After a tough opening weekend of the 2024 Formula 3 season, Martinius Stenshorne was quick to prove his doubters wrong – entering the championship’s winners’ circle by taking victory in the sprint race around Albert Park. Feeder Series spoke with the Norwegian to talk about his experience in F3 so far, his expectations and the key to success in one of the most competitive junior championships.

By Daniele Spadi

Ready to take his next step up the single-seater ladder after his Formula Regional career came to a close, Stenshorne joined Hitech GP, a prestigious team that is able to fight for success in the championship. It is not news to hear drivers talk about F3 like a completely different championship compared to their previous experiences in the single-seater ladder. Being next to the Formula 1 paddock, the F3 atmosphere is the closest these young drivers have ever been to their ultimate goal.

However, the 18-year-old was not phased by it. “The actual racing weekend was not so different to what I am used to,” he explained. “F1 is quite distant from us, so you don’t really notice it too much – it’s there and you look at it, but you have to focus on what you are doing. F3 was quite new for me so it was a challenge in a good way, and this is what I put most of my energy into.”

A tough opener

Having finished runner-up in Formula Regional Europe last season, Stenshorne was among the ones to watch in Bahrain. However, the 18-year-old struggled at the start of the weekend, qualifying down in 22nd and compromising his chance at scoring points in both races. “F3 qualifying is so pressured, as being inside the top 12 is important for the reverse grid in the sprint race and then track position for the feature race,” Stenshorne told Feeder Series.

“In F3 you don’t get that many laps before you go into qualifying, so every lap counts. It went a lot better in Melbourne so hopefully we can keep improving and take advantage in the race, like we did in Australia.”

Back to winning ways

In fact, the Hitech driver did not waste any time to get to the front of the pack – looking very comfortable in Australia right from the get-go. Qualifying in 11th, Stenshorne was able to start the sprint race from second on the grid – which quickly turned into the lead of the race on lap three after a great battle with ART’s Laurens van Hoepen.

The Norwegian was then able to stay at the front of the field throughout the middle part of the race. A late safety car could have changed the outcome of the race, but he kept his cool – and first place – to ultimately secure his first win in the championship.

“It was a good race,” Stenshorne told Feeder Series. “But whether it’s FRECA or F3, it’s not so different from what I am used to when you are leading the race. The DRS was quite powerful and we had a headwind as well, so it was a nice feeling to finally cross the line in P1. I was happy we got the safety car as I could cool down my tyres a bit more, and [the] safety car restart was good with some strong pace afterwards. I was happy to get the win and get some points on the board just before that long break.”

A busy break

Indeed, F3 has not raced since the end of March, with in-season testing in Barcelona being the only official sessions in the past seven weeks. “I’ve been there before so I knew the track,” he said when asked about how testing had gone. “But there are still a lot of things to learn about the tyres and the car, so we tried to focus on this. I felt I took a step forward with my driving and also the car. It was a really good learning experience.”

However, F3 testing weren’t the only sessions Stenshorne attended during the break. In fact, Feeder Series caught up with the Norwegian whilst he was making his GB3 debut around Silverstone, a track he had never raced on before but one that he will find on the F3 calendar later this year.

“It was a very good opportunity for me and I enjoyed it a lot,” he said when asked about the opportunity to race in GB3. “Silverstone is quite a tricky track, and we had some difficult weather conditions too, plus the car was new for me, so there was a lot to learn. The main focus of the weekend was to learn – I certainly did that and I am pleased we got that lots of running in different conditions under our belts. I feel that will give me a head start going forward to the F3 race in July.”

Header photo credit: Dutch Photo Agency