Feeder Series Preview: Monza

Written by Jasmin Low and Trisha Lynnette, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri

Formula 3 will head into the sunset as the season comes to a close at Monza, but the championship battle for Formula 2 only continues at the highest intensity, with five in contention as the series returns from the summer break, with four weekends to go. DIVEBOMB brings to you all the details ahead of a crucial three days of racing in Monza. 

Formula  2

Formula 2 will go racing at Monza for round 11 of 14 | Credit: Formula 2

A month on from Budapest, Formula 2 heads to Italy for the second time this season, this time to Monza, 15 kilometres northeast of Milan. Characterised by its long straights, demanding chicanes, and highest average speed on the calendar, the circuit has coined the name the ‘Temple of Speed.’ 

Since joining the F2 calendar in 2017, no driver has been able to beat Nobuharu Matsushita’s lap record of 1:30.983. This weekend, the 22-car grid will partake in a 21-lap Sprint Race and 30 30-lap Feature Race. 

Over 75% of each lap is traversed at full throttle, yet with only 11 corners, fuel consumption is more substantial than tyre degradation. Pirelli’s Supersoft and Soft-compound tyres will be made available to the 11 teams over the weekend, a slight jump from the Mediums selected as the sturdier compound in 2024.

Car setups prioritising top speed will eclipse downforce-focused setups, with two DRS zones available to aid overtaking. Turn 1 forms the first half of the Prima Variante chicane, and is one of the 3.59 mi (5.79 km) circuit’s prime overtaking spots and heavy braking zones, where drivers will need to be careful not to lock up. 

Turn 3 is fondly known as ‘Curva Grande,’ and is a high-speed right-hander, taking the field around to the left-right sequence known as ‘Curva della Roggia,’ which is also a popular overtaking spot. 

Turns 6 and 7 may better be known as Lesmo 1 and 2, which are both right-handers demanding precision in order to carry speed onto the straight and through the second DRS zone. Variante Ascari (the Ascari Chicane) is an iconic left-right-left sequence, completing the first portion of Sector 3. 

Rounding off the drivers’ track tour is the famous Parabolica, a lengthy right-hander which returns the cars onto the pit straight. 

Last time out in Monza

Last year’s weekend at Monza was nothing short of spectacular | Credit: Formula 2

Rodin Motorsport’s Zane Maloney got off to a flying start, topping free practice before setting the pace in qualifying, beating his title rivals Paul Aron and Isack Hadjar to the top row with his lap time of 1:32.160. Gabriel Bortoleto brought the red flags out in a dramatic fashion, beaching his Invicta in the gravel and qualifying in dead last, a seemingly serious blow to his title challenge. 

Come Sunday, the Brazilian put in a stellar performance to charge through the field, and with the help of a late safety car, took the race victory nearly 9 seconds ahead of Maloney. 

Rewinding to the Saturday Sprint Race, Oliver Bearman fought his way up from eighth on the grid, with multiple collisions bringing out the safety car. The Briton was undeterred as he continued to make his way through the field, speeding off into the distance to claim his second consecutive victory at the track after winning the Feature Race in 2023. Now, both drivers who lifted the winner’s trophy at Monza in 2024 are full-time Formula One drivers.

Experiencing a taste of F1 machinery this weekend is Rodin Motorsport’s Alex Dunne, who will take part in Free Practice 1 with McLaren. 

The Championship

Leonardo Fornaroli will return to home soil and to the circuit where he sealed his 2024 Formula 3 championship. The Italian has led the championship since Round 9, the longest any driver has managed to maintain the championship lead all season. 17 points further back, Jak Crawford sits in second, followed by Richard Verschoor on 135.

Invicta Racing lead the charge in the Teams’ Championship, breaking away from the rest of the field with 231 points. Campos Racing occupy second with 189 points, whilst Hitech has crept up close behind the Spanish team with 183 points. 

Formula 3

Credit: Formula 3 via X

With the last race weekend of the 2025 FIA Formula 3 Championship on the horizon, Monza 'La Pista Magica' is ready to welcome proceedings in an appropriate finale to an unbelievable season. Rafael Câmara has already secured the Drivers' title, but the Constructors' title battle is still very much up for grabs between Trident and Campos Racing. 

Entering Monza, Trident lead on 282 points, having a mere 19-point advantage over Campos, who are in the quest to bring their maiden-ever Teams' Championship in Formula 3.

The continued dominance of Câmara has been nothing less than stunning. The new champion wrapped up the title with a round to spare, after leading a dominant Feature Race win at Budapest, his fourth of the season.

His count of pre-Monza results is four victories, five podiums, five pole positions, and four fastest laps highlighting a consistency that few others can rival. Commenting on his success, he said to Clube Express: "All the hard work we did all season has paid off" and now he remains eager to end the year on a high.

Credit: Formula 3 via X

Off track, some roster changes have created intrigue. Santiago Ramos has left Van Amersfoort Racing, while James Hedley, who last raced for AIX Racing, joins Van Amersfoort at Monza. In turn, AIX Racing has signed Fernando Barrichello, not only for this weekend but for the 2026 season too.

With Câmara's quest for the Drivers' championship wrapped up and over, everybody's attention now turns to the Teams' scrap. Trident has to juggle keeping their cars running clean, good podiums and team reliability in order to keep at bay a desperate Campos team, whose drivers Mari Boya, Nikola Tsolov, and Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak are keen to bring their team their first constructors title. 

The six drivers between both squads have combined to win 10 of 18 races and 22 podiums, and it looks like Monza's weekend may come down to nail-biting last-lap drama, much like last season’s race at this venue.

In the meantime, the battle for second in the Drivers' championship is still very much up in the air. Campos teammates Boya, second in the standings with 108 pts and Tsolov, third with 106 points to his name, head the challengers, with Tim Tramnitz, Martinius Stenshorne, Noah Strømsted, and Théophile Naël all still in the running.

The 2025 season has witnessed a resetting of the competition order, thanks to the all-new Dallara F3 2025 chassis. The Monza season closer provides squads with a last opportunity to gain momentum heading into winter testing — Prema, for instance, climbed from worst to eighth throughout the season, and will be eager to finish on a benchmark high in front of their home audience.

Credit: Formula 3 via X

Monza's stage finale threatens championship drama, tranquil parkland splendour, and a last litmus test for drivers and teams alike.

Qualifying at Monza will be split into two groups to ease congestion on the track. With 30 cars on the grid, traditional qualifying can become chaotic with traffic disrupting flying laps, particularly in the slipstream-heavy nature of Monza. 

To counter this, the field is divided into two equal groups, each given a dedicated session to set their fastest times.

Qualifying A takes place on Friday, at 15:00 CEST (13:00 GMT), Qualifying B at 15:20 CEST (13:20 GMT), setting the pace for the rest of the weekend. 

The Sprint Race takes place on Saturday at 09:05 CEST (07:05 GMT) and the Feature Race takes place on Sunday at 08:15 CEST (6:15 GMT).