Monza Showdown: What is about to go down in Formula 3?
- Diana Badea
- Aug 30, 2023
- 5 min read
As the season finale approaches at the legendary Temple of Speed in Monza, it will be all or nothing for a handful of drivers that need to give all they’ve got in order to make a step to Formula 2 next year. After a hectic and eventful season that saw 9 different race winners, the Formula 3 season is about to come to an end. Let’s delve into the stats and data about the current Championship situation.
This year’s championship seemed to be more peaceful than last year’s, but it’s not over till it’s over. This time, we don’t have 7 drivers fighting for the title, unlike the previous year. However, the battle for second place in the Championship is still open and disputed.
The main challangers of the 2023 Formula 3 season
Gabriel Bortoleto
Gabriel Bortoleto is having one of the strongest campaigns in Formula 3 in recent years, but the trophy is not on his cabinet yet. The Brazilian is sitting comfortably at a 38 point margin ahead of his closest rival, Paul Aron. Currently having one hand on the trophy, the Trident driver is set to grab the title on Friday, provided that none of his closest rivals manage to take pole.
The Brazilian locked the championship lead from the beginning of the year in Bahrain, where he claimed his first race win. Afterwards, he secured a victory in Australia and 3 other podiums. He remains unmatched in terms of scoring a huge haul of points per weekend. Considering his flawless campaign with no major errors, he clearly should win the Championship.
Our multiple race winner and podium sitter is coming from a tough weekend at Spa-Francorchamps. Bortoleto was just two points away from clinching the title before the summer break. However, an unfortunate qualifying session and some rain-affected races mixed up the possible strategies. In the sprint, he was forced to pull over on the track after a contact with Beganovic, whereas in the feature race he finished just outside the top 10. The aftermath saw him leaving Spa with 0 points in the bag, despite accumulating consistent points throughout the entire year.
Paul Aron and Pepe Martí are both mathematically in the title contention, but a 38 point deficit to the leader will require a huge turnaround in order for one of them to be able to claim the title.
Paul Aron
Having slim chances of winning the title, the Estonian is still up for a good place in the championship that may guarantee him a seat in Formula 2. The Mercedes Junior is one of the few drivers to score points in every round of the season. He will go into Monza with 3 podiums and a race win added to his tally.
His strongest weekend was by far Spielberg, where he took his maiden win in the Championship. After being denied a pole position in qualifying, he pushed for his goal and emerged through the field to cross the line first. Aron was zooming past his opponents in the early stages of the feature race, but he damaged his front wing after a contact with Saucy and was therefore forced to pit.
Spa-Francochamps was the weekend where Aron could have closed the gap more, but misfortunes took place. Following a podium in the sprint, he was set to start the feature race from 11th on the grid. He was up for a good points haul after gaining the race lead in just a few corners, then the early deployment of the safety car appeared to be an opportunity to change to slicks. Unfortunately, the slick tyres didn’t come into play until the ending phase of the race, meaning that he had to settle for 8th.
Pepe Martí
Multiple race winner, Pepe Martí, was one of the drivers to keep an eye on for the entirety of the season. Commencing his season with a maiden race win, it was evident that the young driver would be in the contention for the title. Bringing back on the front-row the Spanish outfit, Campos, Martí managed to keep scoring consistent points even in the much tougher rounds.
Australia proved to be one of his most challenging weekends; he had to settle for the 30th position on the grid in both races after crashing in qualifying. Despite starting last, he maximized his points scoring and grabbed 6 points in the feature race. Unlike other contestants, the Spaniard maintained his performances and secured 2 other race wins and a podium. He collected points in the remaining rounds of the season leading up to Monza.
The headliners of the 2023 Formula 3 season
Zak O’sullivan
Multiple race winner, Zak O’sullivan lacked a bit of consistency this season, which prevented him from having a better shot at contesting for the Championship. The British driver’s campaign was marked by a series of unfortunate events that led to him qualifying in less than favorable positions. Consequently, he failed to secure any points in Bahrain, Silverstone, and Spa. On the other hand, his stronger weekends were top-notch: from winning his first race of the season in Melbourne to fighting strenuously for positions in Spa (in wet conditions), his driving was nothing short of impressive.
Franco Colapinto
In his second year in F3, Colapinto had a slower rise to the top than his competitors. Finishing 9th last year with VAR, the young Argentinian knew he had much to offer in terms of pace - seen from the first race of the season, where he battled hard for the win. The Williams Academy driver didn’t draw any kind of attention until his second-place finish in Barcelona. Sitting now 5th in the Championship, just 6 points behind Aron, Colapinto is definitely a contender for the 2nd place in the Championship. After standing on the top step of the podium once and achieving another podium in Hungary, the Argentinian youngster is surely up for more.
Dino Beganovic
The reigning FRECA (Formula Regional European Championship powered by Alpine) Champion came to Formula 3 with high expectations, but a lot of misfortunes saw him struggling in manifold races, in spite of his ability to qualify in competitive positions. Despite the difficulties, the Swede added 4 podiums to his tally and put out solid performances throughout the whole season to maximize his points haul.
Gabriele Minì
The Italian rookie set himself off to a phenomenal start of the season by securing pole position in Bahrain. Sadly, losing his engine in the beginning of the sprint and gaining a 5s time penalty in the feature compromised his weekend. These setbacks stopped him from accumulating a larger number of points. He then managed to turn his luck around and collected a maiden podium in Melbourne and a feature race win in Monaco. Although he secured a race win and a podium since Monaco, he still struggled to gain a steady amount of points every weekend.
Teams Championship
Prema Racing is currently leading the teams Championship by a margin of 25 points and with all of their drivers occupying positions within the top 6, they are positioned to clinch the title on home soil. Their main rival, Trident, will do everything they can to change the course of the title in their favor, but we cannot predict anything and given the current circumstances, the outcome of the teams title will go down to the wire.
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