Written by Sean McKean, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
And just like that, the FIA Formula 3 season is all set to come to an end. After the summer break, all 30 drivers will contest the final round at the acclaimed Monza circuit. But for seven drivers in particular, they enter with a shot to add a resume-defining trophy to their cabinet: the FIA F3 Drivers’ Championship title.
Who are the seven drivers entering this round with a shot at overall glory?
1st. Leonardo Fornaroli: “Consistency is key”
That adage has been thrown around for as long as motorsport, and there’s a reason why it’s stuck around.
Italian driver Leonardo Fornaroli enters Monza with the championship lead by one point. However, unlike most of his competitors, he’s only one of two drivers to have yet to take a victory this season. How has he done so well despite remaining winless?
Well, his consistency is why. It stems way back from his Formula Regional campaign in 2022, when he won the rookies’ championship despite taking no podiums throughout the season.
Now, he’s gotten the podium thing figured out. Six podiums – along with an average finish of 6.61 – has kept his name afloat in the title chase. After his sixth podium in Belgium, where his fellow rivals faltered, he inherited the championship lead by one point.
Fornaroli entered this season with the title firmly on his mind, and the only thing separating him from overall glory is a clean Monza weekend.
2nd. Gabriele Minì: An Italian duel
Fornaroli isn’t the only Italian driver in with a shot, as countryman Gabriele Minì sits one point behind the Trident driver.
Although Minì only has one victory this season from the Monaco feature race, consistent top-six finishes and few DNFs have kept the Italian in the championship hunt. Furthermore, his one-lap pace is amongst the best in the field – averaging a 7.2 starting spot.
With the finale also being Minì’s home race, look out for him to be fighting fiercely for the title in front of his home crowd.
3rd. Luke Browning: A first title since 2022?
After a dominant win in the prestigious Macau Grand Prix to end 2023, Luke Browning entered this season as a title favourite, and he’s certainly proven his worth.
Browning is one of few drivers to have taken multiple wins this season – winning the season opening feature in Bahrain and dominating the Austria feature. These results put him firmly in the championship lead for a good chunk of the season.
However, the Hitech driver’s downfall has been inconsistency. Eight finishes outside of the points-paying positions has opened the door for others to close the gap. Now, he sits third – six points behind Fornaroli up front.
Could Browning win his first single-seaters title since the 2022 GB3 Championship?
4th. Arvid Lindblad: A stunning rookie season
Of all the drivers in the top seven, Britain’s Arvid Lindblad has taken the paddock by storm the most.
The Briton started his season strong with a win on debut in the Bahrain sprint race. He continued a string of consistent finishes in the points before another win – this time, in a feature race – at Barcelona.
Then, Lindblad became the first driver to ever sweep a weekend’s races in the FIA F3 era at his home event in Silverstone. On top of that being his first time racing at the track in single-seaters, it also propelled him into championship contention.
However, the 17-year-old’s results since then have left the door open for others behind him. The four races since his stellar Silverstone weekend have only seen a best finish of 15th.
If he wants to leave Monza with the championship title – sitting 16 points away from the top – the Red Bull junior will have to return to the form he displayed at home.
5th. Dino Beganovic: Second-year magic?
Entering the 2024 season, many expected Dino Beganovic to be contending for the title from race one. However, it hasn’t been an easy ride for the Swede.
The first portion of the season saw highs and lows. He took the first pole of the season at Bahrain but wasn’t able to convert it to any points in the races. Melbourne saw the first points of the season in a race – taking his maiden victory in the feature race.
After Melbourne, Beganovic started delivering consistent results – only finishing outside of the top ten four times. Furthermore, he took his second victory of the season in the Belgium sprint race.
With momentum on his side, Beganovic sits 29 points away from the top of the standings. Although it would take monumental craziness for him to take the title, F3 has seen crazier.
6th. Christian Mansell: Surprising the paddock
On the opposite end of the spectrum, few expected both Christian Mansell and ART Grand Prix to be on the pace with teams such as Prema and Trident. But, both Mansell and ART have been the biggest surprises this year.
Like Fornaroli, the Australian has yet to take a victory this season, but four podiums and seven top five finishes have allowed Mansell to remain in the title fight.
This doesn’t mean that Mansell hasn’t come close to victory though. In the Austrian sprint race, he had the lead when a crash in the back put out a safety car that ultimately ended the race. However, he lifted before the call came out, handing the lead and the subsequent victory to teammate Nikola Tsolov.
Going into Monza, Mansell sits 32 points away from the top. Although it’s not likely he will take overall glory, that shouldn’t take away from the surprise that has been his sophomore campaign.
7th. Oliver Goethe: The longest shot
For most of the season, consistency has been the main story around Oliver Goethe, who sits seventh in the standings.
Throughout the season, Goethe has only finished outside of the points-paying positions three times, but his finishes in key races haven’t been enough to keep him right at the top. This doesn’t mean he hasn’t tasted success, though. The Danish-German driver has three podiums this season – including a victory in the Imola sprint race.
With Goethe sitting 35 points adrift from Fornaroli, it will require a perfect weekend all the while his rivals go points-less. Despite the unrealistic possibility of the title, it shouldn’t take away from Goethe’s consistent 2024.
Editor's note 28 August 2024,
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