Mari Boya quickest for Campos in final Formula 3 free practice of 2024

In the final Formula 3 practice session of 2024, on Friday morning, Campos' Mari Boya was fastest at Monza, in Italy.

To conclude the Formula 3 campaign will be the very tight title fight conclusion, taking place this weekend with six possible drivers to come out on top by the chequered flag of Sunday's feature race.

Boya would be quickest ahead of one of the challengers Christian Mansell who was second for ART Grand Prix. Belgium feature race winner Callum Voisin would finish third.

Leonardo Fornaroli comes into the round with the lead of the championship. However, Gabriele Mini, Luke Browning, Arvid Lindblad, Dino Beganovic and Christian Mansell all have ambitions of taking the title too, setting this weekend up to be a fascinating finale.

How the final Formula 3 practice of the year unfolded

After a month since the last round at Spa Francorchamps in Belgium, it was time to decide the title race that had six possible drivers, taking part in the final round, who have a mathematical chance of winning the championship.

The championship had made it to Monza with the closest season in FIA Formula 3 Championship history to be decided and the sixth champion would be determined from one of six. The six drivers to have chance of becoming champion are: Leonardo Fornaroli, Gabriele Mini, Luke Browning, Arvid Lindblad, Dino Beganovic and Christian Mansell.

Ahead of a grouped qualifying session in the afternoon, the drivers would be hoping to get as much running in during the 45-minute practice session that was set to take place on Friday morning, which would be the final practice session of the season.

The green light would come on at the end of the pit lane to signal the start of the session and drivers would head out onto the circuit, as some would be more eager than others.

After a few installation laps the drivers would begin with a first full representative flying lap and it would be Gabriele Mini who would lead the way at the top of the time sheets, ahead of Hitech's Cian Shields. Laurens Van Hoepen of ART would sit third.

Championship contender Arvid Lindblad would have a moment in the early stages for Prema as he would go wide and go through the gravel on the exit of the second Lesmo. Thankfully he was able to use his ability to keep it going and out of the barriers. Therefore, he would rejoin.

Kacper Sztuka would not have the final practice of the 2024 campaign, that he had in mind. He came to a stop down the back straight, on the way down to turn 11 at the Parabolica. It appeared that Sztuka had suffered from some sort of mechanical issue and would bring out the Virtual Safety Car (VSC).

It would be an opportunity for the race director to test a Virtual Safety car as there was a small gap in the barriers where the ever hardworking marshals could push the car through.Soon enough there would be another stoppage as the red flag would be brought out to remove gravel that had been brushed onto the track in two separate areas.

Out of the De La Roga chicane, AIX Racing's Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak spun and kicked up a load of gravel onto the circuit. Inthraphuvasak would carry on but the gravel would cover the circuit. Also, the exit of the second Lesmo would also be covered due to Sebastian Montoya having a venture into the gravel trap.

The red flag would be brought out momentarily while Marshals swept the gravel off the track and pushed it back into the gravel beds.

Before long the session would be resumed and the drivers would head out onto the circuit to try and set some lap times and familiarise themselves with the track with 20 minutes to go. After a couple of installation laps, drivers would begin to start setting some lap times that would be better than Mini's time.

Noel Leon would beat Mari Boya's time to go quickest with his first lap, but as evidence of the ever-developing circuit the Mexican of Van Amersfoort Racing would not stay fastest for long. This would be down to Luke Browning of Hitech having a blistering final sector to go fastest, thanks to slipstream for the entire sector that helped him gain extra speed. 

However, Browning would be beaten by Leon, who would show great pace once again to go fastest in the session as the timing pages would change once again.

With 11 minutes to go, MP Motorsport's Tim Tramnitz would go third fastest, while his MP Motorsport teammate Alex Dunne would go fifth fastest. The MP Motorsport pair were having a much better session than their teammate Sztuka, who had his session ended early on due to mechanical issues.

