Formula 3 have concluded their post-season test at the Jerez Circuit in Spain for their final action of the 2024 campaign.
Running over the course of two days, the test gave drivers and teams a chance to put their learnings from this year onto the track, as well as fielding some new faces.
Of the 30 drivers that took part, 18 of them were rookies who were hoping to impress their teams and land a spot on the grid. Even some of the other 12, who raced in Formula 3 this season, are also fighting to keep their place in the series.
With a morning and afternoon session being run on both days, there were some impressive performances at Jerez from the drivers. Some of these came from young talents who are looking to make the step up and find a seat for 2025.
Here are three of those drivers who are yet to be signed by an F3 team that deserve a spot on the grid next year.
John Bennett
The 21-year-old Brit has been racing in the GB3 Championship since 2022, finishing eighth in his debut season with Elite Motorsport with one podium
Moving to Rodin Carlin for 2023, Bennett matched his podium from the year prior but finish 10th and he endured a disappointing campaign in the Formula Regional Middle East Championship, scoring one point all year.
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In 2024, Bennett finished second in GB3 with three wins, three pole positions, five fastest laps and 11 podiums with JHR Developments. His performances prompted Van Amersfoort Racing to bring him to Jerez for the post-season test in F3.
On day one, Bennett finished 12th in the morning session and in the afternoon, the Brit went an impressive third with a time of 1:30:906 after 44 laps, coming just under two tenths of table-topper Martinius Stenshorne.
On the second day, Bennett set his best time of the test in the morning session with a time of 1:30:548, but finished down in 16th. In the rain-affected afternoon session, the 21-year-old went second fastest, just under half a second behind Nicola Lacorte.
Coming off the back of an impressive GB3 campaign and proving his ability in both the dry and the rain, Bennett will be knocking on the door for a permanent seat with Van Amersfoort.
Freddie Slater
There has been a lot of talk surrounding this young talent already, as Slater has been likened to the next Lando Norris after he was nominated for the 2024 BRDC Young Driver of the Year award.
Slater dominated the Italian F4 Championship this year, winning 13 out of the 18 races and also claimed the Formula 4 UAE title, all while being just 15 years old for much of the year.
Finishing second in Euro 4 to round off a hugely impressive 2024 campaign, Slater got the call to drive with Rodin Motorsport at Jerez alongside Roman Bilinski and fellow BRDC Young Driver of the Year nominee Louis Sharp.
Day one proved to be a learning curve for Slater, but he still managed to finish 10th in the morning session. The 16-year-old went 1.2 seconds faster in the afternoon, but was down in 21st, being beaten by Bilinski in both sessions.
Like Bennett, Slater went fastest in the test in the morning session of day two, finishing ninth with a time of 1:30:263. The Brit closed the test in 11th in the rain in the afternoon and beat both of the other Rodin drivers in both sessions.
There is no doubt that Slater is a serious talent who should have been in consideration for an F3 seat even before the test at Jerez. But after getting some mileage with Rodin, he may have put himself in a better position to land a seat for 2025.
Christian Ho
F3 would be making history if Ho was to join the 2025 grid, as he would become the first driver from Singapore to race in the series.
The 17-year-old debuted in F4 in 2022 in the UAE and Spanish championships, finishing 21st and 13th respectively. Ho returned to Spanish F4 in 2023 and finished second with five wins and 13 podiums, and in 2024, the Singaporean driver competed in Eurocup-3, grabbing four wins and eight podiums to finish second in the standings.
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It had been reported that Campos Racing were to sign Ho for 2025, but at the test in Jerez, the 17-year-old drove with Jenzer Motorsport, who have made the decision to leave F3 after the 2024 season.
Nevertheless, the 17-year-old was one of the standout performers at Jerez, finishing in the top 10 of all but one session. His best time came in the morning session on day two, with a 1:30:317 that put him 10th.
Ho was third fastest on day one in the morning and seventh in the afternoon, but he finished down in 21st in the afternoon on day two as he struggled in the rain.
It is clear that Ho has the speed and talent, and if Campos are to make the call and sign him over Nikola Tsolov – with Mari Boya and Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak both confirmed for 2025 – they will have a great driver on their hands.