The NEOM McLaren Formula E Team has announced that McLaren Driver development programme and F1 Academy driver Ella Lloyd will take part in the Berlin Rookie Test, on Monday 14th July.
Ella, from Wales, began racing competitively in the Ginetta Junior Championship before competing in the Ginetta GT Championship the following year, finishing vice-champion.
At the beginning of 2024, Ella competed in the Formula Winter Series, securing the Female Driver Trophy multiple times. She competed in British F4, completing the season with three P2 result, one P3 and multiple points finishes.
In October last year, Ella joined the McLaren Driver Development Programme and represents the team in the 2025 F1 Academy season. Her participation in the series has already proved fruitful with a race victory in Jeddah, 3 more podiums to her name and 67 points overall from just four race weekends. Alongside her F1 Academy programme, Ella is laso competing in her second season of British F4.
Berlin will mark Ella’s second opportunity in Gen3 Evo machinery, following her first outing at the Season 11 pre-season Women’s test in Madrid, where she impressed the team with her feedback and ability to get to grips with the machinery quickly.
I’m really looking forward to getting behind the wheel of the GEN3 Evo car again with the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team. I learnt so much at the Women’s Test in Madrid and I’m excited to have another opportunity to get out on track and put all the preparation I’ve been doing in the simulator into practice. Lloyd on the news.
Ella is a very exciting young talent, and I’m thrilled that she will be back in the GEN3 Evo at the Berlin Rookie Test. Having worked alongside her over the course of this season, Ella’s professionalism and eagerness to learn left an impression on the whole team. I’m sure that she will continue to build on her knowledge and experience when we head out to Berlin. Ian James, Team Principal.
Formula E and the FIA have announced the first provisional calendar for the 2025-26 season of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship following validation from the FIA’s World Motorsport Council Meeting.
Featuring its most expensive season yet with 18 races across 12 global cities, highlights include new races in Madrid and Miami’s International Autodrome for the first time.
The all-electric series’ record-breaking 12th season begins on 6th December 2025 on the vibrant streets of Sao Paulo, before the championship returns to Mexico City in January.
Formula E then makes its first race appearance at the Miami International Autodrome on 31st January. February sees a nighttime double-header under the lights in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. While Madrid debuts on the calendar in March at the historic Circuito de Madrid-Jarama – the first time Formula E has race in the Spanish capital.
Returning venues including Berlin, Tokyo and Shanghai, each hosting double header race weekends, while Monaco continues its role as the jewel in the crown of motorsport, hosting back to back races on the iconic street circuit, only the second time it has hosted World Championship races on consecutive days after it debuted earlier in May this year.
The season concludes once more in London, with a climatic double-header at the Excel on 15th – 16th August 2026 that will round out the end of the GEN3 Evo era.
Two further locations to complete the calendar are awaiting public confirmation, as end-stage negotiations are ongoing with local authorities ahead of forthcoming World Motorsport Council Meetings later in the year, when the final calendar will be revealed and ratified.
This calendar is our most competitive yet, blending exciting new and existing venues with legendary circuits that define Formula E. With greater attention on calendar stability, we’re becoming easier to find, engage with and attend, unlocking greater fan loyalty and love. Our debut in Madrid and increase in total races demonstrates our mission and intent to continually grow the series in key markets, while racing at Miami’s International Autodrome takes our US presence to another level at a world-class facility. As we continue to see year-on-year growth of our global fanbase and TV audiences, this calendar is certain to deliver even more exciting racing from our top tier drivers and teams for our fans to get behind. Jeff Dodds, CEO Formula E.
We’re incredibly proud of the global footprint we’ve built for our 12th season, covering 2025-26. With at least two fantastic new circuits joining the impressive roster, including what will be a home race for myself in Madrid that has long been a goal of mine, we’re enhancing the diversity of what fans can expect while staying true to our DNA with a blend of city street and built circuit venues. It is what makes our racing so exciting and compelling to watch. We’ve carefully curated each leg to minimise our freight, improve sustainability and give fans across the world even more opportunity to tune in and watch no matter the time zone, thanks to our fantastic roster of broadcast partners. Alberto Longo, Co-Founder & Chief Championship Officer of Formula E.
The Season 12 calendar provides a world-class platform to showcase Formula E at its very best whilst offering a balanced presence in different regions, especially in those where the EV industry is developing. With an excellent mix of new circuit venues and returning street racing classics, fans can expect an action-packed season that reflects Formula E’s continued growth and innovation in electric motorsport. The variety of track layouts will also ensure diversified race scenarios with the GEN3 Evo race car. Marek Nawarecki, Director, FIA Circuit Sport Department.
Nissan Formula E Team’s Reserve and Simulator Driver, Sergio Sette Camara will be making his first appearance for the team at the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship Berlin E-Prix on 12th-13th July.
He will be filling in for Norman Nato, who will be absent due to his World Endurance Championship commitments.
Sette Camara has 66 Formula E races to his name, since he made his debut in 2020. The 27 year old joined Nisan ahead of Season 11, and has been working in the team’s simulator and development car throughout the season so far.
The race weekend will mark Sette Camara’s first official outing for the squad in the Nissan e-4ORCE 05. He will be looking to help the team continue its excellent form so far this season.
It’s a shame Norman can’t be with us in Berlin, but we’re delighted to have Sérgio stepping in. Sérgio’s extensive experience in Formula E and his time with the team this season make him the best-placed driver to step in and take on this challenge. Formula E is a unique series and, as we’ve seen in the championship in recent seasons, it can be difficult for drivers to come in and immediately be on the pace due to the specificities of the cars, tires and energy management. However, we are confident we have the best man for the job and look forward to seeing what he can do on track in Berlin. Tommasso Volpe, Managing Director & Team Principal.
I’m excited to race for the Nissan Formula E Team in Berlin. It’s a good opportunity for me to step into one of the leading cars in the championship, something I haven’t experienced before in this series, and I feel ready to give my all. Even in my role as reserve driver, it’s been a pleasure to be part of a team with such a strong, winning mentality. The environment at Nissan is one that pushes you to grow, and just being around it is motivating. Being back on the grid is special, but doing it with Nissan does make it more meaningful. In regards to the race itself, there are a number of firsts I’ll have to face in Berlin. The pit-boost and the all-wheel-drive system introduced for GEN3 EVO car are a couple of them, as well as the new softer tire spec, but I’ll do plenty of laps on the simulator and try to arrive as prepared as I possibly can. I’m also really keen to team up with Oli, he’s a driver I’ve always admired for his speed and he’s proven that so far this year with his incredible performances. It’s a great chance for me to learn from him, we get on well and I’m confident we will work together strongly in Berlin. Sergio Sette Camara on the news.
Mercedes’ Doriane Pin steered clear of trouble in Montreal to deliver her third win in six races and snatched the lead of the Drivers’ Standings.
The French racer had a front-row view to contact between polesitter Chloe Chamber and her teammate Alisha Palmowski, taking advantage of the contact to seize the lead and withstanding a Safety Car restart to take home the win.
Ella Lloyd also capitalised on the chaos, turning a P7 start into a P2 finish, whilst Kick Sauber’s Emma Felbermayr put together a mature performance to earn her first F1 Academy podium.
Chambers aced her launch at lights out, allowing her to keep her teammate Palmowski behind on the run down to Turn 1. Pin and Nobels went side-by-side but it was Lloyd on the move, going almost three-wide with Nobels and Felbermayr to get through to fourth.
Benefitting from the tow, Palmowski piled the pressure on Chambers. Refusing to give up, the Red Bull Racing driver gambled on a move inside of Turn 1, which didn’t pay off. Locking up on entry, the two collided, sending Palmowski into a spin and leaving Chamber leading, albeit with a broken front wing.
Pin capitalised on the incident, sailing past the stricken Red Bull Ford car and into the lead. Chambers fought back valiantly to hit the front again momentarily until her front wing detached, with the American driver forced to pit for repairs.
Making the most of the clear air, Pin escaped down the road, building up a gap of over a second to Lloyd by Lap 6.
Meanwhile, Maya Weug’s Montreal weekend went from bad to worse, as the Ferrari driver made multiple trips to the pits as an issue continued to plague her car.
Trying to salvage some points from the race, Palmowski clawed her way back into the top 10. Attempting to make her way through on Chloe Chong, the Brit found the door firmly shut until Lap 10. After Palmowski lunged up the inside of the hairpin at the last second, Chong utilised the slipstream to repay the favour.
Missing the final corner, the Charlotte Tilbury driver had to give the place back as behind the pair, Wild Card driver, Matilda Paatz hit the wall and triggered the Safety Car.
With Pin’s 1.8 second lead wiped away, the Mercedes driver bunched the pack together as she brought them back up to racing speed heading into Lap 15. Catching Lloyd off guard, Pin pulled clear of the McLaren driver, who had to fend off an attack from her Rodin teammate.
Further back, Rafaela Ferreira and Alba Larsen battled over P6. A huge lock-up for the Racing Bulls driver forced to take the escape road. Carrying too much speed on the exit, the Brazilian collided with the side of Chong. Meanwhile. contact between Joanne Ciconte and Courtney Crone sent the Haas spinning off at the hairpin, bringing out the Safety Car again.
With only two laps remaining, Pin drew the race to a close behind the Safety Car to take a 24 point lead in the standings.
The full top 10 are- P1: Pin, P2: Lloyd, P3: Felbermayr, P4: Gademan, P5: Block, P6: Larsen, P7: Hausmann, P8: Palmowski, P9: Chamber and P10: Anagnostiadis.
Race 2-
After being disqualified from her first F1 Academy podium earlier on in the day, Emma Felbermayr avenged the result during Race 2 in Canada, sealing a maiden victory in a frenetic final lap sprint to the chequered flag.
Nina Gademan came within half a lap of victory, but a late Safety Car left the Alpine driver vulnerable and she couldn’t hold on as Felbermayr and Ella Lloyd snuck past to deliver a 1-2 finish for Rodin Motorsport.
