F3 | Will the new car bring a revolution like F2?

In the now classic setting of Monza, which also served as the backdrop to the final race of the 2024 championship, Formula 3 unveiled the new generation of cars that will debut next season.

As per tradition, in fact, even the standard cars of the preparatory series try to renew themselves, so that the growth of the drivers in the youth pyramid takes up some of the themes and aspects at the top of this climb. For this reason, the new single-seater tries to break away from its previous identity, taking up some stylistic and technical dictates from Formula 1, with a clear approach to the ground effect, although logically not so exaggerated.

As in Formula 2, the base under the hood will remain unchanged with the new-generation car, with a 3.4-liter naturally aspirated six-cylinder Mecachrome, capable of delivering 380 horsepower at 8,000 rpm, essentially in continuity with what has been seen in recent years. However, the transition to sustainable fuels in collaboration with Aramco will take place next year, which will not require major changes to the system.

Another important change is the move to 16-inch tyres, so that the size is closer not only to that of Formula 1, but also to that of Formula 2, with the latter having aligned itself with the category at the top of the pyramid by adopting 18-inch tyres. A size that clearly cannot be replicated in Formula 3, because it would have been too large a size for these single-seaters, but the transition from one series to the other will now be less complex for the drivers.

The most important aspect, however, will certainly be the aerodynamic one. Already in Formula 2 we saw how the drivers had to readjust compared to the previous generation of cars: it was not such a radical change as the one in Formula 1, also because peaks in terms of load and rigidity are not reached like those in the top series, but it still required a period of adaptation.

There has been no shortage of overtaking in Formula 3, but according to Nikolas Tombazis, these new ground-effect cars should still make it easier to follow another car. “This car is part of a family of cars that we have built in Formula 1, with which we will take another step in 2026. We did it in Formula 2 last year and now Formula 3 is joining this family of cars to allow the cars to run closer together and to fight and overtake each other more easily,” said FIA single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis.

Behind, clearly, there has been a study of flow management, so that the dirty slipstream of the cars has less influence on the one that follows. Furthermore, to this we must add a consideration: while in Formula 1 there is the possibility of free development, always within the regulatory constraints, those of Formula 2 and Formula 3 are standard single-seaters and cannot be modified by the teams. For this reason, the base will always remain the one thought up by the FIA ​​in the design phase, therefore the values ​​of load lost behind another car should remain constant also in the coming years.

F3 2025

Photo by: FIA F3

“This is all the result of a lot of aerodynamic work that we do at the FIA. We completely simulate the shape of the car, as we do in Formula 1, and we make sure that the wake of the car is sent over the car that is following, and therefore the car that is following sees a much cleaner level of airflow, with much less turbulence, and therefore loses less downforce. As a result, it is easier to follow closely, to attack and so on,” added Tombazis.

From an aerodynamic point of view, however, there is a difference compared to the cars in the higher category: the rear wing has not seen the same revolution adopted for Formula 2, where the DRS flap is in fact curved with shapes that recall those of Super Formula. A design conceived specifically to increase the effectiveness of the mobile wing, but which has not been adopted in Formula 3, where the design is more in line with that of previous years. According to what was explained by the director for single-seaters of the FIA, the right balance was sought between the simplicity of the solution, also in terms of costs so as not to burden the teams too much, and effectiveness in the slipstream.

“The type of wing design that has been chosen is the one that allows for easier adjustment and simpler shapes. The work we have done from an aerodynamic point of view to have races with cars that can be easily followed has confirmed that the current solution, the one we have adopted, behaves quite well from the point of view of the slipstream, and that is why we have chosen this simpler solution for Formula 3”.

However, following what happened in Formula 2, it is legitimate to wonder if, starting from scratch, even in Formula 3 with this new car we will witness an unpredictable season. For example, in Formula 2 Invicta Racing is currently leading the F2 team standings and fighting for the drivers’ title, but in 2023 it had not gone beyond fifth place, while ART and Prema, big protagonists last year, are in more difficulty today.

Dallara F3 2025

Photo by: FIA F3

While the teams were clearly consulted in the process of creating the car, much of the work was basically done by the FIA, which means that the teams will not have precise and comprehensive data to prepare for next season. The teams have not had the opportunity to follow the creation of this vehicle step by step, seeing the completed product only shortly before the presentation in Monza via renderings.

Considering that the teams will have the first real prototype only around December before the tests that will take place in early 2025, it will be a sort of race against time to start putting together all the data collected, even when the technical regulation is published, in order to also create a basis for engineers and drivers to train on the simulator. Tyres, weight (for more effective safety measures), aerodynamics and many other factors will change, so all the data accumulated in these years will no longer be usable, giving way to the need to essentially start from a blank sheet.

Certainly Formula 3 in recent years has seen a substantial supremacy by well-defined teams, with Prema, Trident and ART always in the lead, even if there have been incursions by Hitech, Campos and MP, while in Formula 2 there has often been greater movement in terms of values ​​on the field. It is difficult to imagine that the preparatory series at the base of the pyramid that follows Formula 1 on the various circuits could see a total revolution, but it will be interesting to observe whether even teams with more limited resources will be able to benefit in some way from this regulatory change.