Campos Racing’s Mari Boya topped the times in the F3 Practice session at the 2024 Italian GP. The Spaniard was quickest of the session by a tenth with a 1:38.172, followed by ART’s Christian Mansell and Rodin’s Callum Voisin. Championship leader Leonardo Fornaroli finished in P27, while P2 in the Championship, Gabriele Minì, set the fifth quickest time.
As It Happened
Some drivers remained in the pits and out of the car, choosing not to run at the start of the session. Cars out on track at the beginning of the session included the three PREMAs of Minì, Beganovic and Lindblad, joined by the likes of Noah Strømsted. The Dane would have been eager to get out on track, filling in for Oliver Goethe who had moved up to F2 in the domino effect of Colapinto’s move to F1. To add to the complexities of the weekend, the track has been resurfaced, meaning data gathered in previous years is out the window.
The first flying lap on the board came with 35 minutes to go. The three Team Championship-winning PREMAs sat atop the times. Minì was leading the pack with a 1:42.324, followed by his teammates an over a second behind.
Sztuka Retires from Practice
With 33 minutes to go, the yellow flag was waved in Sector 3 – Sztuka was stopped at the side of the track on the run down to Parabolica, triggering a Virtual Safety Car. Newcomer Strømsted was just starting his first flying lap, so he’d have to bide his time now.
The Virtual Safety Car ended with just over 27 minutes to go. Fornaroli, eager for a home-race win AND a Championship title this weekend, was one of the first back out on a flying lap. The Italian, however, was unable to finish his lap. The red flag was brought out to clear up gravel on the track, scattered there by Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak on a run off of di Lesmo 2. The cars returned to the pits once again as the clock ticked down.
The session resumed once again with 18 minutes of running. Max Esterson was first out of the pits, but was also immediately onto the escape road. The Autodromo Nazionale Monza track was busy, as 27 drivers attempted to gather some important data ahead of the last races of the season. A flurry of flying laps ensued, and it was the Hitech of Browning who came out on top with a 1:39.574. Leon was quick to respond to the flying laps before him, bettering Browning’s time by a tenth and reclaiming P1.
Ten Minutes Remain
As ten minutes remained on the clock, the PREMAs of Minì and Lindblad were back out on a slightly emptier track for their flying laps. Minì managed a strong lap, commanding a lead of half a second with a 1:38.998. Lindblad, however, slotted into P4, 0.8s down on his teammate. Christian Mansell, also on the hunt for the Championship title, was generating a neat lap, driving to P2, just a tenth of the Alpine Academy driver out front.
One minute of the session remained and all but four drivers were on track for a final flying lap. Mansell claimed the P1 position from Minì, before the Australian was demoted to P2 by Boya. Strømsted, in his first Formula 3 session, would finish in an impressive P12. The yellow flag was waved at the very end of the session as Ramos spun off at di Lesmo 2, but with most cars already through sector two, most runs were completed. The stricken Trident remained in the gravel while the rest of the grid returned to the pits.
The Campos Racing of Boya finished the F3 Practice session at the 2024 Italian GP in P1, followed by ART’s Mansell and the Rodin of Callum Voisin.
Featured Image Credit: Formula Motorsport Ltd
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