Reverse grid pole sitter, Chloe Chong initially held firm off the line as Gademan stuck close behind in second. Felbermayr, Lloyd and Tina Hausmann almost went three-wide at the start after the Kick Sauber driver squeezed across to the right, with Lloyd managing to slip into third.
Spotting her opportunity a few corners later, Gademan dived up the inside of Chong who left the door open long enough to enable Lloyd and Felbermayr to follow through.
Felbermayr made up another place on Lap 2, utilising the sliptstream to swoop past Lloyd, who had no time to fight back as she tried to fend off Doriane Pin. At the same time, Chambers risked a move of her own on the Mercedes driver on Lap 5. Going side-by-side into Turn 2, the Red Bull Ford driver spun across the run-off and tumbled down to P14.
Pin then tried to overtake Lloyd at the final chicane, but both cut the corner. Although, the Mercedes emerged out in front, Pin was ordered over the radio to give the position back to Lloyd. Behind them, Tommy Hilfiger’s Alba Larsen made a move stick on Alisha Palmowski for fifth.
Out front, Gademan had built a comfortable 1.4 second-gap over Felbermayr, but was shown the black and white flag for track limits.
After swapping positions with Lloyd on the next lap, Larsen tried to take advantage with a late-braking move into the hairpin. Tapping the rear right of Pin’s car, the Mercedes driver was lucky to hold on to fourth, with the Dane shown the black and white flag for the contact.
Fortunately her MP Motorsport teammate Maya Weug, was able to pull off the lunge on Aurelia Nobels in eighth. The Puma driver fought back with the slip stream but didn’t have enough room, banging wheels into the final chicane and sending Nobels skidding over the run-off.
Lloyd and Pin’s battle continued, with the Mercedes driver skipping over the final corner and emerging out in front. Yielding the place back to the Mclaren driver left her vulnerable to Larsen, who pounced at the same corner one lap later to snatch fourth away.
Gademan’s lead out front was steadily being chipped away by Felbermayr to under eight tenths until contact between Hitech TGR teammates Nicola Havrda and Aiva Anagnostiadis necessitated a Safety Car on Lap 14.
Left with one racing lap, Gademan went early in her sprint to the line. Sticking with her, Felbermayr dived to inside of the Dutch driver at Turn 9 to take the lead, while Lloyd followed through snatching second at the hairpin.
With only a few turns to go, Felbermayr was in a race against time. Bouncing over the kerb at the final corner, the Austrian managed to keep her foot to the floor to take the chequered flag first.
Race 3-
Chloe Chambers stayed in full control in Canada to convert pole position into her first victory of the 2025 season. Fending off McLaren’s Ella Lloyd, the Red Bull Ford driver mastered two Safety Car restarts to deliver a lights-to-flag win.
Lloyd secured her third consecutive second place finish in Montreal, whilst Pin recovered from a tricky opening lap to secure third.
The Campos Racing duo of Chambers and Palmowski once again lined up on the front row, with polesitter Chambers holding firm off the line. A rapid start from fourth placed Lloyd put her alongside Palmowski through the first chicane.
The pair banged wheels on the run to Turn 3, sending Palmowski spinning. Pin narrowly avoided being collected despite a knock to her front wing but dropped down to P5 behind PREMA teammates Hausmann and Gademan.
Contact ensued further back after Wild Card Mathilda Paatz lost it out of Turn 7 and crashed into the path of Aiva Anagnostiadis necessitating a Safety Car by the end of the lap. Returning to green flag conditions on Lap 8, Chambers floored it into the final chicane to put space between herself and Lloyd. Pin fired her way past Hausmann on the restart, going later on the brakes at Turn 3.
Race 2 winner, Emma Felbermayr was also making moves, pulling off a quick dive past Chloe Chong for P6.
Lloyd kept the pressure on Chambers, setting the fastest lap heading into lap 9. Fighting over the podium, Pin got the tow on Hausmann to breeze past the Aston Martin driver for third, whilst Maya Weug sought to salvage a result from her unlucky weekend.
Another Safety Car was called after Lia Block misjudged her braking into Turn 8 as she tried to get past Rafaela Ferreira for the final point on Lap 10.
Chambers pulled off a near identical restart on Lap 13, but Lloyd has sussed it out already and stayed close to the American.
Larsen tried to go round the outside of Chloe Chong for P5, but the Tommy Hilfiger driver left the door open for Weug. Banging wheels at Turn 3, it was the Ferrari driver who emerged in front as Larsen dropped down to 8th.
Palmwoski then pounced, demoting Larsen down another place before diving past Gademan at Turn 10 for seventh.
The Safety Car would make a third and final appearance after contact on Lap 14 between Courtney Crone and Felbermayr under braking left the Haas car facing the wrong way.
As the race approached the 30 minute mark, there was not enough time to get back to green flag racing, allowing Chambers to take the chequered flag for the win with Lloyd and Pin completing the podium.
George Russell has clinched Mercedes’ first victory of the season in the Canadian Grand Prix, a race that ended in dramatic style after a collision between McLaren team mates Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris that saw the latter crash out.
It had been a strong start from pole position for Russell, the Briton launching away cleanly to hold the lead from Max Verstappen. What followed was a race of different strategies across the pack, with some opting for a two-stop plan while others tried to nurse their tyres on a one-stop.
Most of the front runners executed a two-stop strategy, setting up for a thrilling finale as the gaps amongst the top five cars became increasingly close in the closing stages. While Russell was leading from Verstappen, Piastri was trying to catch Kimi Antonelli for third – but the Australian also had Norris hot on his tail.
The McLaren pair then engaged in a feisty battle and contact occurred between them after Norris hit the back of Piastri’s car, resulting in Norris parking up at the side of the track.
The full top 10 are- P1: Russell, P2: Verstappen, P3: Antonelli, P4: Piastri, P5: Leclerc, P6: Hamilton, P7: Alonso, P8: Hulkenberg, P9: Ocon and P10: Sainz.
What a result for the Mercedes duo, their first win of the 2025 season and done in style by Russell and it makes up from last year’s Canadian Grand Prix. As for Antonelli, his first podium in F1 in his rookie season! It makes him the third youngest podium sitter.
A very good result for Verstappen, I think he would have liked the win, but with different strategies going on up and down the field it was a difficult one to grasp. As for his teammate, Tsunoda finished outside of the points in P12, after starting from 18th… Not a very good weekend for him.
P4 for Piastri, a shame he didn’t get on the podium as he was closing in on Antonelli, but sometimes it’s not meant to be. However, it wasn’t a smooth sailing race for the McLaren’s, late on in the race Norris was closing in on Piastri and it all came to blows, after Norris went for a very tight gap which he shouldn’t of gone for and clipped the back of Piastri wheel which saw Norris’ front wing come off and damage the front axel skidding himself along the pit wall and out of the race. Piastri was okay to carry on and finish the race as he had no damage at all. A gutting end to the weekend for Norris, but it was a mistake which he owned up to straight away and took full responsibility, he will be looking towards the next race weekend.
A decent result for the Ferrari’s, but still not amazing. P5 for Leclerc and P6 for Hamilton, the latter was no where in the race as he suffered damage to his Ferrari early on in the race.
Points for Alonso again, a good display of the improvements Aston Martin are making, every point scoring finish for the Silverstone based team will be vital at the end of the season.
Hulkenberg also was in the points again for the second race weekend in a row, lots of improvements made from the Stake team and it is great to see.
Now we have a little break before the next race weekend and it’s a double header starting in Austria on the 27th – 29th June!
Red Bull Racing;s Alisha Palmowski made the most of her first appearance at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, topping Round 4’s one and only Free Practice session with a 1:38.898.
Campos Racing kept a firm hold on the top spot as Palmowski and teammate Chloe Chambers traded personal bests, before the Briton’s final attempt nudged her in front by 0.074s at the chequered flag.
Larsen was the first driver to get a feel for the 4.361 km circuit, with her initial impression clocking in at 1:55.428. Steadily getting up to speed, the Tommy Hilfiger driver set the time to beat at 1:42.647 to go three tenths ahead of Ella Lloyd.
Only four drivers had times on the board after 10 minutes of running. Lloyd was next to go fastest on a 1:43.277, despite the McLaren driver going too deep into the final chicane and over the run off.
Beginning to make her presence known, Chambers posted a 1:41.701 to go a tenth quicker than Palmowski at the top of the timesheets. Although the Red Bull Ford driver then improved by a further two tenths, her hold would be brief as Palmowski broke clear on her next attempt, putting an eight-tenths buffer between herself and P2.
Chambers was the first into the 1:39s to re-take the time to beat, only to be pushed back down to second by just 0.079s to Palmowski. Pin sat in third at the halfway mark, 0.237s off the benchmark.
The Campos duo showed little sign of slowing, with Chambers crossing the line to regain best time of the session, before Palmowski set the timesheets alight with a 1:39.315.
Five tenths off the pace in third, Larsen narrowly avoided a trip to the barriers, carrying too much speed into the chicane and spinning onto the grass. A red flag put running to a halt with less than 10 minutes remaining after a fan detached from Pin’s car following her exit from the pits.
Improvements were still to be found once Green Flag conditions resumed. Even with the tyres being well past their peak, Chambers posted the first 1:38s time of the day. However, it was Palmowski who ended the session on top, snatching the fastest effort by setting a 1:38.898 at the chequered flag.
Qualifying-
Chloe Chambers threw down the gauntlet to her title rivals, conquering Qualifying in Montreal to seal her third consecutive pole position of the season.
Locked in a back and forth battle with teammate Alisha Palmowski, it was the Red Bull Ford driver who stamped her authority on the top spot, setting a 1:38.125 in the final minutes. Palmowski completed a 1-2 for Campos Racing, with Mercedes’ Doriane Pin finishing four tenths back in third.
Without a time to her name following an electrical issue in practice, every lap mattered for Maya Weug. After a burst of initial laps, Chambers set the early benchmark of a 1:45.283. Improving into the 1:41s on her next attempt, the American was swiftly beaten by a 1:40.910 from Alba Larsen.
