Rafael Câmara and Mari Boya shine in the FIA Formula 3 Bahrain In-Season Test, topping the timesheets on the final two days.
After only one race in Melbourne, Formula 3 headed to Sakhir for in-season testing. After three days of intense testing, drivers were pushed to find this new machinery’s limits. Ultimately, Campos Racing’s Mari Boya and Trident’s Rafael Câmara emerged as the standout performers, with the pair topping the timesheets on Days 2 and 3, respectively. Here’s how the final two days of testing played out.
Day 2: Boya and Campos dominate
Mari Boya showed his talent by setting the fastest lap of the entire day. The Spanish driver set a time of 1:48.464 in the morning session. This time was fast enough to keep him ahead of the rest of the field for the entire day. Campos were strong throughout the entire test, proving themselves to be a true championship threat.
Image Credit: Campos Racing
The morning session was primarily focused on qualifying simulations. The lighter fuel loads and qualifying setups saw faster times being set by the drivers. Boya narrowly outperformed Trident’s Charlie Wurz. The Trident Driver ended up finishing just 0.083 seconds behind the Spaniard. Further back, Boya’s teammate Nikola Tsolov also impressed for Campos Racing, securing the third-fastest time, just 0.097s adrift of his teammate.
On the other hand, in the afternoon session, the long-run simulations were the focus of the teams. In turn, the times were slower due to higher fuel loads and the overall race setup. Therefore, Boya’s original fastest lap time set in the Morning session stood firm. MP Motorsport’s Tim Tramnitz and ART Grand Prix’s Tuukka Taponen rounded out the top three for Day 2.
Day 3: Câmara flexes his championship muscle
Championship leader, Rafael Câmara, proved why he is the Championship favourite in 2025. The Brazilian driver topped both the morning and afternoon sessions on the final day. Câmara set a blistering 1:48.252 in the morning session. Clocking the fastest time recorded across the three days of testing.
However, Câmara was briefly challenged by Red Bull junior Tramnitz, who briefly led the session. Once Câmara set his benchmark lap, he was closely followed by Tramnitz, who set a 1:48.33. In third position was Taponen with a 1:48.406. Meanwhile, Alessandro Giusti and Noah Strømsted completed the top five for the final morning session in Sakhir.
Image Credit: Trident
The final afternoon session rolled around, with the focus switching between long runs and qualifying runs in the final hour. Câmara once again proved his championship brilliance. The Ferrari driver set a 1:48.673 to finish the test on a high. Rodin Motorsport’s Callum Voisin came closest but was still 0.690s behind. Kiwi rookie driver Louis Sharp managed to finish in third.
Looking ahead
Speaking post-testing to Formula 3, Câmara was “happy” with his and Trident’s start to the season. Hoping to continue this form throughout the short Formula 3 campaign. Giving Trident their third consecutive F3 Drivers Champion.
“I’m quite happy, and the team is happy too. They’ve done an amazing job of preparing the car from the very beginning. Considering how we started in Melbourne – of course, the driver needs to be skilled, but without a good car and a strong team behind you, it’s very rare to be fighting at the front.”
Image Credit: Trident
Formula 3 will be back in action next week in Bahrain for round 2 of the Championship. After three days of testing, it’s clear that Trident, Campos Racing, and MP Motorsport are the teams to beat when the championship resumes. However, only time will tell which team comes out on top.
