Rain, Ramos, and Rafael Câmara: Formula 3 Kicks Off in Melbourne

Written by Lily Dixon

March 20, 2025

A weekend dominated in the first part by rookie TRIDENT driver, Rafael Câmara, Formula 3 was full of action at the season opener in Melbourne, Australia. 

Free Practice

Free Practice got underway on Friday morning with Câmara topping the time-sheets and carrying TRIDENT’s momentum from the end of 2024. He posted a 1:34.901 time with 20 minutes remaining, but had to reclaim the top spot after MP Motorsport’s Tim Tramnitz briefly edged ahead by just 0.009 seconds. 

The session was action-packed, with drivers pushing to log competitive times before a red flag ended their practice prematurely. Rodin Motorsport’s Louis Sharp came to a stop on track with only a few minutes left on the clock, which led to the session not being resumed due to the event’s tight schedule.

Tramnitz took P2, with Campos Racing’s Mari Boya finishing P3.

Qualifying

In qualifying, drivers aimed to maximise the short 30-minutes allocated for the session, setting early lap times before multiple red flags halted their progress.

Nikita Bedrin and Théophile Naël battled for pole, but it was Câmara who ultimately secured it, clocking the only lap in the 1:34s. His initial time was half a second clear of all competition, but his teammate closed the gap to 0.129, taking P2 and locking out the front row for TRIDENT ahead of Sunday’s Feature Race.

With five minutes remaining, Brando Badoer lost the rear of his car on the exit of Turn 2, bringing out a red flag as the track marshals cleared the track. When the session resumed, Van Amersfoort Racing’s Naël was noted for an unsafe release, nearly making contact with an AIX car while his airbox was still attached. However, another red flag—this time caused by Christian Ho—brought the session to an early end before drivers could complete more flying laps.

Alongside Ho and Badoer, James Wharton was also looking to recover after qualifying P22. He faced an uphill battle to score points in front of his home crowd, but had two races to turn things around.

Naël ended the session in P3, followed by Bedrin, Tramnitz, Charlie Wurz, Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak, Ugo Ugochukwu, Martinius Stenshorne, and Roman Bilinski. Matías Zagazeta in P11 and Santiago Ramos in P12 would start Saturday’s Sprint Race on the front row due to the reverse grid format. 

Sprint Race

A hectic Sprint Race for the junior drivers, packed with midfield fights and multiple safety cars, as they coped with the pressure of their first race of the season. For many, it was their first weekend in the F1 paddock, sharing space with the very drivers they’re working their way up the junior single-seater series ladder to race against. 

Ramos, lining up on pole after qualifying P12 due to the reverse grid format, fought off early pressure from Zagazeta, while Bilinski and Stenshorne scrapped for third. Their battle opened the door for Inthraphuvasak, who started P6, and the three went wheel-to-wheel. Bilinski in the Rodin eventually got past Zagazeta, with Inthraphuvasak following to P3 until Stenshorne snatched the position back, slotting into second. Bilinski followed through, leaving Zagazeta and Inthraphuvasak to go head to head for P4, where the latter lost out. 

On the second lap, a Safety Car was deployed after Charlie Wurz’s TRIDENT stopped at Turn 5. Once racing resumed, Tramnitz took advantage of the slipstream from Inthraphuvasak, sweeping around the outside to claim P5.

Not long after, made an appearance as Laurens van Hoepen, and Câmara ran off into the gravel at Turn 12 after making contact with home hero, Wharton, who retired later in the lap with too much damage. Under the safety car Tramnitz dropped back with an apparent issue that led to his retirement later in the sprint.

Racing resumed at lap 9 and the top five held their positions, building a gap to the rest of the grid. On lap 13 Ramos ran wide, crucially shortening the gap to Stenshorne where his rival had DRS. Later that lap Stenshorne dove for the racing line heading into Turn 11, but couldn’t get the move to stick. Further back in the pack on lap 15, Inthraphuvasak made it past Zagazeta heading into Turn 1 and took fourth position. Their battle separated themselves from the top three though. 

A third safety car came up with five laps left in the sprint with Javier Sagrera and Bruno Del Pino making contact and spinning into the gravel at Turn 6. Because of how later the incident occured, the drivers finished the race under the safety car, meaning Ramos had won his first F3 race. 

Stenshorne and Bilinski rounded out the podium with Inthraphuvasak and Zagazeta following closely behind to make up the top five. Behind them were Bedrin, Naël, Nikola Tsolov, Callum Voisin, and Noel León who finished P10. 

Ramos and Stenshorne started the drivers championship off tied for first as Stenshorne earned the extra points for fastest lap. 10 points were added to their campaign.

Feature Race

Brazilian rookie and reigning FRECA champion, Rafael Câmara, stormed to victory in a dramatic and rain-affected Formula 3 race, showcasing impressive pace and control despite treacherous conditions.

The race began with a rolling start after four laps under the safety car, with teams initially doubtful that any competitive running would take place. Once the action got underway, Câmara wasted no time, pulling a two-second gap on the opening lap before an early safety car was deployed after Tsolov and Voisin went off at Turn 10. Voisin, squeezed against the wall, attempted to rejoin, but both drivers ended up stranded in the run-off. Stewards noted the incident, with Tsolov claiming he "crashed out" while Voisin fumed over the radio.

Rain arrived on Lap 4, intensifying by Lap 5. As the race resumed, Câmara once again broke away, building over a three-second lead on Strømsted by Lap 8. Meanwhile, battles raged throughout the field—Ramos hydroplaned at Turn 1 and dropped to 17th after a clash with Joshua Dufek, while Stenshorne executed a stellar overtake on Ugochukwu for P8 at Turn 4.

A series of incidents followed, with drivers struggling for grip at Turns 9 and 10. Giusti and Zagazeta collided on Lap 10, resulting in a 10-second penalty for the latter. Then, on Lap 13, Ho lost control and crashed into the barriers at Turn 6, triggering another safety car and eliminating Câmara’s significant lead.

As conditions deteriorated further, what announcers described as “biblical rain” forced officials to red-flag the race on Lap 18. With over 75% of the race completed, full points were awarded, securing Câmara’s maiden F3 victory in a commanding debut performance. Strømsted and Naël rounded out the podium in a chaotic but thrilling contest.