Round five of Formula 3 heads to sunny Barcelona. The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, which hosted pre-season testing just three months ago and is widely used across junior series, is a familiar stage for all drivers. The weekend kicked off with a calm practice session before the real action begins later on.
Home drivers have a strong record of success at this circuit, and all eyes will be on Mari Boya and Bruno Del Pino. There are also new faces on the grid: José Garfias steps in to replace James Hedley, who suffered a hand injury in Monaco. At Hitech TGR, Joshua Dufek will be replaced by Jesse Carrasquedo, not only for Barcelona but also for the Austrian round at the end of June.
With the championship gaps tightening, Rafael Camara remains in the lead with 77 points despite an up-and-down season. Thirteen points behind is Tim Tramnitz, followed by Nikola Tsolov in third, just three points further back after his feature race win in Monaco. The standings are especially close in the midfield, where every point counts.
The Formula 3 grid wasn’t eager to get going in Barcelona, with cars heading out only when less than 30 minutes remained in the session. Boya was quick to find pace, with Campos Racing initially locking out the top three spots. However, their lead didn’t last long, as Camara soon set a time of 1:29.024 – the new provisional benchmark – 0.322 seconds faster than Alessandro Giusti in second.
As drivers completed their first flying laps, many headed back to the pits, showing confidence on a track they’ve already covered extensively. The pit lane remained busy for a fair amount of time; however, as the clock ticked down, all drivers returned to the circuit to get a few more laps under their belts.
Next on the schedule in Barcelona for Formula 3 is the qualifying session. With rising temperatures, every lap will count as tyre wear becomes a crucial factor – something already noticeable during practice. Traffic and track position will also play a major role, but with the experience and confidence both drivers and teams possess, we can expect some spectacular action.