The Bulgarian driver closed the gap in the standings to Câmara after narrowly missing out on the podium in Saturday’s race, the only one held due to Sunday’s cancellation caused by heavy rain and fog. A valuable sixth place for Inthraphuvasak, while a five-second time penalty denied Boya the eighth position he had secured after another impressive recovery drive
It was a weekend of contrasts at Spa-Francorchamps, host of the eighth round of the 2025 FIA Formula 3 season. While Saturday’s race took place in dry and warm conditions that put tire management to the test, the expected rainfall arrived on Sunday and forced the race’s cancellation due to the treacherous grip levels on the Belgian asphalt. As a result, another opportunity for Nikola Tsolov to close the gap to Rafael Câmara vanished. Even so, the “Bulgarian Lion” continues to emerge as the main contender to the Brazilian. Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak added more valuable points, a goal initially achieved by Mari Boya as well, though a post-race five-second penalty dropped him from eighth place out of the top ten.
Belgium’s notoriously fickle weather had already made an appearance on Friday, when fog forced the postponement of the free practice session from early morning to midday, once visibility had improved. Boya, showing strong form in this second half of the season, set the fastest lap with a time of 2m06.111s. Inthraphuvasak was fifth with a 2m06.444s, while Tsolov posted the eighth quickest time in 2m06.640s, all pointing to a qualifying session in which Campos Racing’s three drivers could fight for pole position.
Qualifying eventually took place late Friday afternoon, after the fog had delayed the schedule. The session proved to be a real lottery, with no driver willing to lead the pack and give their rivals the benefit of the slipstream. After the first run, Inthraphuvasak had climbed to second place with a 2m05.747s, with Tsolov fifth in 2m05.795s. Boya, whose best time was deleted due to track limits, provisionally sat in 11th with a 2m06.112s. The outcome was clearly going to be decided in the second attempt during the closing minutes. With 19 cars within the same second, a mere tenth of a second could mean the difference between several positions—and all this while navigating through traffic. Tsolov and Inthraphuvasak managed laps of 2m04.587s and 2m04.662s, earning them seventh and eighth on the grid. Boya was unable to improve on his 2m05.047s and would start 16th. Once again, the Spaniard was gearing up for another heroic comeback.
Saturday’s 12-lap race began under track temperatures above 23ºC, which tested tire management from the start. When the lights went out, Inthraphuvasak held onto fifth from the reverse grid, while Tsolov lost a couple of spots as he focused on preserving his tires in the early stages. Boya, further back, began carving his way through the field and was already up to 14th after just one lap. The opening laps were all about feeling out the conditions, and it wasn’t until lap seven that Inthraphuvasak and Tsolov went on the attack, first overtaking Bruno del Pino. By that time, Boya was up to 10th and soon passed del Pino himself to take ninth. Tsolov, after overtaking Inthraphuvasak, also got past Martinius Stenshorne on lap 10. Now running in fourth, and with just two laps to go, he had to close a three-second gap to Charlie Wurz. With a much stronger pace in the final stages, the Bulgarian nearly made it and crossed the line just four-tenths behind Wurz, finishing ahead of title rival Câmara. Inthraphuvasak would eventually finish sixth, having overtaken Stenshorne at Kemmel in the closing moments. Boya’s charge brought him up to eighth, but a five-second track limits penalty demoted him to 14th.
Sunday dawned wet, but just minutes before the scheduled race start, the skies opened over Spa-Francorchamps. The formation lap behind the safety car saw three cars go off track. The logical result was a red flag. After a 30-minute wait, the field headed back out under the safety car, but more off-track excursions led to a second red flag and, ultimately, the cancellation of the race.
Tsolov now sits second in the drivers’ standings with 98 points, having overtaken Tim Tramnitz. Boya remains fourth with 85, while Inthraphuvasak is 14th with 38. In the teams’ championship, Campos Racing is currently second with 221 points.
The penultimate round of the season takes place in just a few days at the so-called “Monaco without walls,” the Hungaroring circuit near Budapest. More racing awaits—and it promises to be even better.
Nikola Tsolov (Campos Racing driver in FIA Formula 3): “It was a strange weekend in Spa. I struggled with pace since pre-practice and we had to catch up lap by lap. I managed a decent lap in qualifying, but it was only good for P7, which felt fair. We lacked the pace for pole and didn’t have the optimal downforce setup for qualifying and the sprint. Tire management was good, but a poor start cost us a chance at the podium. Still, positives to take into Hungary, where we’ll have the same tire compound. Sunday was too wet, not much to say. Looking ahead to Hungary to bounce back, aim for a strong qualifying —top five or top three—and fight for the title.”
Mari Boya (Campos Racing driver in FIA Formula 3): “Spa-Francorchamps was a weekend where I felt super comfortable. Without a doubt, this gives me a lot of confidence for the rest of the season on circuits I really love.”
Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak (Campos Racing driver in FIA Formula 3): “The weekend looked promising being very competitive since the start. But after a very chaotic weekend happy to walk away with a few points from the sprint race. Didn’t have the chance to maximize the package this weekend but everything seems to be working in a very good window so really looking forward to the Hungaroring in a few days’ time.”
