FIA Formula 3 hosted its first post-season test at Jerez in Spain this week, so who are the early contenders to battle for the championship in the 2025 season?
The 2024 season was incredibly competitive, with Leonardo Fornaroli winning the F3 Championship in the final round at Monza.
After clinching the title, the Italian driver will move up to Formula 2 for next season with Invicta Racing. Red Bull junior Arvid Lindblad is also graduating to F2 next year, while Luke Browning is completing this season for ART.
But while some drivers move on, Charlie Wurz and Laurens van Hoepen are among those returning to FIA F3 for another season as plenty of fresh faces join the grid in 2025.
The 2025 FIA F3 season will also feature a new car with the series debuting the Dallara F3 2025. Thus, the Jerez test and the upcoming test at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya will mark the final times that the championship uses the Dallara F3 2019 car.
So, with that in mind, let’s take a look at the pace setters from post-season testing at Jerez and the drivers who may have an opportunity to battle for the FIA F3 title in 2025.
Mari Boya – Best F3 Jerez post-season test time: 1:29.881
Mari Boya was very quick over the two-day test at Jerez, topping the morning session on Day 1 in mixed conditions.
The Spaniard set 23 laps in the opening session on the first day, setting the quickest time of 1:31.281 ahead of the Mexican driver Jesse Carrasquedo, who has stepped up from Eurocup-3.
Boya was consistently near the top of the timesheets over the two days topping the opening session and setting the second quickest time in the afternoon.
He carried his good form into the second day, setting 31 laps in the morning and ending the session second in the timesheets.
The afternoon was slightly more difficult as rain hit the circuit as the session progressed, Boya kept out of trouble as Carrasquedo spun off the circuit, causing a red flag.
Boya will be looking to improve in 2025, which will be his third season in FIA F3 after two years with occasional moments of brilliance.
The Spaniard took third place in the Monza Sprint Race in 2023. This was followed by a win in 2024 in the Sprint Race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Aside from his two trips to the podium, there has been a lack of consistency and consecutive rounds where Boya hasn’t scored points.
So, Spaniard Boya will now return to FIA F3 in 2025 after re-signing with Campos Racing for a second year.
A second season with Campos and staying with the familiar Spanish culture could see Boya take a step forward next year.
Martinius Stenshorne – Best F3 Jerez post-season test time: 1:30.050
Martinius Stenshorne had a mixed two days at Jerez, topping the times on the first day of the test with a 1:30.761 set in the afternoon.
He set just 17 laps in the morning session on Day 1 and was off the pace in unrepresentative conditions, as rain affected the circuit.
The Norwegian was much more competitive in the afternoon, topping the times ahead of Campos driver Boya.
Stenshorne set 36 laps as the top four were separated by less than two-tenths of a second at the end of the opening day.
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Day 2 started well, with the Hitech driver setting the third-quickest time, just three-tenths off the pace of Nikola Tsolov.
He set 47 laps and gathered data and a mixed season in Formula 3, with the occasional strong result over the campaign.
Stenshorne didn’t score points at the season opener at Bahrain but showed he could race at the front next time out in Australia, winning the Sprint Race.
The Hitech driver only scored points four more times in his rookie season, taking a podium at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.
At the final round of the season, Stenshorne put together his best weekend in FIA F3, scoring points in both races at the season finale at Monza.
The 2025 season will now see the Hitech driver remain with the team, an outfit that saw Browning challenge for the championship last season.
Formula 2 driver Dennis Hauger has applauded Hitech Pluse-Eight’s decision to re-sign Stenshorne for the 2025 season.
Nikola Tsolov – Best F3 Jerez post-season test time: 1:29.758
Tsolov was very quick on the second day of the test for Campos and set the quickest time across the two days.
The Campos driver admitted he had to adjust his approach at the test as Tsolov spent two years with ART in the series.
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Tsolov was on the pace immediately, setting a 1:29.758 to go ahead of his Campos teammate Boya after setting 42 laps.
The pair were very evenly matched as just a tenth of a second separated the Campos drivers in the opening session on the second day.
Tsolov has had an indifferent two-year stint with ART, scoring points just twice during his rookie season in 2023.
This season that just finished saw an upturn in form, taking three victories with an impressive drive in the Feature Race in Hungary.
This proved he could compete at the front of the field in Formula 3 after jumping straight from Spanish F4, where he dominated the series.