Times quickly tumbled, with Lia Block, Ella Lloyd and Palmowski all going fastest in turn, before Larsen moved back up to the top and into the 1:39s. In a class of her own in the first phase, Larsen continued to beat her personal best, with a 1:39.246 putting nine tenths between herself and Lloyd in P2.
With 17 minutes to go, the PREMA trio headed out and Pin immediately broke into the top three, albeit six tenths off Larsen.
Reminiscent of Free Practice, Chambers would be the one to demote her teammate going over a tenth quicker. In response, Palmowski posted the fastest time of the day with a 1:38.749 with Chambers settling for second on her next attempt.
The Red Bull Ford driver then reinstated her hold on the top of the timesheets by 0.059s only for Palmowski to find an extra 0.039s.
With less than six minutes to go, Chamber responded with a 1:38.125, eclipsing her teammate by over five tenths.
Pin then hit the front row, splitting the Campos duo, but one final lap at the chequered flag was enough for Palmowski to regain second. However, Chambers’ earlier effort proved enough for her to seal pole position by three tenths to Palmowski, as Pin wound up third.
FIA Formula 3 and the FIA have announced the calendar for the 2026 FIA Formula 3 Championship, which will a gain comprise of a total of ten rounds, all support events of the FIA Formula 2 Championship and the FIA Formula One World Championship.
The campaign, approved by the FIA World Motorsport Council, will open overseas in Melbourne Australia early in March before flying to the Bahrain International Circuit mid-April.
The F3 field will then head back to Europe for its third round in the prestigious streets of Monte Carlo, in early June. That same month, there will be two more race weekends, the first in Barcelona-Catalunya and two weeks later at Spielberg, Austria.
July will open at Silverstone, UK, which will be followed by Spa-Francorchamps and Budapest.
The eighth season of F3 will conclude with back-to-back rounds after the summer break. Monza will see the return to action in early September, and a new venue Madrid will host the conclusion of the 2026 season.
We have seen great racing in Formula 3 this season, and there will be a huge amount of excitement for the 2026 season. There’s been some great new talent coming up through the pipeline, assisted by so many F2 drivers moving to Formula 1 this year, and they are fighting it out on the track. The opportunity to race alongside the highest levels of motorsport challenges not only the drivers’ technical aptitude, but also their mental and physical resilience, which is so critical for our sport. The work of Bruno Michel and all the teams is impressive and I want to congratulate them all on their continued success. Of course, the races wouldn’t happen without the support of the FIA, stewards, volunteers, the promoters and our partners, Pirelli and Aramco. Next season is going to be a huge one for the sport, and F3 will be playing an important part in that, both on and off the track. Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1.
The FIA Formula 3 Championship continues to play a fundamental role in shaping the future of our sport, providing young drivers with a world-class environment to grow and compete on some of motorsport’s most iconic circuits. The 2026 calendar offers a strong blend of tradition and innovation – from the streets of Monte-Carlo to the exciting addition of Madrid as the season finale. With ten rounds supporting both Formula 2 and Formula 1, the Championship remains a key pillar of our single-seater pathway and a showcase of global talent. FIA President, Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
The FIA Formula 3 Championship is the perfect training ground for the drivers on their road to Formula 1, with almost half of the 2025 FIA Formula 2 grid made of F3 graduates from the previous season. The 2026 Formula 3 calendar will be made of ten rounds and twenty races, which is a good number to balance Formula 1 tracks and costs. In 2025, we have introduced a new F3 car that’s provided great racing on circuits that will be back on the 2026 calendar. We will go to Madrid for the first time, and I am looking forward to seeing our thirty cars race at this new venue. FIA Formula 3 CEO, Bruno Michel.
The Canadian Grand Prix is the tenth round of the season, the second in North America after Miami. Montreal is one of the staples on the calendar, for many years the only round in this part of the world.
The Gilles Vileneuve Circuit is a semi-permanent facility built on the manmade island of Notre Dame, on the saint Lawrence river, which was home to the Expo ’67 World’s Fair and some events in the 1976 Olympic games.
The track was completely resurfaced last year, but it has retained its low abrasiveness and reduced grip that has always been one of its characteristic features.
4.361 kilometres long, it features a sequence of straights and tight chicanes, with 14 corners (six to the left and eight to the right). It’s a real stop n go track where stability under braking and efficient traction are vital.
Overtaking is possible, partly down to the three DRS zones. The best bet has always been the braking point at the end of the straight that takes the drivers back to the start. The following chicane, where drivers cant still use DRS from the previous activation zone, has often seen some spectacular accidents, which has led to it being known as the “wall of champions” after no fewer than three world champions, Damon Hill, Michael Schumacher and Jacques Villeneuve all crashed into it during the 1999 race.
For the third time this season, the softest trio of compounds will feature on the track. It’s the first time after appearing in Imola and again in Monaco the C6 (Soft), C5 (Medium) and C4 (Hard).
This weekend, when using the new C6, teams and drivers will be able to make the most of the information and data gathered at its two previous appearances.
The Gilles Villeneuve Circuit is a track where the lateral forces exerted on the tyres are medium to low, while the longitudinal ones are a bit more severe, although not particularly high, because of the cars being subjected to strong deceleration followed by sharp acceleration.
Aston Martin have confirmed that Lance Stroll will be back behind the wheel at the upcoming Canadian Grand Prix weekend, following his withdrawal from the previous race in Spain.
The Silverstone-based squad announced a few hours after Qualifying at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya that Stroll will be sitting out Sunday’s Grand Prix with the 26 year old set to undergo a medical procedure after experiencing pain in his hand and wrist.
The team went on to say that Stroll’s medical consultant believed that the pain the driver was experiencing was “in relation to the procedure he underwent in 2023”.
However, after his latest procedure, Stroll will be back driving the AMR25 in front of his home crowd in Montreal less than a fortnight on from that weekend in Spain.
I am excited to get back behind the wheel with the team for my home Grand Prix this weekend. I was always going to fight hard to be ready to race in front of the Montreal crowd. I’m feeling good after my procedure and put some laps in at Paul Ricard this week to prepare. Thanks for all the support, see you guys this weekend! Stroll on the news.
FIA Formula 2 and the FIA have announced their calendar for the 2026 FIA Formula 2 Championship and once again, the season will comprise of a total of 14 rounds, all of which are the support events of the FIA Formula One World Championship.
The 11 teams and 22 drivers will contest a total of 28 races across 13 countries, with a new venue added to the calendar as Formula 2 goes to Madrid for the very first time.
The tenth season of Formula 2 will open in Melbourne, Australia in early March, before heading to the Bahrain International Circuit at Sakhir in April, back to back with Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.
The 2026 campaign, approved by the FIA World Motorsport Council, will pick up in Europe with a busy month of June, starting with Monte-Carlo, Monaco the first week, followed by Barcelona-Catalunya, Spain a week later. Spielberg, Austria will conclude that month and the action will carry on the following week in Silverstone, Great Britain on the first week of July.
The paddock will then travel to Spa-Francorchamps two weeks later and before the summer break, Round 9 will take place in Budapest, Hungary. The action will return at Monza, Italy early September, before Madrid concludes the European season in September the week after.
Baku, Azerbaijan will be next on September 25th-27th. After a break, Round 13 will take place in Lusail, Qatar on November 27th – 29th, while the season will end at the Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi on December 4th – 6th.
Once again, we can look forward to some fantastic F2 racing in 2026, when the series returns to 14 Grands Prix. We welcomed four F2 drivers up to Formula 1 this year, which has demonstrated how critical the pyramid system is to the sport and its ongoing success. 2026 is going to be a great season, with exciting action, as the drivers take on the ultimate circuits, all of which have different challenges to test their skills and their abilities. I’m grateful to Bruno Michel and all the teams who make the series possible and the FIA, promoters, stewards and volunteers, and our partners Aramco and Pirelli who enable the races to take place. We’re all ready for a brilliant season ahead! Stefano Domenicali, President and CEO of Formula 1.
The FIA Formula 2 Championship continues to prove itself as a vital platform for developing the next generation of top drivers, and the 2026 calendar reflects our commitment to delivering a competitive and globally diverse series. With 14 rounds across three continents, including the exciting debut of Madrid as a new venue, Formula 2 remains closely aligned with Formula 1 while carving its own identity. As we mark the tenth season of the Championship, I look forward to another year of outstanding competition and progression in one of the most important steps on the single-seater ladder. FIA President, Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
I’m very pleased to announce our calendar for the 2026 season. F2 is the ultimate preparation for Formula 1 as proven by the strong performance of the drivers who have joined the F1 grid in 2025. Racing on Formula 1 tracks and in front of the F1 paddock is absolutely key. Next season, we remain with 14 rounds in total, all support events of F1. As announced previously, we are adding a new venue with Madrid, which should be an exciting new track for our drivers and teams. As always, we have designed this calendar with the costs in mind to ensure that the teams’ budget remain at a healthy level. FIA Formula 2 CEO, Bruno Michel.
Haas have shown off a special livery for the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend, where the team will celebrate their 200th race since entering the sport almost a decade ago.
Haas arrived on the F1 grid in 2016, initially fielding Frenchman Romain Grosjean and Mexican Esteban Gutierrez as part of an operation split across sites in the United States, the United Kingdom and Italy.
Powered by Ferrari engines, the squad climbed as high as fifth in the Teams’ Championship standings through 2018, with Grojean achieving their personal best Grand Prix result of fourth at the Austrian Grand Prix that season.
Other highlights so far include, Kevin Magnussen’s shock pole position for the Sao Paulo Sprint race in 2022, while the Dane also secured their highest Grand Prix grid slot of fourth during 2023’s visit to the Miami International Autodrome.
Now represented by rookie Ollie Bearman and experienced racer Eteban Ocon, Haas will offer a nod to the past for the upcoming Montreal weekend by adopting a livery that resembles the clean black, grey and red design which they used throughout their debut 2016 campaign.