Prema teammates Mini and Lindblad would go onto the soft compounds with less than 10 to go as drivers and teams were testing different things with limited time remaining in practice. Mini would go fastest with a great lap of 1:38.998. Meanwhile, Lindblad went fourth fastest.

Christian Mansell, also a championship challenger would go to second, 0.155 off Mini's time, which was a great lap from ART Grand Prix. He was showing good pace in the session, just like he had all year.

Soon enough it would be time for the final flying laps with Nikola Tsolov going second and Mari Boya going third as Mini would improve his time at the top of the times. Soon enough though he would be beaten by Mansell. Christian Mansell would go quickest with a 1:38.309 for ART. A great lap for the Australian.

However, it wouldn't be first position for long for Mansell, as Mari Boya would go fastest. It was a great lap from Boya who set a 1:38.172, which was still a strong time despite the slipstream assist from Hitech's Cian Shields.

​The chequered flag would be out so drivers were able to finish the flying laps they were at that time, if they had made it to the timing line prior to the flag being waved. However, most of these laps would be disrupted due to yellow flags in sector 2.

Santiago Ramos would find himself in the gravel at the Second Lesmo after spinning and would be able to get himself out therefore ending the session and creating a track hazard for the remaining drivers on flying laps and therefore, they would have to lift off the accelerator.

Mari Boya would be the happiest driver at the end of practice as he ended the session fastest for Campos. Boya would be quickest ahead of the ART of Christian Mansell who was second with Belgium feature race winner Callum Voisin third.

Sami Meguetounif would finish the session ahead of Gabriele Mini who would complete the top five. Nikola Tsolov would finish sixth ahead of Cian Shields who would finish seventh, with Matias Zagazeta finishing in eighth place. Dino Beganovic and Joshua Dufek completed the top 10.

After the final practice of the 2024 season, the final qualifying of the season will take place later on through the day on Friday, with the six battling for the best position possible.

2024 FIA Formula 3 Championship: Round 10 - Monza, Italy 

1. Mari Boya (Spain, Campos Racing)
2. Christian Mansell (Australia, ART Grand Prix)
3. Callum Voisin (Great Britain, Rodin Motorsport)
4. Sami Meguetounif (France, Trident)
5. Gabriele Mini (Italy, Prema Racing)
6. Nikola Tsolov (Bulgaria, ART Grand Prix)
7. Cian Shields (Great Britain, Hitech Pulse-Eight)
8. Matias Zagazeta (Peru, Jenzer Motorsport)
9. Dino Beganovic (Sweden, Prema Racing)
10. Joshua Dufek (Austria, AIX Racing)
11. Noel Leon (Mexico, Van Amersfoort Racing)
12. Noah Stromsted (Denmark, Campos Racing)
13. Luke Browning (Great Britain, Hitech Pulse-Eight)
14. Sebastian Montoya (Colombia, Campos Racing)
15. Sophia Floersch (Germany, Van Amersfoort Racing)
16. Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak (Thailand, AIX Racing)
17. Tommy Smith (Australia, Van Amersfoort Racing)
18. Arvid Lindblad (Great Britain, Prema Racing)
19. Tim Tramnitz (Germany, MP Motorsport)
20. Joseph Loake (Great Britain, Rodin Motorsport)
21. Charlie Wurz (Austria, Jenzer Motorsport)
22. Alex Dunne (Republic of Ireland, MP Motorsport)
23. Santiago Ramos (Mexico, Trident)
24. Piotr Wisnicki (Poland, Rodin Motorsport)
25. Martinius Stenshorne (Norway, Hitech Pulse-Eight)
26. Max Esterson (United States, Jenzer Motorsport)
27. Leonardo Fornaroli (Italy, Trident)
28. Laurens Van Hoepen (Netherlands, ART Grand Prix)
29. Nikita Bedrin (Italy, AIX Racing)
30. Kacper Sztuka (Poland, MP Motorsport)

Brandon Whiteside
Writer - F1 Journal