[L-R] Fornaroli, Mini, Browning, Lindblad & Beganovic
The FIA F3 title decider takes place this week at Monza, with six drivers from four teams still in contention. They shared their thoughts before a high-stakes finale where they will be split up in qualifying
1st Leonardo Fornaroli Trident 129pts
Wins: 0 Poles: 1 Fastest laps: 1 Podiums: 6
Fornaroli is averaging just over 14 points per weekend, the equivalent of finishing every race in sixth place and earning three extra points from a pole position and a fastest lap. The 19-year-old Italian hasn’t actually finished every race in sixth, instead being the most frequent visitor to the podium on the grid.
But Fornaroli is yet to win, and nobody in FIA Formula 3 (and its predecessor GP3) has taken the title without getting on the podium’s top step. Esteban Ocon only needed one win to become 2015 champion, but he had 13 other podium finishes.
“I feel very confident going [to Monza]. Last year the pace was very strong in FP and qualifying but in the races, I didn’t handle the situation quite well but now I’m a different person to last year. It’s a track that I love, one of my favourites and very close to my house. It’s a boost of confidence because I’ll be racing in front of my fans, and it’ll be amazing. I can’t wait.”
2nd Gabriele Mini Prema 128pts
Wins: 1 Poles: 1 Fastest laps: 1 Podiums: 5
The 19-year-old Alpine junior may have failed to score in half of the last 10 races, but alongside two sixth places he has finished as runner-up three times and in the season’s second half nobody has been on the podium more often than him.
Monza is a circuit Mini is yet to win on in his single-seater career, but last year he was sixth in F3 qualifying there (before his Hitech GP team got disqualified due to illegal tyre changes) and the drivers ahead are now in Formula 2. Encouraging.
“I haven’t changed, really, my approach into this weekend, because the goal remains the same as the other ones. When I go into a weekend, I usually want to try and do the best, and hopefully win. And it’s the same thing that I’m trying to do this weekend. So preparation was still the same. We had our sim session, our meetings. I’ve been training during the summer break, so I think it [being the title decider] didn’t really change much what I’m used to do.”
3rd Luke Browning Hitech GP 123pts
Wins: 2 Poles: 2 Fastest laps: 2 Podiums: 3
The oldest of the title contenders, Browning is 22 and has already scored three times as many points as he did in his rookie season. He ended 2023 by winning the FIA F3 World Cup on the streets of Macau, and carried that momentum into 2024 by being victorious in the first feature race of the year at Bahrain.
In Monaco he showed further street circuit prowess with a feature race podium and fastest lap, took the fastest lap at Barcelona, clinched pole and victory at the Red Bull Ring and was set to do the same at Silverstone but got caught on the wrong tyres in changing weather so finished eighth rather than first. He’s lost momentum since, but kept his ‘old’ head high.
“I think looking back I have been in this situation three times now [as a title contender], I have come out on top twice with British F4, GB3, so I am confident that I can come out on top again,” said Browning.
“Maybe a lot of people were on holiday [before Monza] but I was, as you say in Italian, ‘lavorare,’ working hard. So, I hope the work pays off. I’m confident that I don’t think anyone is doing the same prep that I am so hopefully it works out.”
4th Arvid Lindblad Prema 113pts
Wins: 4 Poles: 0 Fastest laps: 1 Podiums: 5
The 17-year-old has made the most of Red Bull and Oliver Rowland’s backing to continually develop himself and contend for the F3 title in his second full year of racing cars. He has very strong past form at Monza, mastering slipstream fests to take a triple win in Italian F4 and a Euro 4 victory in 2023, but is another driver who needs to regain lost momentum in F3.
A Silverstone double marked the end of a run in which Lindblad won three times in five F3 races, and in the four races since he has finished no higher than 15th and his qualifying results have been a 21st and 27th place. As with Fornaroli, being in a title fight is a new experience.
“I think if I have a good quali and do some good stuff, there is definitely an opportunity to capitalise and close the gap, but I’m really excited going into the finale. It’s been an incredible rookie season so far, definitely better than I could have imagined.
“If you would’ve told me that I would be in the championship fight going to Monza then I would’ve been absolutely delighted. I’m going into this weekend really happy and proud of the job I’ve done this year, but really wanting to try and finish the season on a high.”
5th Dino Beganovic Prema 100pts
Wins: 2 Poles: 1 Fastest laps: 3 Podiums: 4
Beganovic’s fifth year with Prema, and second in F3, could be considered underwhelming unless he drags himself into at least the top three in the standings this weekend. He only has four more points than in 2023, when he was sixth in the championship. That made him the highest-placed returnee on this year’s grid, and a de-facto title favourite for many.
The 20-year-old started 2024 by taking pole, then victory and fastest lap in Melbourne kickstarted a run of seven consecutive races in the points.
That level of consistency has only been bettered by Oliver Goethe, who scored in the first 12 races and is seventh in the points. However the Campos Racing driver has sacrificed his title hopes by missing the F3 finale and instead making his Formula 2 debut at Monza.
He emphasised that he was going to utilise the local knowlege of his team but also the Ferrari Driver Academy to prepare for racing in Italy, but left Spa-Francorchamps not wanting to change a approach that has worked so far.
6th Christian Mansell ART Grand Prix 97pts
Wins: 0 Poles: 1 Fastest laps: 0 Podiums: 4
Photo: Formula Motorsport Ltd
Mansell has hoovered up feature race points, finishing fourth or higher in five of the nine held so far. But he’s only scored in two sprint races, which has proven costly even those shorter contests award less points.
Still only 19, Mansell has been racing at this level since 2021 and after taking three wins from 35 Euroformula races he is stil yet to taste victory after 40 starts in FIA F3. The only way he can be champion is by changing that it the next two races.
“It’s very important to try and score as many points as possible. That’s been the goal for us since Bahrain. The philosophy of how I approach the weekend is honestly – I don’t come into this weekend going ‘oh, I’m 22 points off the championship, I’ve got to score a bunch of points’ or any of this stuff. Because at the end of the day, it just clouds your judgement, and it’s not really worth it. The best thing is in my position is to literally just keep doing the same thing that I’ve been doing because it worked, and buy a bit of luck here and there, and some parts were unlucky this season.”