Formula 1 and the FIA have announced the calendar for the 2026 FIA Formula One World Championship, with drivers and teams set to embark on another 24-round campaign as new technical regulations and 100% advanced sustainable fuels come into play.
Starting with the Australian Grand Prix on the weekend of March 6th – 8th and concluding with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from December 4th – 6th, the F1 community will visit five of the world’s seven continents over the course of the year.
In 2026, Ramadan will take place throughout February and March, meaning the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix will again be held in April.
The calendar sees further improvements to the geographical flow of races, including the Canadian Grand Prix now following Miami in an earlier slot from May 22nd to 24th, delivering significant freight efficiencies as some equipment can move directly from one event to the other.
This change creates a consolidated European leg of the season across the summer months, beginning in Monaco from June 5th – 7th and finishing in Spain, where Madrid will make its F1 calendar debut from September 11th – 13th.
The championship then returns to Asia with the Azerbaijan and Singapore Grand Prix ahead of a triple header in the Americas, before Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi close out the season.
2026 will be a new era for Formula 1 where we will witness a brand-new set of regulations for our sport, the cars and the engines that will be powered by 100% sustainable fuel. We are excited to welcome Madrid to the calendar, and to see huge automotive brands like Audi, Cadillac and Ford join the Formula 1 grid. It promises to be an unforgettable season, where once again we will come together at 24 amazing global venues to watch the best drivers in the world push themselves to the limit and produce incredible wheel to wheel racing for our millions of fans watching around the globe. I want to thank all our fans for their passionate support and the FIA, with all the volunteers, marshals and officials, as well as the promoters, partners, sponsors, host cities and the local motor racing federations for their commitment and support in delivering this schedule in what I know will be another historic year for Formula 1. Stefano Domenicali on the 2026 Calendar.
Next year’s FIA Formula One World Championship marks a significant new chapter for our sport. A new race, new teams, and the arrival of new manufacturers, all ushering in a fresh era of innovation and competition. With 24 Grands Prix across five continents, the season truly reflects the global nature of our community, while the improved geographical flow of the calendar shows our joint commitment to making the championship more efficient and sustainable. The debut of Madrid, the arrival of iconic brands like Audi, Cadillac, and Ford, and the introduction of the next generation of F1 cars powered by 100% advanced sustainable fuels signal an exciting new era of racing. My thanks to everyone involved in putting on this incredible season and in delivering a calendar that continues to drive the sport forward on all fronts. And, my thanks to the fans whose passion and unwavering support keep the spirit of our sport alive. Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the FIA added.
F1 Academy has confirmed that a third race will be added to the schedule for Round 4 of the 2025 season in Montreal.
The amended schedule will see Free Practice and Qualifying take place on Friday. Two races will follow on the Saturday and the third race taking place on Sunday.
The grid for Race 1 will be established using the final starting grid for Race 2 in Miami, with the wild card driver for round 4 will be permitted to start the race from the back of the grid.
Race 2’s starting grid will be set by reversing the top eight drivers from Qualifying in Montreal. Each driver’s fastest Qualifying lap will set the grid for Race 3, which will take place on Sunday, with all three races lasting for 30 minutes plus one lap.
One point will be awarded to the driver who achieves the fastest lap in Race 1 and Race 3, provided she classifies in the top ten. Additionally, one point will be awarded to the driver who achieves the fastest lap in Race 2, provided she finishes in the top eight.
Wehrlein flew away from the second row of the grid to sweep around the outside of poleistter Guenther and P2 Barnard at the long, tightening right hander at Turn 1. Standings leader Rowland, meanwhile made up five spots on Lap 1 to find himself second, ahead of Guenther.
The leaders squabbled hard with positions swapping through Lap 2 before it all got a bit too close through the chicane with Cassidy coming off worst – spat out into a half spin and down to the back of the field – Rowland, Guenther and Hughes somehow unscathed amid the crunching carbon fibre to lead the pack on Lap 4.
Vandoorne was first to jump for the initial of his two 50kW four-wheel driver Attack Mode boosts and clambered up to the front of the field come Lap 6, taking advantage of some minor contact between Hughes and Rowland which saw both stumble.
Positions cycled as energy usage came to the fore through the first third of the race, and Attack Mode started to come into play. De Vries led di Grassi, Rowland, Guenther, Buemi, Vandoorne the top six on Lap 9 – while reigning champion Wehrlein slipped as far as 12th through the first round of Attack.
The Porsche driver made it back up to P5 come the end of his first 50kw boost, with Rowland and Guenther still to activate.
Rowland looked to be employing the same strategy as he did in Jeddah, during the first PIT BOOST race – going later for his first Attack to get to clear air out front before pitting, with leader de Vries covering that strategy off and matching the Brit up.
Mueller’s early leap for PIT BOOST left him well placed as he fired in the quick laps to go gain enough time on those yet to stop to leave him the net race lead as it stood. Rowland and Guenther had to put their foot down to counter, and they duly did – doing just enough on Lap 18 to emerge from their stops out front.
A lap later, and Wehrlein, who had put pressure on the leaders prior to his PIT BOOST stop, then split Guenther and Rowland to emerge P2.
On lap 19, Robin Frijns, who’d quietly found his way through the pack to fourth, made a move on Rowland for third, as it stood – 13 places gained.
Those yet to use their final Attack Mode, and had energy in-hand then chose to leap. Barnard jumped the lead group to slice by the front-runners through the final chicane and away from the pack to the tune of almost two seconds on Lap 21 the NEOM McLaren driver dropping Guenther, de Vries and Wehrlein.
Guenther had half a minute of Attack over Rowland himself, and pressured the Nissan through the final laps before making a move count on Lap 26 over the start/finish.
On lap 27, Barnard produced a storming move on Rowland for second – hanging it around the outside of Rowland to steal up the inside of the Nissan into the chicane, with Ticktum following in the melee to clamber onto the final step on the podium.
On the final lap, Guenther was home and dry out front but behind it was all kicking off. Ticktum pressured Barnard, with a dive into Turn 1 followed a move at the chicane. He leapt outside of Barnard while Vergne jumped inside the McLaren to bypass Ticktum in the process into second.
The full top 10 are- P1: Guenther, P2: Vergne, P3: Barnard, P4: Ticktum, P5: Rowland, P6: Nato, P7: Bird, P8: De Vries, P9: Buemi and P10: Frijns.
Roman Bilinski immediately covered off Martinius Stenshorne from the front row, but the Hitech TGR driver dived to the inside at Turn 1, while Tim Tramnitz opted for the outside line. The MP Motorsport driver collided with Stenshorne, spinning the Norwegian into the path of Bilinski.
All three were out as a result of the contact, while a great start for Ivan Domingues from sixth on the grid left the rookie with the lead.
The Safety Car was deployed for various incidents on the opening lap, including a collision between Tuukka Taponen and Rafael Camara. The ART Grand Prix suffered a slow getaway and the Trident driver was left unsighted, and with nowhere to go the pair made race-ending contact.
The Safety Car was withdrawn and the Sprint resumed entering Lap 5, with Domingues getting a good restart to lead Noah Stromsted and Laurens van Hoepen in the top three.
Alessandro Giusti had to avoid contact with teammate Tramnitz on the opening lap but his recovery from P10 started with a move on the other MP driver Bruno del Pino at Turn 4.
Van Hoepen fell back from the top two after the restart, but Ramos was right with the ART car, and with DRS on lap 9, the Mexican driver secured P3 into Turn 1.
Lap 12 and Theophile Nael looked to pull off a pass on James Wharton at Turn 1, the pair going wheel to wheel at Turn 1 that left the VAR driver taking to the escape road.
Onto Lap 13 and Van Hoepen lost another spot, this time to Campos’ Tsolov as the Bulgarian driver rounded the ART into Turn 1.
Giusti moved himself into seventh on Lap 15, using DRS to pass Wharton down the main straight. A few corners later, an opportunistic dive to the inside of Turn 5 gave Mari Boya 10th position in a great pass on compatriot del Pino.
Boya’s charge continued at the expense of Leon the following lap, a DRS pass for ninth into the first corner on the PREMA Racing driver putting him in eighth.
With five laps to go, Stromsted began to close back in on the race leader, lapping 0.3s quicker than Domingues and the Trident rookie was on the cusp of gaining DRS once more. But as the pair were about to begin Lap 18, the Dane suddenly slowed, pulling into the pitlane retiring from the race.
It left Domingues to lead home a 1-2 for VAR with Ramos second on a great day for the team, Tsolov was third for Campos.
The full top 10 are- P1: Domignues, P2: Ramos, P3: Tsolov, P4: van Hoepen, P5: Nael, P6: Giusti, P7: Boya, P8: Wharton, P9: Inthraphuvasak and P10: Leon.
Day 3-
Camara aced his start but Nikola Tsolov didn’t, he was slow to get up to speed and fell to eighth by the time they made turn 1.
The Championship leader retained the lead ahead of Laurens van Hoepen and Nael in second and third respectively as the top three built a comfortable gap to Tuukka Taponen in fourth by the end of the first lap.
Contact between Roman Bilinski and Jose Garfias brought out the Safety Car on Lap 3, the pair tangling at Turn 4 and coming to a halt. With their cars cleared, racing resumed going onto Lap 8 and after a great start from P10 on the grid, Martinus Stenshorne claimed P4 from Taponen at the first corner.
The Finn’s day was made worse on the following lap as he slowed and dropped to the back of the field.
Alessandro Giusti moved up into the top five as a result and that soon became fourth, with a pass on Stenshorne into the first corner on Lap 11.
The top three continued to break away from the chasing pack and were two seconds clear by Lap 14, as van Hoepen and Nael remained within DRS range in the lead battle.
Further back, Tsolov moved himself back into the top five with a DRS pass on Stenshorne on Lap 17. Ivan Domingues repeated the move on the following lap to demote the Hitech TGR driver to seventh position.
Lap 18 and contact between Nicola Lacorte and Brando Badoer resulted in the PREMA Racing driver getting stuck in the gravel trap at Turn 1, bringing out the Safety Car once more.
