The Spanish event will be a home race for Boya, while Goethe and Montoya will also be fighting to achieve significant results on a circuit where the team already performed excellently in the collective tests last April
The 2024 FIA Formula 3 season continues this coming weekend, and after a month-long break since the last event in Monaco, it returns with a meeting marked in red on the Campos Racing calendar: the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The circuit located near the Catalan capital will host the fifth round of the current campaign with two new races in which Mari Boya, Oliver Goethe, and Sebas Montoya will once again aim for top positions.
For Boya, as well as for Campos Racing, it will mean racing in front of thousands of local spectators attending the Spanish Grand Prix. The driver from Les has scored points in six of the eight races held so far, with a fourth-place finish in the Melbourne sprint race as his best result. There's no better time to make a statement than in the races at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Especially considering that in the FIA Formula 3 collective tests held in Montmeló last April, it was Boya who was the fastest at the conclusion of the three days.
In those tests, both Goethe and Montoya also performed magnificently. In Goethe's case, the driver sporting Red Bull colors on his car is the only one to have scored points in every single race so far. Goethe's best performance came in Imola, where he won the sprint race and finished second in Sunday's feature race. As a result of his consistency, he is sixth in the overall standings with 43 points. Montoya has been characterized as a driver capable of great comebacks, reaching the points zone on three occasions despite starting from the back of the grid. With a better qualifying result, Montoya will be another driver to watch closely.
In the team standings, Campos Racing occupies fourth place with a total of 85 points.
The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has been a favorite ground for the Alzira-based team since its beginnings, having achieved victories in countless categories. In the recent case of FIA Formula 3, Campos Racing won at least one of the races in Barcelona in both 2022 and 2023. The Catalan track, which returned to its original length of 4.657 meters after the removal of the final chicane last year, is somewhat less demanding on the tires since the third sector no longer requires as much traction. Nonetheless, the mix of medium and high-speed corners, especially Turn 3, combined with high temperatures, can create a challenging combination for tire degradation.
Both free practice and qualifying will take place on Friday at 9:55 and 15:00 respectively. The Sprint race will be held on Saturday at 10:40, while the Feature race on Sunday is scheduled for 10:05. All times are in the Spanish time zone.
Adrián Campos (Team Principal of Campos Racing): "We always look forward to the two FIA Formula 3 races in Barcelona with great enthusiasm. We are very ambitious because we have three drivers, any of whom can reach the podium there. Furthermore, the fact that we were already very competitive in the collective tests of the category last April confirms this. Additionally, having won in FIA F3 for the past two years at this circuit is another plus. Oliver already knows what it means to win and reach the podium this year, let's see if he can repeat it and what better than to do it with Mari and Sebas."
Oliver Goethe (Campos Racing driver in FIA Formula 3): “After a small break it’s finally race week again here in Barcelona. This is a crucial part of the season with many races coming up and I can’t wait to start things strong this weekend. With it being the team’s home race, I’m going to do my all to get a good result for everyone!”
Mari Boya (Campos Racing driver in FIA Formula 3): “I´m looking forward to kicking off this special weekend at home, by my family and close friends. It’s such an important meeting to build on confidence and approach the busy month and a half ahead in top form. I’m willing to start!”
Sebastián Montoya (Campos Racing driver in FIA Formula 3): “Very excited to be racing in Barcelona since it’s the teams home race, we will aim to score more points and have a good weekend to build for the summer races.”
Photos: © Dutch Photo Agency
