Championship leader Rafael Câmara secured his third pole position of the season in the F3 qualifying session for the 2025 Imola GP ahead of Santiago Ramos and Noah Strømsted.
As It Happened
Everyone went straight out on the circuit as qualifying started, eager to get some laps in. The drivers were fighting for track position to try and get a tow from the cars ahead. Santiago Ramos was the first to set a flying lap in qualifying.
As the first fast laps came in, our championship leader Rafael Câmara went to provisional pole with a 1:32.909. Brando Badoer and Tim Tramnitz were a few tenths behind. Van Hoepen went through the gravel – the first driver of the session to do so.
A New Set of Tyres
Ten minutes into the session, most of the field pit to put on new sets of tyres. Callum Voisin had yet to set a flying lap. After five minutes in the pits, the drivers went back on track to set more laps.
Many drivers set multiple preparation laps before starting their flying laps. Stenshorne was first to set a flying lap in the second phase of qualifying, jumping up to P3. Prema driver Brando Badoer went to provisional pole just before the red flag flew for Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak, who was stuck in the gravel.
Red Flag
Multiple drivers didn’t get a chance to set their laps before the red flag, including Câmara. The session stopped with 11 minutes left on the clock, and Badoer led the field ahead of Câmara and Tramnitz. The top six were covered by just a tenth of a second.
A few minutes later, the green flag was flying and the cars were back on track to set their final flying laps. The Trident drivers opted to stay in the pits longer than the rest. The drivers were really fighting for track position to get the best possible tow and laps.
Ramos was once again the first to set his flying lap. He set a purple middle sector on his lap, ultimately setting a 1:32.442 and jumping to P1. Behind him, Stenshorne had a small trip through the gravel, which compromised his lap time. Prema drivers Ugochukwu and Leon were line astern in fifth and sixth.
The Trident drivers, who exited the pits later than everyone else, were now starting their flying laps. Câmara was the one to watch out for, but he was all the way down in 14th place and having to make his way through traffic. He was slower in his first sector, but he set a purple middle sector once again.
Three in a Row
Rafael Câmara jumped to provisional pole with a 1:32.206. His Trident teammates were the last drivers left to set their laps. Van Hoepen went into the gravel by Strømsted, almost compromising his lap. Despite this, he improved to third position.
Câmara became the first driver to start the season with three consecutive pole positions, and the first to get three in a row since Logan Sargeant. However, he was noted for impeding.
Rafael Câmara secured his third pole position in a row in the F3 qualifying session for the 2025 Imola GP ahead of Santiago Ramos and Noah Strømsted.
*
Photo Credit: Scuderia Ferrari
Get 10% off all official F1 Merch at TheRaceWorks.com using code ‘EF1‘ at checkout.