Tsolov on pole, Camara seventh in FIA F3’s Red Bull Ring qualifying

Photo: Formula Motorsport Ltd

Campos Racing’s Nikola Tsolov claimed his second pole of the FIA Formula 3 season in qualifying at the Red Bull Ring, with Brad Benavides a surprise second.

Tsolov’s grasp on top spot never seemed in doubt throughout the half-hour session. After opting for three preparation laps, the Bulgarian then switched to a representative pace and went fastest with a 1m21.5s.

Title rival Rafael Camara aborted his first flying lap after a mistake in the middle sector, while Mari Boya provisionally made it a Campos one-two when he crossed the line but was over 0.9 seconds slower than his team-mate.

Later Camara would set a 1m21.454s, but remained behind Tsolov as he improved to 1m21.282s. He was then quickly relegated to fourth by MP Motorsport’s Tim Tramnitz and Alessandro Giutsi, who both got within 0.1s of Tsolov’s pace.

While most drivers were in the pits preparing for their second run, AIX Racing kept Benavides out on track and with clear air he posted a 1m21.434s to move ahead of Camara.

With nine minutes to go, the remainder of the field headed back out. Camara opted for three preparation laps, and with his first flying lap on new tyres went to the top with a 1m21.011s. That only briefly stood as the benchmark, as Tsolov reclaimed provisional pole by completing his next lap in 1m20.927s.

Prema’s Noel Leon went third fastest, then was bettered by Campos’s Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak. Soon after that, Rodin Motorsport’s Callum Voisin outpaced Inthraphuvasak with a 1m21.138s lap.

Tsolov found even more pace, recording a 1m20.743s that would not be beaten. Second place was still being disputed, and Prema’s Ugo Ugochukwu got very close to Camara’s time.

Benavides, who had done two sighting laps before embarking on a flying lap on his second run, then set a 1m21.103s which put him second.

Ugochukwu went quickest in sector two and looked set to deny Benavides a front row spot until he spun at the final corner. Improvements by others left him in eighth, with Camara one spot ahead but leaving his last lap later than anyone.

After a promising sector one, he encountered traffic in sector two and aborted his final effort. That meant Benavides secured AIX’s first top-three qualifying result since taking over PHM Racing’s entry in the championship at the start of 2024.

Trident’s Noah Stromsted qualified third ahead of MP’s Bruno del Pino, and lining up on reversed-grid pole in the sprint race will be ART Grand Prix’s James Wharton as he was 12th fastest. Giusti will join him on the front row.

Qualifying results