Rodin Motorsport driver Callum Voisin took home his first ever Formula 3 pole position at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in the penultimate round of the 2024 season. After a session marred by a controversial traffic jam, the Briton talked to Feeder Series about his preferred conditions around a circuit notorious for unpredictable weather.

By Daniele Spadi and Michael McClure

Having failed to score in the first six rounds, reigning GB3 champion Voisin suddenly hit form come July. He has taken top-six finishes in each of the last four races, including his first podium in the feature race at Silverstone. He also finished fourth in the sprint race the day before and took two sixth-place finishes at the Hungaroring.

Rodin’s Voisin finished only 29th out of 30 in practice at Spa, but with such form entering the weekend, it was less of a surprise to see him take pole – only the second pole for the team under any guise in F3.

Voisin, who raced at Spa twice before in GB3 and took a double pole there in 2023, finished ahead of McLaren junior Alex Dunne of MP Motorsport and Trident’s Leonardo Fornaroli, the sole title contender to qualify inside the top six.

Though rain is only expected to hit the circuit after the sprint race tomorrow, Voisin said he was confident that he could shine in both dry and wet race trim if it came early. Rain is not expected in the area on Sunday before or during the feature race.

“To be honest, from my side, I’m happy with anything,” he told Feeder Series. “I’ve driven this track in all sorts of conditions. I think our pace has been good in all conditions, so from my side, I’m not too worried.

“Obviously if it’s monsoon conditions and I’m starting from pole, I’ll probably be the one saying that it’s too dangerous to be out there! But apart from that, I’m happy in anything.”

At last year’s Spa F3 event, a series of on-track incidents on a damp circuit meant that only one full lap of 12 in the sprint race was run under green-flag conditions. The FIA initially decided not to award points for the race, but the decision was later overturned.

Separately, at the end of Friday’s qualifying session, a traffic jam before the final chicane involving the majority of the field led several drivers to be penalised and compromised most drivers’ final flying laps.

Sami Meguetounif, Sophia Floersch, Mari Boya, Charlie Wurz and Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak have all been dropped three places on the grid for the sprint race for leaving the track without justifiable reason and gaining an advantage.

Dunne and F3 newcomer Tuukka Taponen, who is substituting for the suspended Nikola Tsolov, were at the head of the queue and were summoned to the stewards for impeding a number of cars at Turn 18.

While the stewards’ documents said Dunne had sufficiently stayed off the racing line, ART Grand Prix driver Taponen was handed a three-place grid drop for the sprint race for failing to do so.

As a result of the traffic jam, both Voisin and Fornaroli, who were near the back of the queue, did not cross the start-finish line before the chequered flag came out.

Voisin was investigated after the session for not entering the endurance pit lane after taking the flag, as instructed by the race director’s event notes, but was cleared of blame. He will start 12th for the sprint race.

Header photo credit: Dutch Photo Agency