Feeder Series preview: Monaco
- DIVEBOMB Motorsport
- 11 hours ago
- 6 min read
Written by Jasmin Low and Trisha Lynnette, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
The Feeder Series caravan heads over from Imola to the prestige and glamour of Monaco. Sitting in the midst of a triple header, the Monaco weekend carries even more importance, as drivers look to hit top gear into the peak of their respective seasons. Jasmin and Trisha bring you all the details ahead of another exciting weekend in store.
Formula 2
Formula 2 will join Formula 1 at the revered Circuit de Monaco for the second of three consecutive race weekends, ready to take on the streets of Monte Carlo. At 3.337 km (2.074 mi) long, the Monegasque circuit is the shortest on the calendar, with the sprint and feature races consisting of 30 and 42 laps respectively.
Traditionally, winners in the Principality trade their race suits for more formal attire, attending a gala dinner with the Monegasque royal family after the Grand Prix weekend.
A unique feature of the weekend is the grouped qualifying, with odd-numbered cars in one group and even-numbered cars in the other. As such, each group will have one representative from all eleven teams battling the stopwatch in contention for the all-important pole position. The order in which the groups qualify is decided by a special draw, ahead of the weekend.
Being a street circuit, the tight walls, elevation changes, and narrow turns offer little flexibility for drivers, making overtaking difficult and leaving no room for error. The circuit features a combination of low-speed corners, including The Tunnel, The Swimming Pool, and, of course, the iconic Hairpin.
Although not celebrated for its overtaking action, the chance of rain could throw a spanner in the works, forcing strategic gambles and ramping up the already strenuous challenge for the drivers.
Last year, Richard Verschoor laid down the fastest time for Trident in Qualifying Group A, setting the benchmark for Group B. ART Grand Prix’s Victor Martins missed out on pole by less than a tenth of a second, making it a maiden pole position for the Dutchman.
It was a weekend of firsts for the grid, as Taylor Barnard won the Sprint Race from reverse-grid pole, a pivotal point for his team AIX racing in beginning its upwards trajectory. The Sprint was a prime example of the all-or-nothing nature of the track, as the race ended at Turn 1 for Victor Martins following a collision with Pepe Martí and Jak Crawford.
On his way to the victory, Barnard held on through a late red flag, after an incident involving Juan Manuel Correa, Kush Maini, and Zane Maloney left all three cars stranded on the track.
Sunday’s Feature Race turned out to be an unexpected season highlight. Fortune played in favour of Zak O’Sullivan, who executed a bold strategic gamble to win from 15th on the grid.
O’Sullivan chose to play the long game, critically choosing to stop just moments before a late Virtual Safety Car was deployed, rejoining the track first on the road, much to the despair of Isack Hadjar, who was posed to take the victory if it wasn’t for the quick thinking from ART. The Briton’s win serves as a reminder to expect the unexpected in Monte Carlo, and might inspire more strategic gambles this year, fitting for a race in the casino-laden Principality.
The Championship
As it stands, Irishman Alex Dunne leads the championship by six points from Luke Browning after both drivers documented a successful weekend in Imola. Third-placed Richard Verschoor will be looking to repeat last year’s heroics in qualifying, but will hope his luck improves for the race, as his 2024 weekend came to a heartbreaking end when he was forced to retire.
The battle for the championship leader is still all to play for, as one driver is yet to create a points gap to the rest of the field. Keeping it clean will be the motto for many over the weekend, as any racing incident could spell disaster.
Hitech TGR lead the Teams’ Championship by just one point after their double podium in Imola, with Campos Racing currently in the runner-up spot. The top two have a small points buffer to MP Motorsport, who sit 19 points back from Campos in third.
Formula 3
Formula 3 is back again in Monaco, one of the most prestigious and renowned circuits in the world. The second race of the triple header, Monaco is a legendary track for all series alike. Although it is known for its luxury and global audience, it is also known for displaying the strategic and tactical racing of racing drivers.
Last week in Imola, Van Amersfoort Racing’s Santiago Ramos clinched the Imola Feature Race win with excellence and experience, breaking championship leader Rafael Câmara’s streak of wins in 2025.
Câmara, though, continues to lead in the championship with 73 points, with teammate Noah Stømsted taking second in the ladder on 52 points, four more than Tim Tramnitz, who currently sits at third with 48 points. Meanwhile, Trident leads the teams’ championship with 135 points followed by MP Motorsport with 76 points. Campos Racing sit third on the ladder, having accumulated 60 points.
Coming to the Monegasque circuit, the 2.073 miles (3.337 km) circuit’s narrow layout and barriers pose a great challenge to the drivers. Located at the harbour area of Monte Carlo, the track has only one DRS zone, located on the main straight.
This circuit hosts the famous and rich, roaring with not just the engines of the cars, but with the horns of the luxurious boats surrounding the coast. The Monaco circuit is known to test a driver for great technicality and strategy.
Teams have to focus on maximising downforce while increasing the level of grip to ace the circuit. With low-speed corners dominating the track layout, the braking demands will not be as high at this circuit. F3 drivers will be able to overtake around this circuit, with smaller cars compared to Formula 2 or Formula One.
The free practice, which will be held at 13:10 CEST (11:10 GMT) is highly crucial for the rookies as it will give them a sense of the circuit, understanding the strategy they have to apply in the race. It will help them understand when to push and when to maintain pace.
Pirelli has brought the softest tyre compounds to Monaco, with degradation expected to be low, with Monaco having the lowest average speed for the season. Last time in Monaco, graining was prevalent on the rear and front axle of the tyre after a few laps but this was manageable and will be the same this year.
Qualifying for F3 has proven to set the pace of the race, and it may do the exact same in Monaco this week. Qualifying is split into two sessions, with the drivers divided on the basis of even and odd numbers. Group A heads out on track at 11:05 CEST (9:05 GMT) and Group B will head out at 11:29 CEST (9:29 GMT).
This is due to the narrow nature of the track does not allow for drivers to provide space for faster cars behind them. The driver that secures the fastest time out of the two groups receives pole position, while the fastest driver from the other group gets P2. This pattern is followed for the rest of the grid.
Last year in Monaco, F3 graduate Gabriele Minì, who continues with PREMA Racing, took pole position and the Feature Race win. While most of Monaco’s points scorers have graduated to F2, Tramnitz and Mari Boya have placed within the top 10 of the feature race.
Campos Racing’s Nikola Tsolov took victory around the venue in 2024, racing for ART Grand Prix back then. This win played an important role in Tsolov’s career, earning him further fame, something that is promised Tramnitz, Laurens Van Hoepen and Noel León placed within the Top 10 of the feature race.
The drivers must prove not just their pace in Monaco but also how they approach a crucial track on the calendar. With F3 featuring a wide range of rookies, one can expect a good amount of action on track and expect changes in the standings of the series as well.
The Sprint Race will take place on Saturday at 10:45 CEST (8:45 GMT).
The Feature Race will take place on Sunday at 8:00 CEST (6:00 GMT).