Racing resumed on Lap 21 and van Hoepen was under pressure from Nael in the podium battle. The Frenchman pulled off a brave overtake on the outside of turn 1 to move up to second.
Their fighting allowed Camara to escape up the road and out of DRS range and he went on to claim win number three of 2025 for Trident.
The full top 10 are- P1: Camara, P2: Nael, P3: Giusti, P4: Van Hoepen, P5: Tsolov, P6: Domingues, P7: Tramnitz, P8: Stromsted, P9: Stenshorne and P10: Voisin.
Oscar Piastri has further strengthened his championship lead by clinching a commanding victory in the Spanish Grand Prix, the Australian leading teammate Lando Norris in a McLaren 1-2 amid a dramatic end to the race.
Piastri made an excellent start from pole position, allowing the 24 year old to build an early lead from Verstappen who had overtaken Norris into Turn 1. Norris later retook the position – only for Verstappen to leapfrog both McLaren’s after the first pit stops, putting himself into P1.
This proved to brief, as the Dutchman pitted early for a second stop, handling the lead back to Piastri all of which triggered much intrigue over whether Verstappen would opt for a three stop strategy.
Verstappen did indeed embark on a three stop – but the whole picture was dramatically shaken up when a Safety Car was deployed in the latter stages after Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes pulled off track with a mechanical issue prompting most of the frontrunners to pit again.
The full top 10 are- P1: Piastri, P2: Norris, P3: Leclerc, P4: Russell, P5: Hulkenberg, P6: Hamilton, P7: Hadjar, P8: Gasly, P9: Alonso and P10: Verstappen.
A lovely result from McLaren, a 1-2 for the Papaya team, I don’t think they had anything to worry about as their pace was just incredible. Piastri kept it cool, calm and collected as always and produced a lovely drive.
P3 for Leclerc, an unexpected podium for the Ferrari driver, but sometimes being there when another driver makes a mistake is sometimes a good thing. As for his teammate, Hamilton finished 6th he didn’t have the best race, he seemed to struggle a lot but still managed to get some decent points.
P4 for Russell, a good result for the Mercedes driver finally after two bad race weekends. Unfortunately for his teammate, it was a horrible weekend, he went into the gravel with a mechanical issue saw him out of the race.
P5 for Hulkenberg! A lovely result for him and the team, a massive points haul! Hulkenberg was pulling off some lovely overtakes and that result is very well deserved.
P7 for Hadjar, another points finish for the young driver. As for his teammate, Lawson was just outside of the top 10. He finished in 11th.
Points for Fernando Alonso finally! P9 on home soil for the Spanish driver. He was also the only Aston Martin car on the grid yesterday, so a good result for the team.
Now we have a little break after a triple header, for Round 10, we are heading to Canada!
Oscar Piastri has grabbed his fourth pole position of the season during Qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix, the championship leader beating McLaren teammate Lando Norris in the dying moment of the session.
After setting the pace across Q1 and Q2, Piastri lost out to Norris when the opening runs of Q3 took place, the Briton having snatched provisional pole. But it was advantage Piastri as the final flying laps came in, the Aussie putting in a 1m 11.546s to go 0.209s quicker.
Max Verstappen put in another solid performance to slot into third for Red Bull, while Mercedes’ George Russell set an identical lap time to the Dutchman but had to settle for fourth after crossing the line later.
The full top 10 are- Pole: Piastri, P2: Norris, P3: Verstappen, P4: Russell, P5: Hamilton, P6: Antonelli, P7: Leclerc, P8: Gasly, P9: Hadjar and P10: Alonso.
A lovely result for McLaren, a 1-2 finish in qualifying for the team, which is the best result they would of wanted going into this weekend. They will want to grab another 1-2 in the race today, but who is favoured to win? And will team orders come into play?
A great result for Verstappen, keeping himself in the top 3. The Dutchman will be keeping close going into Turn 1 to see if he can go into the lead and try and grab as many points as he can for both championships. As for his teammate, Tsunoda qualified 20th… not a good result at all and no where near his teammate either, this is going to really hurt Red Bull in the Constructors’ if he doesn’t score points.
Lewis Hamilton qualifies 5th, a good result for the Ferrari driver, in a decent position to score a good amount of points too, maybe even a possible podium depending on strategies. As for his teammate, Leclerc qualified 7th, could’ve been a lot better but still in the top 10.
Russell had a much better qualifying compared to last week in Monaco, P4 for the Brit, he will be aiming for a podium today. So watch out for the battles from the Mercedes driver.
P9 for Isack Hadjar, the rookie driver loves a top 10 start! I feel like this is just expected now from the Racing Bulls driver.
A little mention to Gabriel Bortoleto, qualified in his highest position so far in P12, hopefully (fingers crossed) he can score his first points this weekend.
Aston Martin have announced that Lance Stroll will not be taking part in the Spanish Grand Prix, with the Canadian set to undergo a medical procedure after experiencing pain in his hand and wrist.
After participating in qualifying at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya – a session he finished 14th – the team confirmed a few hours later that Stroll is set to miss the remainder of the weekend.
Stroll sustained fractures and a broken toe after a cycling accident during the 2023 pre-season, which led him to go for surgery as well as a rehabilitation process. He went on to make his return in time for the first race of the camapgin.
The 26 year old went on to finish that even – in sixth place, despite later revealing that his medical team had initially doubted whether he would be able to compete in the opening races of the season.
Ahead of the 2024 season, Stroll admitted that he had to adapt to a more cautious approach to his training programme.
The 2025 season has marked Stroll’s seventh season with the Aston Martin team, having joined the team in 2019, when it was running under the Racing Point guise. He currently sits 11th in the Drivers’ Championship on 14 points.
Over the course of the past six weeks Lance has been experiencing pain in his hand and wrist, which his medical consultant believes is in relation to the procedure he underwent in 2023. As a result his medical team have confirmed that he will not race tomorrow and he will undergo a procedure to rectify these issues before focusing on his recovery. A statement from the team.
Rafael Camara made a bright start to the Barcelona weekend, setting a 1:29.024 to finish up as the quickest driver in Free Practice for Trident.
The Brazilian logged his best effort on his attempt, and finished the session 0.3s quicker than closest challenger Alessandro Giusti of MP Motorsport. Home hero, Mari Boya was third for Campos Racing.
Teams looked to maximise their track time with relevant running in the only session ahead of Qualifying, so opted to wait before getting serious running underway.
With his first lap of the day, Camara set the time to beat with a 1:29.024 in the Trident, while Giusti slotted into second, 0.322s down on the Championship leader.
Boya made a strong start to his home weekend as he went third-quickest in his Campos, while Martinius Stenshorne and Tim Tramnitz rounded out the top five after the first round of laps.
Trident remained on track, while everyone returned to the pitlane with just over 10 minutes to go, and Charlie Wurz improved to go fourth on a 1:29.615.
With tyre life at a premium in hot conditions, there were very few improvements after the first set of laps in the closing minutes.
Qualifying-
Rafael Camara was in formidable form in Barcelona Qualifying, taking his fourth pole position in the opening five rounds of the 2025 season.
The Trident driver set a 1:28.761 for the top spot, 0.2s clear of Campos Racing’s Nikola Tsolov and ART Grand Prix driver Laurens van Hoepen in third.
The battle for track position started immediately as drivers sought the ideal place to gain a tow but avoid traffic ahead of them. Eventually Noah Stromsted won a place at the front of the queue with Trident teammate Rafael Camara right behind them.
The Trident pair completed their laps, but they were instantly beaten by Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak on a 1:29.433 who set the early benchmark.
Tuukka Taponen beat that on his first flying lap as ART Grand Prix opted to run their trio off sequence and later than the rest. The Finn pipped Inthraphuvasak by 0.042s, as teammate James Wharton slotted into third place.
Track limits became a big factor as drivers returned to the pitlane, with several drivers losing their original times for exceeding track limits. Tim Tramnitz was one of those along with Tsolov, leaving both without a lap going into the second runs.
Tsolov delivered a time good enough for P4 to kick off second round of laptimes, but Camara behind was flying.
A 1:28.671 put him on provisional pole ahead of the ART’s van Hoepen, while Alessandro Giusti and Tramnitz followed in third and fourth.
Into the final runs, Camara told his team he’d wait to head back out in order to get a clean track, while his rivals rejoined the circuit to try and dislodge him for P1.
But nobody could prevent Camara from sealing his fourth pole of the season. Tsolov and van Hoepen were his closest challengers in second and third after the Campos driver improved on his last attempt.
The full top 10 are- Pole: Camara, P2: Tsolov, P3: van Hoepen, P4: Nael, P5: Ramos, P6: Giusti, P7: Domingues, P8: Stromsted, P9: Taponen and P10: Tramnitz.
The second triple-header of the season concludes at another classic Formula 1 track, the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit that has hosted the Spanish Grand Prix every year since 1991.
It’s an eagerly awaited event as the track is one of the most complete in offering a full range of technical challenges. That’s why it was one of the most popular tracks for testing, on the basis if a car works well here it does everywhere else.
Since the inaugural race in 1991, the track has undergone several modifications, especially in the final part, with various attempts made to create overtaking opportunities.
In 2023, the original configuration was restored, with the final two corners linked so as to make for a much faster entry onto the pit straight, one of the longest on the calendar.
In the race, drivers tackle 66 laps of the 4.657 kilometre track with its 14 corners. The highest downforce corners are turns 3 and 9, both right handers.
Not only is the track challenging for the cars, it also places high demands on the tyres. After two consecutive rounds featuring the softest trio in the 2025 range, as usual Pirelli has chosen the hardest, namely the C1 (Hard), C2 (Medium) and C3 (Soft).
The forces exerted on the tyres are medium to high, because of the many fast corners, such as turn 3 and the final two, both of them righthanders. The corner of the car subjected to the greatest stress is the front left, as right hand turns are in the majority.
Even if the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit is no longer used for testing by the teams, because of the virtual elimination of in-season testing a reduction in pre-season work, it is still a very important test bench.
