Bruno Michel’s Debrief: A season of broken records and a look to the future

After a truly incredible season of FIA Formula 3 action, CEO Bruno Michel reflects on a season that was full of record-breaking performances.

We also got a glimpse of the future at Monza, with the next generation of F3 car unveiled ahead of its competitive debut next season.

Consistency and heart

For the first time in F3 history, the newly crowned Champion takes the title without a single win. People can choose to focus on this odd fact, but what I see is a driver who has achieved a season without a single DNF – something no previous F3 Champion has ever done, having failed to score points only twice in twenty races.

So, with seven podiums, two poles and two fastest laps, the quiet and humble Leonardo Fornaroli became the 2024 FIA Formula 3 Champion. He clinched the title in style, with a champion’s drive in the final race of the season, starting from pole position and having to battle throughout the 22 laps, sending an attack in the very last corner to overtake second-placed and rival Gabriele Mini, to secure the crown.

Since then, it has been announced that Fornaroli will join the Formula 2 grid at the wheel of the Invicta Racing car, effectively following into the footsteps of 2023 F3 Champion Gabriel Bortoleto.

An intense and hard-fought season full of broken records

Six drivers were still mathematically in contention for the Title at the start of the final round of the 2024 season. A total of 12 different drivers claimed at least one win, tying the 2021 campaign for most race winners in one year.

A record was broken this season with eight different drivers taking pole position in 2024. Add to this, 28 drivers out of 30 that started the season scored points, beating by one the all-time record of 27 in 2022. Moreover, 18 drivers have led at least one lap this season, another F3 record…

Looking at the Standings, the lead changed eight times, which again is the most of any other F3 season so far, and the top of the standings saw four different drivers switch the lead, all of whom made up the final Top 4: Leonardo Fornaroli, Gabriele Mini, Luke Browning and Arvid Lindblad.

I’m also quite pleased to see that every team on the grid has achieved at least one podium this year.

All in all, it was a season that was hard to predict, with thrilling on-track battles. The perfect farewell to the first generation F3 car!

Rookie on the rise

Arvid Lindblad joined the F3 grid as the youngest driver and took the championship by storm! He claimed the very first 2024 win on debut at the Bahrain International Circuit. He went on to take three more victories, including a clean sweep on home soil at Silverstone! He ends the season with a win percentage of 20%, which is the highest in the history of the Championship. He was still within reach of fighting for the title at the final round of the season in Monza. He finished fourth overall in the Standings, and he was Top Rookie. I am very interested to see what the future holds for this young talent!

PREMA Racing still on top

They did not have to wait for the end of the season to claim another crown. PREMA Racing took their fifth F3 Teams’ title in the past six years with one round to go, which makes them the ultimate target at the start of every year.

Their closest rivals Trident had another strong season and can be happy with taking the Drivers’ Championship for the second year in a row.

Meanwhile, ART Grand Prix fought their way back into the Top 3 after a disappointing 2023 campaign.

It’s great to see that all ten teams claimed at least a podium this season. What a fantastic year they have delivered!

A new beginning

We introduced the new generation car at Monza last Saturday, a machine that will race for the next three seasons. It has been designed to provide exciting racing, with a lot of overtaking opportunities, and will fit all types of drivers, taking into account the FIA’s requirements regarding the steering effort.

It will also be the most sustainable car to date as it will run on advanced Aramco fuel, meeting the FIA’s 100% sustainable fuel standard as early as 2025, and several parts of the F3 2025 will use recycled carbon.

We are in the process of selecting the teams who will be on the grid for the next three-year cycle, but before this is announced, I would like to thank Andreas Jenzer and everyone at the Jenzer Motorsport team for their hard work since they joined the championship in 2019.

The selected teams for the next three years will receive their first car before Christmas, and the following two cars will be supplied in January 2025. We will see all 30 of them in action for the first time at the pre-season test session. I am really looking forward to the next step of the FIA Formula 3 Championship!