The streets of the Principality of Monaco will host two new FIA Formula 3 races this weekend. Goethe, who achieved his first win of the season and a second place just a few days ago, along with Boya and Montoya, who completed sensational comebacks, aim to be key players on the urban circuit
The 2024 FIA Formula 3 season is scheduled for its fourth event this weekend in Monaco, one of the year's most prestigious motorsport events due to the tradition surrounding this Grand Prix. Campos Racing will line up its Dallara F3 machinery for Oliver Goethe, Mari Boya, and Sebas Montoya, a talented trio of drivers who have shown an upward trajectory since Bahrain, positioning them as strong contenders for ambitious goals on a challenging circuit like Monaco.
The German-Danish driver Goethe had a superb weekend at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari. The Campos Racing driver arrived in Imola after scoring points in the four previous races in Sakhir and Melbourne, but it was in Italy where he truly shone. Despite a qualifying session that didn't go as expected, Goethe won the sprint race and led Sunday's race, ultimately finishing second and setting the fastest laps on both days.
Spaniard Boya and Colombian Montoya will try to leverage their experience on the streets of the Principality to achieve their best results of the season so far this weekend. Boya scored his first points in Bahrain, fought for the podium in Australia, securing a fourth place in the sprint race and a seventh on Sunday. In Imola, after retiring on Saturday, he staged an unstoppable comeback in the main race, finishing ninth, just ahead of his teammate Montoya. The Colombian finished tenth, repeating his feat from Melbourne, where he also climbed from the back of the grid to sixth and eighth places. Therefore, the goal for Boya and Montoya this time will be to qualify as far up the grid as possible to maximize their chances of a good result.
Just before heading to Monaco, Goethe holds fifth place in the championship with 41 points, while Boya and Montoya are eleventh and thirteenth with 19 and 12 points respectively. In the teams' standings, Campos Racing is in third place with a total of 72 points.
Monaco is a unique circuit, both in its characteristics and history. Hosting motorsport races since the late 1920s, it is legendary among urban circuits worldwide. Given the difficulty of overtaking, starting as high up the grid as possible is crucial. It is an absolutely driver-centric track, very technical, where any mistake is costly as the cars pass within centimeters, if not millimeters, of the barriers. The cars always use a lot of aerodynamic downforce, and like any urban track, the asphalt improves significantly with each session. The surface is not abrasive, and since most corners are low-speed, it does not excessively wear the tires.
Unlike other occasions, the single free practice session will be held on Thursday from 13:10. The qualifying session will be on Friday, divided into two groups of odd and even numbers. Group A will start their session at 11:05 while Group B will begin at 11:29. Regarding the races, Saturday's is scheduled for 10:45 while Sunday's longer race will be at 8:00. All times are in Spanish time zone.
Adrián Campos (Team Principal of Campos Racing): "We are going to Monaco with high spirits after Oliver's victory and second place in Imola. The Barcelona tests already showed that we are on the right track, and we were able to translate that into excellent results last weekend. I'm sure Mari and Sebas will be able to achieve equally brilliant results soon, focusing on improving qualifying results to start further up the grid. It is a circuit where experience is key, and our three drivers have it. Plus, we know we have a competitive car as we won one of the races last year. We approach this weekend with the utmost motivation and desire to perform at least as well as in Imola."
Oliver Goethe (Campos Racing Driver in FIA Formula 3): “One of the most exciting races of the calendar coming up this weekend. We’ll be looking to carry on the momentum of the brilliant last weekend in Imola and do our best to get on the podium again.”
Mari Boya (Campos Racing Driver in FIA Formula 3): “I feel motivated to tackle another week of exciting racing on such a special circuit. I will be aiming to improve in the qualifying, which will be crucial this time."
Sebas Montoya (Campos Racing Driver in FIA Formula 3): “Excited to be racing in Monaco again this year! It’s an awesome circuit with a lot of history and being one of the most well-known circuits in the world I’m excited to get behind the wheel.”