🔙 The hardest compounds return for the #SpanishGP! Pirelli selects C1 (Hard), C2 (Medium), and C3 (Soft) for the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, one of the most demanding tracks on the calendar. Read more here 👉 https://t.co/KwAcw1xZSQ#F1pic.twitter.com/9H0yIKjV2a
Haas have confirmed Ryo Hirakawa will replace Esteban Ocon during FP1 at the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend.
The Japanese driver will get his second first practice run out with the American team at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, having deputised for Ollie Bearman in Bahrain.
That came the week after Hirakawa stood in for Jack Doohan in the weekend-opening session at Suzuka, before promptly leaving Alpine early the following week to rejoin Haas, where he enjoyed test and reserve opportunities last season.
The 31 year old is expected to also compete in FP1 in Mexico and Abu Dhabi later this year, which will satisfy the team’s four rookie session requirements.
Hirakawa has strong links to the Banbury-based squad due to his ties to Toyota, which is a technical partner of the team.
Williams have confirmed that Victor Martins will participate in an F1 race weekend for the first time at the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix, by getting behind the wheel of the FW47 during Free Practice 1.
Martins who joined the Williams Driver Academy in March – is currently competing in his third Formula 2 season, during which he has so far scored a podium in the Saudi Arabia Feature Race as well as taking pole position in Melbourne.
The Frenchman previously won a closely-fought title fight in the 2022 Formula 3 campaign, beating drivers including Isack Hadjar and Ollie Bearman to take the crown at the Monza season finale.
Following his progression to F2, Martins helped the ART Grand Prix to secure their first F2 teams’ title in 2023 and went on to claim five podiums in 2024, which included a victory in Barcelona.
In preparation for his FP1 debut, Martins took part in the TPC (Testing of Previous Cars) programme in Monza earlier this year where he drove the FW45 alongside fellow Williams Racing Academy driver Luke Browning.
Martins’ FP1 appearance will mark the second of the team’s four mandated young driver sessions of the season, with Browning having previously been in action during first practice in Bahrain.
I’m super happy to be taking the wheel of the FW47 for the first time in Barcelona! It will be an incredible experience to drive for the team. I’m working hard to prepare as much as possible to maximise my time in the car and make it a valuable session for myself and the team. I’m hugely grateful to everyone at Atlassian Williams Racing for giving me this opportunity and I’m looking forward to enjoying every second of it! Martins on the news.
We’re proud that Victor will be taking part in his first Formula 1 session with Atlassian Williams Racing in Barcelona. He continues to demonstrate that he is a talented driver, and this session is an important step forward in his career as part of the Academy. His participation in our TPC programme and simulator work in Grove have prepared him well and we look forward to seeing him in the garage this weekend. Sven Smeets, Sporting Director at Williams.
It was a fast start from second for Stenshorne, but pole-sitter Alessandro Giusti had a slow getaway and dropped to fourth before reaching Turn 1.
Taponen was one of the beneficiaries of Giusti’s start as the ART driver went up to P2 ahead of his teammate van Hopen.
However, the Safety Car was deployed at the end of the opening lap as James Hedley, Nicola Lacorte, Santiago Ramos and Ivan Domingues collided at Turn 8, with all four drivers’ cars needing to be cleared up.
In a separate incident, Noel Leon and Callum Voisin made contact, forcing the PREMA Racing driver to stop on track with damage.
Back to racing conditions, Stenshorne was showing good pace out in front and had pulled out a one second gap to Taponen by the start of Lap 10, the rookie now coming under threat from van Hoepen.
Onto Lap 12, and the Norwegian’s lead was over 2.1s, while van Hoepen was less than two-tenths away from Taponen. However, by the end of the lap, the Finn driver reduced the gap to just 0.6s, while Charlie Wurz, in sixth, was now under pressure from his Trident teammate Rafael Camara.
Behind them, Mari Boya was under attack from Voisin, with his Rodin Motorsport teammates Louis Sharp and Roman Bilinski keeping a close eye on their battle.
Lap 15 of 23, Noah Stromsted reported a puncture after colliding with Brad Benavides. The damage forced the Trident rookie to retire after recovering to the pit lane.
Out in front, Stenshorne had built his lead back up to 1.3s clear by the end of Lap 17, with van Hoepen and Giusti right on the back of Taponen once again.
Onto the penultimate lap and Boya was having to hold off the Rodin trio for P8. Voisin then hit the rear of the Spaniard at the Nouvelle Chicane, causing him to have a slow exit, which allowed teammate Sharp to take ninth from him.
Back at the front, Stenshorne stormed off to win by 2.2s from Taponen, as van Hoepen rounded out the top three to achieve his first podium since the same race in 2024.
The full top 10 are- P1: Stenshorne, P2: Taponen, P3: van Hoepen, P4: Giusti, P5: Tramnitz, P6: Wurz, P7: Camara, P8: Boya, P9: Sharp and P10: Voisin.
Day 4-
It was a strong start for Tsolov, who got away well at lights out to keep the lead, but behind him the battle for a place in the top three got off to a fast start.
Bilinski immediately covered off Boya, but the Rodin driver was coming under attack from the Spaniard and his teammate Callum Voisin.
The Polish driver was able to keep the position, but Voisin then had a look to the inside of Boya at Turn 4, although the Campos #10 was able to shut the door.
The race settled down at the start of Lap 6, with Boya right on the back of Bilinski, just three-tenths separating the pair.
Behind them though and having overtaken Neol Leon at the start to go to fifth, Tim Tramnitz was closing in on the back of Vousun, who was also chasing down Boya for P3.
Lap 10 of 27 and Bilinski, having set the fastest lap on the previous tour, was within DRS range of Tsolov and built a 2.3s clear of Boya in third. Tsolov fought back on the next lap though, and by lap 13, the Campos driver had built his lead back up to two seconds.
Tsolov now 7.5s clear of Bilinski was the only driver in the top 10 lapping in the 1:26s. However, the Bulgarian’s big lead was taken away after the Safety Car was deployed on Lap 19, following Leon’s collision with the barrier at Portier.
His PREMA car was cleared and racing resumed on Lap 20, but there was a problem for Charlie Wurz. In P6, the Australian was running with a broken front wing.
Laurens van Hoepen made his way through at Tabac, but on the next lap, Wurz found the barrier Massanet, releasing the drivers behind him.
The Safety Car was soon out on track again with PREMA’s Brando Badoer stopped at Portier after a tangle with Nicola Marinangeli. The AIX driver was given a 10-second time penalty for causing the collision.
The action resumed on Lap 24 of 27 and it was more bad news for Trident, as Rafael Camara lost the rear right wheel on track, forcing him to retire from the race.
Out in front, Tsolov had marched off into the distance once more and was three seconds clear of Bilinski at the start of Lap 26.
Onto the final lap, and Voisin was fighting hard to get ahead of Boya, even brushing the barrier at Turn 1. Tsolov though had marched off into the distance and crossed the line to win for the fifth time in Formula 3.
The full top 10 are- P1: Tsolov, P2: Bilinski, P3: Boya, P4: Voisin, P5: Tramnitz, P6: van Hopen, P7: Taponen, P8: Stenshorne, P9: Sharp and P10: Giusti.
Lando Norris expertly converted pole position into victory during Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix, leading home Ferrari rival Charles Leclerc and McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri.
Norris survived a massive lock-up at the first corner before working through Virtual Safety Car phases, spells of traffic and the mandated two-stop rule to score his second win of the season and slash Piastri’s championship lead.
Leclerc applied plenty of pressure at various stages of the race, including that initial run to Sainte Devote and late on when Verstappen backed the pack up, but ultimately had to settle for second with Piastri – now just three points clear of Norris in the standings – completing the podium.
Verstappen ran an off-set tyre strategy that saw the Red Bull driver go much longer across his stints, giving him the race lead into the very closing stages, but he dropped to fourth after completing his required second stop with a lap to go.
The full top 10 are- P1: Norris, P2: Leclerc, P3: Piastri, P4: Verstappen, P5: Hamilton, P6: Hadjar, P7: Ocon, P8: Lawson, P9: Albon and P10: Sainz.
What a result for Norris and McLaren!! This is exactly what Norris would’ve wanted this weekend, a win to boost his confidence as he has struggled in past weekends but this was a lovely drive by the Brit! As well, Piastri on the podium too, a big points haul for the Papaya team and boosting their lead in the Constructor’s Championship.
A lovely result for home hero, Charles Leclerc, P2! His second podium of the year too, it’s a shame he didn’t have that bit extra for the win, but McLaren are just so quick and its Monaco unfortunately there’s not many overtaking places where your not gonna risk it. As for his teammate, Hamilton finished P5, a good points haul for the Italian team which has now brought Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari all within 5 points of each other…
P4 for the reigning World Champion, he struggled with the car a lot this weekend, however he still managed to grab P4, a shame he didn’t get on the podium but a decent strategy from the team, it just didn’t pay off with the red flag they hoped for.
P6 for Isack Hadjar, what a lovely drive for the rookie, he stayed out of trouble and was rewarded with a decent amount of points! As for his teammate, Lawson also comes home with points finishing 8th, a decent weekend for the team overall.
P7 for Ocon in the Haas which we love to see! As for Bearman he made a few places up, finishing just outside the points in P12, but a decent effort from the Brit who started P20.
Now onto Mercedes, a horrible weekend for the team, both drivers out in Q2, they knew from there that it wasn’t their weekend, Russell finished 11th and Antonelli finished 18th.
Double point finish for Williams too, Albon 9th and Sainz 10th. The smaller teams have really benefited from both Mercedes not being in the top 10 this weekend, and honestly, this is what is going to matter closer to the end of the season when they’ve grabbed points as and when they can.
Now we don’t have to wait too long, as the next race is this week! For Round 9 we are headed to Barcelona for the Spanish Grand Prix!
Victor Martins was in a class of one on the opening day of running in Monte Carlo, logging a 1:21.715 to lead the way for ART Grand Prix.
