Formula 3 has roared back into action at the Temple of Speed for the final round of the 2025 FIA Formula 3 Championship. With the green light at the end of the pitlane, the last Practice session of the season got underway in Monza, setting the stage for a decisive weekend. While Rafael Camara arrives having already sealed the Drivers’ title, the Teams’ Championship remains in play. Currently Trident is pursuing a second F3 crown, with Campos Racing determined to stop them in pursuit of their first.
There was no shortage of storylines even before the action began. Fernando Barrichello made his debut for AIX Racing. He replaced James Hedley, who in turn took the seat of Santiago Ramos at Van Amersfoort Racing this weekend.
Early Exchanges
In the opening stages, Ugo Ugochukwu set the pace for PREMA Racing with a 1:40.445. But lap times quickly tumbled, and Théophile Naël moved to the top with a 1:40.084. His run of form was interrupted moments later when Roman Bilinski brought out the red flags. The Formula 3 driver slid into the gravel at Ascari after clipping the kerb. Fortunately, the Rodin Motorsport driver escaped unscathed and is expected to take part in qualifying.
Once the session resumed with just under 15 minutes to go, Camara reminded the field why he is champion, leaping to the top with a 1:39.346. But the track evolved quickly as drivers switched tyres, and the order shuffled again.
Late Drama
Hitech’s Martinius Stenshorne briefly held the benchmark with a 1:39.189 as the clock ticked down. However, a flurry of purple sectors in the final minutes reshuffled the standings yet again. Campos’ Nikola Tsolov lit up the timing screens with a 1:38.601, only to be bettered by Naël and then by Callum Voisin.
But it was Ugochukwu who had the final word. The American delivered a 1:38.473 in the last moments. With that, he reclaimed the top spot and cemented himself as the driver to beat heading into qualifying.
New Faces and Final Spins
Barrichello’s first official outing was not without incident. He spun into the gravel after the chequered flag but managed to recover and return to the pits under his own power. Elsewhere, Noel León had a brief off at Ascari earlier in the session. Naël found himself under investigation for pitlane speeding after the session.
Final Classification – Formula 3 Practice, Monza
With the practice order tighter than ever and plenty at stake in both the team standings and rookie debuts, all eyes now turn to qualifying. Can Ugochukwu carry this momentum into the session that matters most, or will Campos, VAR, or Trident strike back under the Italian sun?