train has formed, stretching all the way back to MP Motorsport’s Giusti in thirteenth place.
3/27 – Tsolov maintains the race lead with a 1.1-second advantage over Bilinski. Behind them are Boya, Voisin, and Tramnitz, who overtook Leon with a great move around the outside of Saint Devote in the opening laps. Camara is still in eleventh, while Stromsted, third in the championship, has dropped to nineteenth position.
1/27 – Tsolov gets off to a strong start, leading ahead of Bilinski and Boya, who cut the first corner and is now under attack from Voisin. The midfield runs smoothly so far, unlike yesterday’s race. However, Bruno Del Pino’s MP Motorsport car retires, apparently due to front suspension damage—possibly caused by contact with Nicola Marinangeli at the Port Chicane.
The Formula 3 Feature Race will start at 8:00 AM Italian time, marking the final race of this category before next week’s event in Barcelona. In yesterday’s Sprint Race, Martinius Stenshorne claimed his second Formula 3 victory by overtaking pole-sitter Alessandro Giusti at the start. Additionally, due to a wrist injury sustained in a first-lap crash, James Hedley will be unable to take part in today’s race.
From pole position will start Nikola Tsolov’s Campos car, who finished yesterday’s race in last place due to a technical issue. Beside him will be Roman Bilinski in the Rodin, who has already secured a podium this season with third place in the Melbourne Sprint Race.
Tim Tramnitz will start sixth, as the main rival to championship leader Rafael Camara, who is forced to start from eleventh after a three-place grid penalty for insufficient slowing under red flag conditions during qualifying. The Italian drivers are further back, with Badoer in 23rd, Marinangeli in 28th, and Lacorte in 29th.
PHOTO: Campos Racing, Hitech, Rodin Motorsport, Trident Team, F3, Official MP Motorsport.