The third qualifying session of the 2024 Formula 3 season saw Santiago Ramos claim his maiden pole position in the series, leading Trident to a sensational one-two-three ahead of his teammates Leonardo Fornaroli and Sami Meguetounif. Feeder Series and selected media spoke to the three of them together about the session and the upcoming two races.

By Daniele Spadi

It was a day to remember for Ramos, who was able to claim the first ever pole position of his single-seater career at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola. The Mexican driver was able to steal first place right at the end of the session from teammate Fornaroli, denying the home favourite of his second consecutive pole position. With Meguetounif rounding out the top three, Trident managed to sweep the first three spots in qualifying for the first time in the series since Prema did so in Sochi in 2019 – becoming the second team ever to achieve this feat.

It’s no secret that Ramos is one of the most competitive drivers come qualifying, after the stellar one-lap pace shown in the 2023 Formula Regional European Championship whilst driving for RPM. “Yeah, honestly I’m super happy,” Ramos said after claiming pole. “We know we were fast this weekend, we know we have the pace. After coming from Melbourne, I was a bit not super confident with myself because it was not the best weekend for us.”

The 20-year-old spoke about the challenges of putting together a clean, fast lap when it mattered the most. “I know with this track, with these tires, with this car, it was just a matter of making less mistakes,” he explained. “So, I tried to make a clean lap and at the end, it ended up being like a really good lap. I felt like I pushed on the limit in high-speed corners and traction everywhere.”

A special circuit

After Imola’s late cancellation in 2023 due to the heavy flooding that hit the entire Emilia-Romagna region, the drivers were very excited to come back to one of the most used circuits on the entire feeder series ladder such as Italian F4 and FRECA.

In particular, Ramos has a special relationship with Imola, not only because of his great performances around here – such as qualifying in fourth place last year in FRECA, fighting with the likes of Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Martinius Stenshorne. “Honestly, it’s a circuit I really like. It’s a circuit where I did my debut team in formula cars in Europe back in 2019 Formula 4, so it’s a special circuit for me.”

On Sunday, it will be joint championship leader and home favourite Fornaroli who will line up on the front row of the grid. “It was a shame last year that the race got canceled, but you know, I totally agree with the decision,” Fornaroli told Feeder Series. “Coming back this year, I was very excited also because it’s one of my favorite tracks. And to be also in front of my home crowd, it’s even more special.”

Despite being one of the main championship contenders, and with a great shot at becoming an F3 race winner in front of his home crowd, the 19-year-old does not seem to feel the pressure of it all. “It’s not affecting me, because I approach it like a normal weekend,” he said to Feeder Series when asked about racing in front of the Italian fans. “I don’t have extra pressure because it’s my home race; I’m in front of my own crowd and everyone is here to watch me, but it doesn’t change anything for me. It’s more special, so it doesn’t affect me in a negative way.”

The power of DRS

After the second round of the season in Melbourne, it was clear that the DRS looked to be very powerful with these cars.However, with a more traditional circuit such as Imola, things might change – for better or for worse. “On this track compared to the two we’ve been to, there will be only one DRS zone,” Trident’s Meguetounif told Feeder Series. “So, this will also make less [of] an advantage compared to Bahrain and Melbourne.”

Fornaroli had the same opinion as his teammate. “Of course it will be another story compared to Melbourne and Bahrain because in this track, especially following another car is very tricky,” he said. “So, the DRS in the main straight will help, of course, but not as much as Melbourne and Bahrain.”

The polesitter, on the other hand, spoke to Feeder Series about the positive side of having DRS around, especially as it can help increase on-track action. “I think it’s crucial, because on tracks like these with these cars, with downforce like the F3, I guess it’s hard to follow – sometimes when you’re so close, it’s hard to keep up with them. So, unless the driver makes a big mistake in the last corner, without the DRS I guess it’s really hard to make an overtake.”

“It just opens up the possibility for better racing between the drivers: as you know, sometimes if you didn’t make the best qualifying, but you are really strong on the race, it will make the race fun for everyone.”

Header photo credit: Dutch Photo Agency