The Frenchman was the only driver in the 1:21s in Practice, as Luke Browning and Leonardo Fornaroli followed in second and third places for Hitech TGR and Invicta Racing respectively.
With the first round of laps on the board, Championship leader Alexander Dunne set the pace on 1:25.666 for Rodin Motorsport.
Sami Meguetounif settled into second less than a tenth behind in the #22 Trident, with Gabriele Mini third for PREMA with 10 minutes gone.
Jak Crawford and then Martins brought the time to beat down, the ART driver took over P1 with a 1:24.014. The Frenchman then improved to go six-tenths clear, putting in a 1:23.230 on his next attempt.
Martins continued to fly, with the Williams Racing Academy talent improving onto a 1:22.623, with fellow Williams junior Browning in P2.
There was a brief lull as drivers returned to the pitlane for a fresh set of tyres before the final 15 minute spell of on-track running.
With Supersoft tyres fitted, Mini looked set to go quickest but a Red Flag was thrown after Amaury Cordeel nosed his Rodin Motorsport car into the Turn 1 barriers.
He was out of the car and the Rodin was recovered , leaving seven minutes of Free Practice left to run as things went back to green flag conditions.
There were several late improvements, with Mini resuming from where he left off prior to the temporary stoppage as he went quickest of all.
That was until Martins completed his Supersoft lap to go 0.7s clear of the pack with the fastest time of time of the day.
Browning and Fornaroli found a late improvement to go second and third quickest, splitting Martins and dropping Mini to fourth.
Day 2-
The even numbered cars kicked off the first segment and with warm up laps completed, Martins picked up his pace immediately to put in a 1:21.792 for the top spot by over a second.
Arvid Lindblad cut that gap down to just under three-tenths on his first effort for Campos Racing, going to second.
Into the final five minutes and Lindblad became the first driver to displace Martins from the top spot, going to provisional pole momentarily until Richard Verschoor secured P1 with a 1:21.520.
Martins had to abandon his second attempt after cutting the Nouvelle Chicane, but he moved back to provisional pole after a cool down lap, setting a 1:21.145.
On to the final attempts, Martins couldn’t improve but he had done enough to retain the top sport in Group A, finishing up 0.375s ahead of Verschoor in P2.
With the target set, the odd numbered cars followed out of the pitlane, and just as the first flying laps were set to get underway, the red flags were waving.
Rafael Villagomez found the barriers at the final corner after a squabble for track position with Alexander Dunne.
Once the Van Amersfoort Racing car was recovered, the stewards confirmed the incident would be investigated after the session.
Preparation laps complete, Dunne set the pace with a 1:21.781 to go to P1 ahead of Leonardo Fornaroli of Invicta Racing.
As the session ticked into the final three minutes, the next set of laps arrived and the Championship leader improved onto a 1:21.437. Sebastian Montoya found more time also.
With less than a minute to go, Dunne found a session-best first and second sector time and a final sector good enough to set a 1:21.142.
Fornaroli improved to second position, but third placed driver Montoya spun to bring out the yellow flags in the final sector.
The full top 10 overall is- P1: Dunne, P2: Martins, P3: Fornaroli, P4: Verschoor, P5: Montoya, P6: Lindblad, P7: Crawford, P8: Mini, P9: Browning and P10: Maini.
Nikola Tsolov ended Day 1 of running in Monte Carlo on top, as the Campos Racing driver led the way in Free Practice with a 1:25.622.
The Bulgarian driver beat MP Motorsport’s Tim Tramnitz to the top time by 0.219s, as Trident’s Charlie Wurz rounded out the top three.
The drivers were immediately out on track on the carry over Medium tyres from Imola, looking to get up to speed as quickly as possible, as Callum Voisin led the way early on.
The Rodin Motorsport driver’s 1:29.512 was the benchmark but as the times improved, Tramnitz overtook P1 with a 1:28.875, leading his rookie MP teammate Alessandro Giusti by 0.114s.
The German continued to set the pace, completing a 1:27.733, before going even quicker to a 1:27.459, wit Giusti in P2 once more, over half a second behind.
The MP pairing were setting the timesheets alight as Giusti crossed the line to go P1, but only briefly as Tramnitz completed a 1:27.092 to eclipse his teammate by 0.082s.
After 25 minutes of running, the teams swapped the Mediums for the Soft tyres, looking to give the drivers a feel for the compound they will be using for the rest of the weekend.
But as the drivers set off on their laps, Trident’s Noah Stromsted collided with the barrier at Turn 1, bringing out the Red Flags with less than 12 minutes to go in the session.
Green flag conditions returned with six minutes remaining, and it was Campos’ Mari Boya that took to the top on a 1:26.393.
However, as the chequered flag waved, the fastest time changed hands several times, before Tsolov ended the session on top with a 1:25.622.
Day 2-
The first 15 drivers headed out for Qualifying and after a few preparation laps, Tsolov went fastest on a 1:26.072, with PREMA Racing’s Noel Leon in P2, 0.261s behind.
Tsolov retained his place at the top with a 1:26.647 on his next push lap, but his gap to Leon on this occasion was 0.102s, as Brad Benavides went into the top three for AIX Racing.
The drivers had time for a couple more laps and the timesheets were being set alight as there were several personal best times being set.
Leon went quickest on a 1:25.502, but he was soon beaten by the other Campos of Mari Boya by 0.022s with Charlie Wurz in P3 for Trident, just 0.034s off provisional pole.
Tsolov was flying though, and he completed a 1:24.882 to take provisional pole. Wurz followed him across the line to go second, over half a second behind the Bulgarian.
But Boya was improving once again and set the fastest first sector of the session. However, the Spaniard just did not have enough to beat Tsolov, crossing the line to go P2, 0.127s off his teammate.
Leon’s late lap took him to P3 ahead of Wurz, with Tuukka Taponen in fifth for ART Grand Prix, as Martinius Stenshorne rounded out the top six for Hitech TGR.
With another 16 minutes on the clock, the second set of drivers went out on to the track with a 1:24.882 the time to beat. Trident’s Rafael Camara set the early pace with a 1:25.635, 0.123s quicker than Voisin in second.
On the next set of laps, Voisin’s 1:25.359 was now the benchmark for the rest of the field to beat, and Bilinski made it a Rodin one-two by going to within 0.104s off his teammate’s time.
However, as the drivers set off on their next laps, PREMA’s Brando Badoer hit the barrier at Turn 1, bringing out the Red Flags.
Green flags were waved and the drivers had only just three minutes and 21 seconds to try and get their best time of the day in.
Bilinski was one of the few that could improve though. His 1:25.332 put him in P1, but it was not enough to beat Tsolov’s pole-sealing time, giving Campos their first FIA F3 pole since Spa-Francorchamps in 2023.
The full top 10 are- Pole: Tsolov, P2: Bilinski, P3: Boya, P4: Voisin, P5: Leon, P6: Tramnitz, P7: Wurz, P8: Camara, P9: Taponen and P10: van Hoepen.
The Monaco Grand Prix is one of the most iconic and prestigious events on the Formula 1 calendar, not just because of its long history but also because of the mystique that surrounds it.
Narrow streets, tight turns, steep climbs and descents and the famous tunnel that leads onto the harbour are some of the defining characteristics that make Monaco a track like no other. It’s a place where precision is more important than power, with virtually no room for mistakes.
Winding its way through the streets of the Principality usually open to normal traffic, the track is 3.337 kilometres long and tackled 78 times in the race. Very narrow with 19 corners, some of them very tight, there are virtually no run-off areas and the barriers are so close that the drivers often brush up against them.
Around half the track has been resurfaced, specifically from Turn 12 to Turn 3, so that this section should now be as smooth as the rest of the circuit. This type of surface does not promote tyre grip and could lead to graining, especially in the first couple of practice sessions.
For a second consecutive race, Pirelli has selected the three softest compounds from the 2025 range. As in Imola last week, the C4 (Hard), C5 (Medium) and C6 (Soft), with the first two being the mandatory compounds for the race.
This weekend will see an important change to the regulations, specifically for this event only. During the race, two pit stops will be mandatory, the aim for this is to inject more excitement into a race that has often been very linear and predictable.
In the Monaco Grand Prix drivers usually pit just once to change tyres, but last year out of theoretical field of 20, only six drivers made an actual in-race pit stop.
That was because the race was red flagged on the opening lap so that all the drivers still in the race were able to immediately adhere to the rule that two different compounds must be used, with the nine who started on the medium switching to the hard and the remaining 11 doing the opposite.
Precision, glamour, heritage. The #MonacoGP is more than just a race — it's the purest expression of @F1.
Discover what makes Monte Carlo truly unique from a tyre point of view.
McLaren have revealed a special ‘Riviera-inspired’ livery enhancement that will run on their Formula 1 cars at the upcoming Monaco and Spanish Grand Prix.
In collaboration with team partner OKX, the livery change is a nod to McLaren’s iconic M7A race car, while “drawing inspiration from the elegance of the Riviera”.
The M7A was the car with which founder Bruce McLaren claimed the team’s first F1 victory at the 1968 Belgian Grand Prix – as well as being the machine that debuted their now legendary papaya livery.
McLaren’s new design will run on both MCL39s throughout the entirety of the Monaco and Spanish Grand Prix weekends, with drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri also sporting fresh overalls in Monaco.
It is not the first time McLaren have run a bespoke livery in Monaco, with the squad unveiling an Ayrton Senna-inspired design for last year’s Grand Prix on the streets of the Principality.
Before that, they ran a one-off ‘Triple Crown’ papaya, white and black livery at the 2023 event as part of their 60th anniversary celebrations and in 2021 they brought the blue and orange colours of then partner Gulf Oil back to F1.
We’re always proud to be able to celebrate our storied legacy. Working with OKX on this latest livery enhancement is a great way to not only celebrate this history, but also the innovation and forward-thinking nature that inspires both McLaren and OKX brands. I can’t wait to see the cars on track over the next two race weekends. Louise McEwen, Chief McLaren Officer at McLaren Racing.
