Christian Mansell, representing ART Grand Prix, achieved the pole position in the Formula 3 Championship race held at the Monte Carlo circuit in Monaco on May 26, 2024. Mansell’s team had a remarkable achievement, with Nikola Tsolov finishing in third place.
The Formula 3 teams and drivers returned to the familiar track in Barcelona for testing during the season, where Martinius Stenshorne of Hitech Pulse-Eight stood out as the fastest in the day’s practice session. The talented McLaren junior driver recorded a time of 1:28.774, leading the field.
During the first lap on the track, Laurens Van Hoepen set the fastest time, with Leonardo Fornaroli sandwiched between him and his teammate Christian Mansell. Subsequently, all drivers returned to the pits to equip their cars with new hard tires for the second round.
In the second part, Browning took the lead, followed by Fornaroli, who managed to improve his lap time. Meanwhile, local hero Mari Boya initially struggled after an incident in practice that resulted in a collision with the walls. However, during his second lap, Boya impressively jumped to the second position, just 6 milliseconds behind the provisional pole position.
Oliver Goethe, Boya’s teammate, closely followed in fourth place, while Montoya, representing Campos Racing, dropped to 17th place in his home country. With only 10 minutes remaining, the top five drivers were separated by less than a tenth of a second, highlighting the intense competition.
Unfortunately, Dino Beganovic faced a setback as his time was excluded due to a track limits infringement at Turn 9, resulting in his fall to 29th position. With 7 minutes remaining, all drivers returned to the track for their final qualifying laps after a visit to the pits.
During the first attempt of the session, Browning improved his own time, but Lindblad managed to surpass him and secure the provisional pole position. Tsolov also had an impressive lap, placing himself on the front row, just 3 milliseconds behind the pole position.
However, it was Christian Mansell who ultimately achieved the fastest time with just 1 minute and 30 seconds remaining, after an incredible lap. Mansell’s achievement ensured him the pole position, while the ART Grand Prix team had their two drivers, including Alpine’s junior driver Tsolov, among the top three. Lindblad secured the second position, separating the ART drivers.
Championship contender Beganovic faced disappointment as he will start from 15th position, unable to deliver a strong enough lap after his initial time was excluded. Luke Browning finished in fourth place, with Goethe in fifth, leading the way for the Campos Racing team, and Fornaroli in sixth.
Martin Stenshorne, Van Hoepen, and Dunne completed the top 10, while local driver Mari Boya secured the 11th position.