F3 | Qualifying | Bahrain GP | Câmara claims pole position as drivers struggle with track limits - Motorsport

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After an excellent Practice session to open the F3 Sakhir Round, Câmara claimed pole position in Qualifying, continuing his fine run at the Bahrain GP. The Trident driver, did however, face fierce competition from Rodin Motorsport’s Callum Voisin, who despite dominating the session at times, ultimately finished P2. Câmara’s Trident teammate, Charlie Wurz rounded out the top 3, in a session where many drivers struggled to keep their within the white lines.

Rafael Câmara top of the timesheets in morning Practice session

With the teams having used their three days of in-season testing at the Sakhir International Circuit to focus on collecting data from long runs, qualifying simulations were the focus of the F3 Free Practice session at the Bahrain GP. As teams hoped to maximise their data collection in conditions most similar to those expected in the afternoon’s Qualifying session, 29 of the 30 drivers remained in the pit lane for the majority of the session. Only Ivan Domingues took advantage of the clear track to put in some early fast laps. After an exciting final fifteen minutes, Trident’s Rafael Câmara emerged as the session’s top performer, maintaining the excellent form that he had shown in Melbourne.

Tsolov tops opening 10 minutes of F3 Qualifying session at Bahrain GP

As the clock struck 16:00 local time at the Sakhir International Circuit, the 30 F3 drivers surged onto the track, eager to kick off Qualifying. Trident, however, opted for a more measured approach. Despite Rafael Câmara’s strong performance in Practice, the team chose to remain in the pit lane, steering clear of the initial chaos.

On track, a few near misses and intense jostling for position marked the opening minutes, but all drivers escaped unscathed. With just over 26 minutes remaining, however, the Trident trio finally joined the session, capitalising on the clean air left behind by the early flurry.

Moments later, Hitech TGR’s Gerrard Xie set the first benchmark with a 2:14.568. His time didn’t last long at the top—Trident’s Charlie Wurz soon eclipsed it with a 2:12.605. Rodin Motorsport’s Callum Voisin then raised the bar further, clocking a 1:51.302 to become the first driver to dip below the two-minute mark.

As the session unfolded and drivers began setting competitive laps, the leaderboard shifted rapidly. With around 21 minutes to go, Campos Racing’s Nikola Tsolov stormed to the top with a 1:50.506. DAMS Lucas Oil’s Christian Ho followed closely with a 1:50.675, while ART Grand Prix’s James Wharton slotted into third with a 1:50.875.

After their opening runs, the field returned to the pits to bolt on a fresh set of tyres—setting the stage for a dramatic second half of Qualifying.

Ho leads drivers out for second stint

With fresh tyres fitted, Christian Ho led the pack back onto the circuit. After a chaotic first stint riddled with track limits violations, drivers approached their out laps with added caution—a single misstep into the gravel could spell disaster for their Qualifying ambitions. For those lingering at the bottom of the timesheets, the final ten minutes demanded a careful balance between precision and outright pace.

With just under 12 minutes remaining, MP Motorsport’s Alessandro Giusti surged to the top with a 1:49.905, narrowly edging out Trident’s Câmara’s 1:50.044. However, Voisin quickly responded, reclaiming P1 with an even quicker 1:49.882. Behind them, Tsolov—still sitting fourth—suffered a lock-up but managed to recover gracefully, keeping his Qualifying hopes alive.

Despite the calmer pace, track limit violations continued to haunt the field, erasing several flying laps. As the clock dipped under ten minutes, the drivers peeled back into the pit lane, regrouping for one final push in the dying moments of the session.

Câmara claims pole position in Sakhir

With just over six minutes left before the chequered flag, the drivers returned to the track, again on fresh tyres. After a few warm-up laps, Câmara, the Melbourne Round pole-sitter, started his fastest lap, aiming to set the benchmark of the final stint. He was successful in his quest, claiming provisional pole position with a 1:49.214. Voisin settled for P2 with a 1:49.370, while Wurz claimed P3 with 1:39.618.

There was a tricky moment for Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak after the chequered flag. After a lock-up, he missed the pit lane entry and required another run around the track. He was investigated after the session for this incident.