After struggling in Monaco, Rafael Câmara secured his fourth pole position in F3 qualifying for the 2025 Spanish GP ahead of Nikola Tsolov and Laurens Van Hoepen. Roman Bilinski is on reverse-grid pole for the sprint race.
As It Happened
The entire field, with the exception of the MP drivers, poured onto the track as the green light illuminated the end of the pitlane. Right away, the drivers were fighting for track position as they prepared for to set their laps. Drivers were three wide into turns trying to get out in front of one another.
Five minutes into qualifying, Rafael Câmara started the first flying lap of the session. After a disappointing weekend in Monaco, he was eager to reset. He set a purple first sector, but he struggled with the car throughout the lap. Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak went faster than the championship leader by three tenths.
As the first laps came through, Câmara shuffled further down the field after his scrappy lap. His Trident teammate and former Prema Racing teammate Wurz and Ugochukwu both had moments in the gravel in the same spot Câmara did. Multiple laps were deleted for track limits after the first flying laps.
More Flying Laps
After putting on a new set of tyres, the majority of the drivers were back on track to set more laps. A few drivers elected to stay in the pit lane a little longer, though they were also quickly getting out on track.
The drivers were setting multiple build laps before starting their flying ones, ensuring their tyres were in the perfect window. With thirteen minutes left on the clock, Tsolov started the second round of flying laps. After getting his first lap deleted for track limits, this lap was crucial.
Rafael Câmara set three purple sectors and jumped to provisional pole with his second flying lap of a 1:28.761. It was over three tenths faster than Van Hoepen in second. With ten minutes left in the session, the field returned to the pits to prepare for their last push laps.
The Final Laps
The field exited the pits for their final qualifying runs, though Câmara and a few other drivers elected to wait in an attempt to avoid the traffic.
Nikola Tsolov, who was our pole sitter in Monaco, was first to set his final flying lap. A good lap put him in a provisional P2, but there were still many fast drivers behind him. Théophile Naël set a great lap that put him fourth as drivers were battling to stay in the top 12.
No one was able to touch Câmara’s lap time in the final runs, and he remained two tenths ahead of the field. It is his fourth pole position of the season. Only in Monaco this year has he failed to finish qualifying on top.
Rafael Câmara was back on top in pole position in F3 qualifying for the 2025 Spanish GP weekend with Nikola Tsolov and Laurens Van Hoepen in second and third. However, Van Hoepen was noted for an unsafe release.
Photo Credit: Scuderia Ferrari
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