What’s a Formula 3 race weekend like?
Formula 3 has the privilege of racing alongside the prestigious Formula 1. Every Grand Prix weekend, Théophile Naël is able to demonstrate his talent in front of hundreds of thousands of trackside spectators and millions of motorsport fans around the world.
A Formula 3 weekend follows a well-defined format, structured around three main stages:
Free Practice
During this 45-minute session, drivers discover the track, test the limits of their single-seaters and fine-tune settings to optimize performance.
Qualifications
For 30 intense minutes, the drivers try to set the best possible lap. The ranking of this session is crucial: it determines the starting grid for Sunday’s main race.
Shopping
The weekend is punctuated by two races:
- The Sprint Race (Saturday) Run over a shorter distance, this race uses an inverted grid system for the top 12 qualifiers (12th starts from pole position). Fewer points are awarded than in the main race, but it’s an important opportunity to pick up results.
- The Main Race (Sunday) Longer and more strategic, this race strictly follows the qualifying order. This is the most important race of the weekend, awarding the most points for the championship.
👉 You can follow all Formula 3 races and qualifying sessions live on CANAL+.
A complicated qualifying Friday for Théophile
Qualifying in Bahrain didn’t go as planned for Théophile Naël. After an excellent start to the session in 6th place, he was unfortunately hampered by traffic during his final fast attempt. The result was a distant 22nd place on the grid, a long way from the front rows dominated by Rafael Câmara.
A disappointment for our young driver, who saw his ambitions for the weekend seriously compromised.
Sprint Race: promising start marred by mechanical problems
On Saturday, Théophile was determined to move up the standings. Thanks to a series of spectacular overtakes, he climbed to 13th place in just eight laps. An impressive pace that suggested a return to the points.
However, the mechanics decided otherwise. Victim of a technical problem, Théophile was forced to retire prematurely. A great frustration for the whole team, especially as the potential for a result was very much there.
Main Race: a mentality of steel in sweltering heat
In Sunday’s main race, Théophile once again demonstrated his talent and fighting spirit. After starting 30th due to technical problems, he made a superb comeback in an extremely competitive field to finish in 15th place.
At over 45 degrees on the track for almost 50 minutes, the physical and mental performance required was enormous. Thanks to his preparation with 321 Perform, Théophile was able to remain clear-headed, focused and efficient despite the extreme conditions.
“Thanks to 321 Perform, my physical trainer, for this preparation which enabled me to be clear-headed and stay focused despite the lack of water and the heat during the race.” – Théophile Naël
Théophile is the second Frenchman to compete in Formula 3, confirming his ability to perform at the highest level with impressive maturity.
