Bilinski inherits maiden sprint win after Tramnitz was penalised at Monza

Written By Trisha Lynnette

Roman Bilinski becomes first Polish driver to win in Formula 3 | Credit: Formula 3

A post-race penalty denied Tim Tramnitz victory in the Monza Sprint, promoting Roman Bilinski to his first Formula 3 win and a historic milestone as Poland’s maiden race winner in the series.

Tim Tramnitz of MP Motorsport had crossed the line first in the Monza Sprint Race, but celebrations were short-lived. Race control announced that car 17 had failed to engage the start set-up procedure at the beginning of the formation lap, a breach of Article 1.6.1 of the FIA Formula 3 Championship Technical Regulations and Article 11.15 of the F3 2025 System User Manual.

Every car was checked, and Tramnitz’s was the only one found in violation. The sanction was a ten-second time penalty, enough to strip away what would have been a valuable victory. The outcome elevated Roman Bilinski of Rodin Motorsport to first place, making him the first Polish driver to win a race in Formula 3.

For Bilinski, the success was the product of a hard-fought race. He reflected: “I think it was a really well fought race. I think harsh but also fair at some times. So it was good and I really enjoyed it and that’s the main thing.”

That assessment underlined how physical and tactical the Sprint had been. Battles were fought hard, sometimes on the edge of contact, but the Polish driver recognised that this was part of the nature of racing at Monza, a place where slipstreaming, braking duels and daring overtakes are common.

He went on to explain the uncertainty of approaching a race at Monza on the soft compound tyres. “We haven't done so many races at tracks kind of like this, with soft tyres. So it’s one of those where you go into it not really knowing but overall I think it was okay.”

The comment revealed the adaptability required to succeed. Drivers had limited reference points on how the tyres would behave over a race distance at such a high-speed circuit. For Bilinski, it was about responding in real time and trusting his instincts, a skill that paid dividends on the day.

Bilinski's father was able to witness the drivers masterclass in Monza | Credit: Formula 3

The personal significance of the podium also became clear as he spoke. “It’s a very emotional sport, so much goes into it. Him (his father) personally, has sacrificed so much for me to be here. So I’m forever grateful for that.”

He continued: “And now I guess it’s nice to see some of the emotion like that, I just can’t thank him and my family and everyone that’s brought me to this position enough.”

These words highlighted the reality of motorsport at this level: results are the product not only of a driver’s skill but also of years of dedication and sacrifice behind the scenes.

Bilinski also gave a more technical breakdown of the race dynamics, pointing to how tyre performance and the circuit layout shaped overtaking opportunities. “I think we all had a bit of an advantage today on the new tyre, which massively helped. When you overtook, you were able to brake clear just enough to already be on the next guy.”

At Monza, momentum is everything. The DRS zones and long straights can quickly transform one move into several, a fact Bilinski was keen to underline. “But yeah it’s always chaos around here. But the DRS is powerful, you know, the long straights and all of these things.”

Credit: Formula 3

His analysis also touched on the off-track preparation that had helped him succeed. “It’s tricky but it’s all the preparation phase you do off-track to learn what one person can do, how they defend, overtaking, all of these things about each driver.”

It was a thoughtful reflection, showing how meticulous study and observation can tip the balance when split-second decisions are required on track.

The Sprint at Monza ended in unusual circumstances, with Tramnitz losing a victory he had earned on the road. But for Bilinski, it became a day of history.

The race not only marked his maiden triumph but also cemented his place in the record books as Poland’s first Formula 3 winner, a moment of pride built on both resilience and gratitude.

As for the other driver's on the grid, Noel León of PREMA Racing was also handed a five second time penalty for causing a collision with Brando Badoer, his teammate and Charlie Wurz of Trident. This drops the driver from P8 to P19 in the final classification.

Driver Champion, Rafael Câmara of Trident has also received a ten second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage to Tuukka Taponen of ART Grand Prix. This resulted in him dropping from P12 to P25 in the final classification.

The aftermath of Monza highlighted the circuit’s dynamic nature — a track that offers endless chances for battles, yet just as much room for error. So much so that even one mistake was enough to strip a win from a driver and hand a place in history to another.