Martí and Mansell have become regular visitors to rostrum in the FIA Formula 3. The Spaniard will be fighting for Vice-Championships honors at Monza. Dufek will make his debut in the series with Campos Racing
The 2023 FIA Formula 3 Championship season will go down the wire at Monza’s Temple of Speed this weekend. A thrilling, long campaign, which started in March, will bring the curtain down on the ultra-fast Italian circuit. Campos Racing will be entering their three-car armada for Pepe Martí, Christian Mansell and Josh Dufek, the latter making his first outing in the Formula 3-based racing series.
Martí arrives in Italy sitting 3rd in the drivers’ standings. The Spaniard has scored three wins in Bahrain, Montecarlo and Barcelona and secured another third-place finish at Silverstone. Besides, Martí has also posted two pole positions and four fastest laps, which proves that the Spaniard is one of the brightest talents in the field. Martí, who scored his first points in FIA F3 at Monza last year, will be pushing to bring the Vice-Championship home after a season-long battle with the likes of Paul Aron, Zak O’Sullivan or Franco Colapinto.
Australian Mansell has emerged as one of the best rookies in the series. Mansell grabbed his first points on home soil in Melbourne before repeating in Montmeló. The Australian talent secured a seventh-place finish at Red Bull Ring before stepping onto the podium at Silverstone in difficult, changeable weather conditions. Besides, he rounded out the British weekend with a fifth position. After another top-6 finish at the Hungaroring, Mansell reached a new peak at Spa-Francorchamps by finishing in second place in another difficult race due to poor weather conditions.
Dufek already knows Monza and it will be a remarkable aspect to make less difficult his debut in the ultra-competitive FIA F3 Championship.
Monza is one of the most well-known motorsport venues, which was built exactly 100 years ago. Its nature has always been a high-speed challenge for drivers, with long straights separated by heavy braking corners chicanes. As a result, it makes a decisive impact on tires and brakes as they got cooled down. Monza is also a typical circuits with the car running in low downforce configuration. Qualifying isn’t a key factor as tow on the straights provides good overtaking opportunities. Pirelli has selected the P Zero Red soft tire for the Italian round on the calendar.
Both free practice and qualifying sessions will take place on Friday at 09:40 and 15:05 respectively. Saturday’s Sprint race is scheduled at 09:25 with Sunday’s Feature race taking place at 08:15. All times are CET.
Adrián Campos (Campos Racing Team Principal): “The 2023 has proven to be a very fertile ground of FIA Formula 3 for Campos Racing with an excellent number of wins and podiums. Our goal is to wrap up the season securing the Vice-Championship with Pepe, a very rewarding goal for everybody at the team. Of course, we would also add more podium finishes to our tally at Monza with Pepe and Christian. Hopefully, Josh will be able to also make a strong debut in such competitive racing series.”
Pepe Martí (Campos Racing Driver in FIA Formula 3): “I am thrilled to be back at Monza for the last round of the FIA F3 Championship. We have had a very successful campaign and it all comes down to performing this weekend. I am confident that the team will give me a very competitive car and we will be fighting at the front one last time. Hopefully we can fight to remain in the top 3 both in the drivers and teams championship.”