Alexander Dunne started the Imola weekend on the front foot, topping Free Practice for Rodin Motorsport on a 1:27.907. Campos Racing’s Arvid Lindblad followed the Irish driver, just 0.009s down in P2, while DAMS Lucas Oil’s Kush Maini completed the top three.
Gabriele Mini led the pack after the opening 10 minutes of running and initial laps, a 1:30.416 put the Prema driver top of the pile just 0.07s ahead of Victor Martins in P2.
Lindblad was the next to deliver a substantial improvement as the Red Bull Junior lowered the time to beat down to a 1:29.031.
Times continued to tumble as the track improved, and the drivers continued to push on. Mini re-took top spot on his next attempt with a 1:28.526 while Dunne put Rodin second in the order.
Martins then put ART Grand Prix on top, going 0.027s quicker than Mini’s earlier lap to leave the four separated by just 0.060s as Luke Browning went fourth for Hitech TGR.
DAMS’ Maini had been P2 by just 0.027s but he found a sizeable improvement on his next attempt to go quickest, 1:28.022 the new benchmark effort.
Lindblad was the first into the 1:27s to re-take P1 for Campos. Rodin were back on top entering the final five minutes as Dunne pipped Lindblad by just 0.009s for top spot as the session wound down to a close.
Qualifing-
Dino Beganovic times his qualifying lap perfectly to beat the red flags and the rest of the field to earn his first pole position in Formula 2.
The Hitech TGR driver logged a 1:24.418 to lead PREMA Racing’s Sebastian Montoya and ART Grand Prix driver Victor Martins, with the top three separated by just 0.006s.
Arvid Lindblad got the ball rolling with a 1:28.175 to lead the pack but he was pipped by Martins and Alexander Dunne in short order, the Irishman continuing from where he was in practice.
The Rodin driver’s 1:27.827 was later beaten by Lindblad who moved back up to the top by going, 0.012s quicker on his next attempt.
After a brief spell back in the pitlane, drivers returned to the track with 10 minutes to go in the session and conditions improving.
Montoya hit the front next for PREMA, but his time was bettered by Beganovic by just 0.003s. The Swede got his 1:27.418 in just before the red flags were waving.
Kush Maini suffered a spin into the barriers at Taburello, with the clear up of the DAMS car not being able to be completed in time, the session was not resumed.
Day 2-
Pole sitter Ritomo Miyata lost the lead to Crawford at lights out on the run to Turn 2. Lindblad surged up to P3 from fifth on the grid ahead of Browning and Victor Martins in the top five, after the ART Grand Prix driver moved up from eighth.
By Lap 4, Crawford had managed to escape out of DRS range to Miyata behind, while despite having DRS to the car ahead, Lindblad couldn’t close in on the ART in front of him.
Browning managed to break away from Martins, leaving Miyata to fend off the British duo behind him in the fight for second, with Crawford building his lead back up to beyond a second by Lap 10.
Lindblad attempted to dive to the inside of Turn 2 on Lap 11, but Miyata defended well to retain second position. One lap later and the Red Bull Junior made the pass stick, clearing the ART before corner entry at Tamburello.
Lap 13 and Miyata had to defend from Browning to keep hold of third into the favoured passing area at Turn 2.
Hitech TGR’s Dino Beganovic looked to be lining up a move on Joshua Duerksen for the final points paying position, but a wide moment out of Variante Alta allowed Roman Stanek to go through for P9.
Browning finally cleared Miyata on Lap 14 into the second corner, with the Japanese driver losing the benefit of DRS. One lap later and it was Martins through on teammate Miyata into Turn 2 for fourth.
Stanek’s charge continued as he managed to commit to the outside of Duerksen at the second corner to take P8 from the AIX Racing driver.
Alexander Dunne had told the team he was playing the long game earlier in the race, and he moved into the top five with a pass on Miyata along the main straight.
Leonardo Fornaroli had to defend seventh from Invicta Racing teammate Stanek at Turn 2 as the Czech driver applied the pressure with six laps to go.
Lap 22 of 25 and Dunne managed to claw his way to within a second of Martins ahead, who in turn was catching Browning in the fight for the final podium position.
The trio were covered by 1.5s entering the penultimate lap, while in front of them, Lindblad had closed in on the race leader and was on the cusp of DRS to the DAMS driver.
Unfortunately for the Campos rookie, they entered the final lap separated by 1.2s and the American driver held on for his first win of the 2025 season.
Day 3-
Prior to lights out, Sebastian Montoya stalled on the grid at the beginning of the Formation Lap. It meant P2 was vacated as the PREMA Racing driver was forced to start from the pitlane.
Beganovic aced his launch at the race start, but it was Leonardo Fornaroli on the move, climbing to P2 as Victor Martins was the second staller of the day, the ART Grand Prix driver left stranded on the grid. Arvid Lindblad capitalised also, taking third ahead of Dunne having started behind the Rodin driver.
With DRS enabled, the top three closed back up and by Lap 6, Beganovic, Fornaroli and Lindblad were covered by less than a second.
The top four were in at the first opportunity to fit the soft tyres entering Lap 7. Fornaroli lost out in the pitstops, dropping to the back of the quartet, while Dunne gained two places, coming back out behind Beganovic.
Jak Crawford and Luke Browning responded on the following lap, pitting to fit the red-walled tyres and the Brit got the jump on the DAMS Lucas Oil driver to come out ahead.
The Hitech TGR driver rejoined with the effective race lead and right in front of teammate Beganovic, who had Dunne on his rear wing. The Swede attempted to go around the outside of Browning at Tosa, but ran out of room on corner exit, allowing Dunne to split the Hitechs and move up a position.
With DRS on Lap 9, Dunne made the move into Turn 2, clearing Browning into the first chicane to take effective race lead.
The early pitstops handed P1 over to Josep Maria Marti, who was fighting with AIX Racing’s Joshua Duerksen as the leading pair on the alternative strategy.
Lap 14 and Duerksen swept around the outside of the Spaniard to take the lead just before a Safety Car was deployed. Rafael Villagomez was left stranded at Turn 4 having sustained damage in a battle with Sami Meguetounif.
Gabriele Mini and John Bennett took the chance to make their mandatory stops and switch to the supersoft Pirelli tyres. The PREMA driver came out ahead of Lindblad in P11, with Bennett joining the queue just behind Crawford in P15.
The Safety Car was withdrawn entering Lap 19 and Duerksen held onto the lead. Behind them, Dunne was on the move immediately to pass the first of the leading pack yet to pit in Max Esterson.
Browning, made the pass into Piratella, but Dunne was through on teammate Amaury Cordeel at Turn 2 but once again, Dunne immediately put another car between them, passing Miyata into Tosa with a dive down the inside.
Lap 25 and Dunne was up another position, clearing Roman Stanek into the first chicane to move up to third on the road. The Rodin driver then cleared Marti on Lap 26 with the same move at Tosa to take second and he quickly closed on race leader Duerksen.
Across the line onto Lap 27, he used DRS to move into P1, with Browning still running fifth behind those yet to pit on the alternative strategy.
Browning moved up to fourth with a pass on Stanek at Turn 2 on lap 29, with teammate Beganovic passing Cordeel in the same place just behind. Lindblad was able to pounce on an error at Tosa by the Rodin driver to take seventh on the road later in the lap.
Duerksen pitted on lap 30, and Browning passed Marti at the first chicane to move up to second, but Dunne had escaped up the road to the tune of five seconds. The Irish driver had things under control and by the chequered flag, crossed the line to win his second Feature Race of the season by over six seconds to Browning and Beganovic.
The full top 10 are- P1: Dunne, P2: Browning, P3: Beganovic, P4: Lindblad, P5: Fornaroli, P6: Crawford, P7: Goethe, P8: Montoya, P9: Verschoor and P10: Meguetounif.
The Safety Car led the pack away amid soggy conditions, after some 25mm of rain fell over the course of the morning in the lead up to lights out.
After four laps, the field formed for a standing start and Rowland headed Mortara through the Turn 1 and 2 chicane, while Barnard aimed to get his car’s nose up the inside of the Mahindra through the opening left-hander.
A few drivers – the highest-placed of which being Sebastien Buemi – jumped for the first of their mandatory 50kW four-wheel drive Attack Mode boosts.
Even with 4WD, the Envision still looked a handful – the Swiss narrowly keeping his car out of the wall before dispatching Barnard for third at Turn 1 on Lap 7.
Of the leaders, Mortara and Barnard went next in Attack – the Mahindra driver taking full advantage to pinch P2 back from Buemi but finding himself three seconds shy of leader Rowland when his initial 50kW boost ended.
On Lap 10, Rowland found himself up on energy and three second clear out-front ahead of Mortara, Buemi, Barnard and de Vries rounding out the top 5.
Lap 13, saw Guenther’s car go red and grind to a halt, demanding a Red Flag so it could be cleared safely.
The pack were led round by the Safety Car to a standing start on Lap 15, with Rowland firing off the line once again to lead the pack through Turn 1 – flying to a two-second advantage once again.
Of the lead few, Barnard was first to move for PIT BOOST on Lap 18, with Vandoorne having gone first, pre-Red Flag – a god send for the Belgian, with the time lost during that stop immediately wiped out with the enforced restart.
As the stops began to shake out, Barnard managed to jump Mortara while Vandoorne did indeed hit what would be the front ahead of Rowland, Barnard, Mortara and Buemi.
At Turn 2 on Lap 28, Vandoorne ran wide before lighting the rear tyres up into a spin. With a 25 second lead over Rowland, though, it ultimately wouldn’t matter.
From there, it was a waltz to the flag for the Maserati MSG Racing driver, with the scrap in-behind the Belgian.
The full top 10 are- P1: Vandoorne, P2: Rowland, P3: Barnard, P4: Buemi, P5: Ticktum, P6: Mortara, P7: da Costa, P8: Vergne, P9: Frijns and P10: Cassidy.
Jordan's Track Talk 