Jordan's Track Talk

Category: 2025

  • R4 – Bahrain

    Oscar Piastri has become the first multiple race winner of the 2025 season by taking a sublime victory in the Bahrain Grand Prix, the Australian driver putting in a cool and collected drive to seal P1 on his 50th start in F1 as well as marking McLaren’s first triumph in Sakhir.

    After making a strong start from pole position – despite a close call from George Russell when the Mercedes driver locked up into Turn 1 – Piastri built a solid lead throughout the laps that followed.

    While there was early trouble for team mate Lando Norris – who was hit with a five second time penalty for being out of position in his grid box – the McLarens again looked impressive as the race played out with the Brit working his way forwards.

    And while the Australian’s position potentially looked under threat when a Safety Car emerged, the 24 year old made a clean getaway at the restart and went on to rebuild a gap in the laps that followed, eventually crossing the line with a 15 second lead.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Piastri, P2: Russell, P3: Norris, P4: Leclerc, P5: Hamilton, P6: Verstappen, P7: Gasly, P8: Ocon, P9: Tsunoda and P10: Bearman.

    What a drive from Oscar Piastri, that was such a strong drive from the Australian and a thoroughly deserved win! As for Norris, he bounced back from qualifying 6th to finish on the podium, I think he would’ve got 2nd if he didn’t have the 5 second penalty.

    P2 for Russell, a lovely result from the Mercedes man! Another podium added to his tally which makes three podiums out of four races, making it his best ever start to a season. As for his teammate Antonelli finished just outside of the points in P11, during the race he was running in the points so hard luck for the rookie to not get any.

    A good result for Ferrari, 4th for Leclerc and 5th for Hamilton. Unlucky for Leclerc to just miss out on the podium but the Ferrari is no match for the McLaren just yet… But it is still a good points haul for both drivers! I’m sure the podiums will come soon enough.

    P6 for Verstappen, not the best result for the Dutch man, but he had a bit of a rubbish weekend. He struggled with the car a lot and it didn’t help that he had issues at both of his pit stops either. As for Tsunoda he finished ninth, first points for the Japanese driver in the Red Bull team.

    P7 for the GAS Man, points on the board for the Alpine driver! Which is deserved after such a strong weekend for the team. This now means all teams have scored points already this season.

    A double points finish for Haas, which is good to see, this now boosts the team up to 5th in the Constructors. So the team will be wanting to score as many points as possible as the constructors is very close.

    Now for the next race week, we are on our third week of the triple header, where we head to Saudi Arabia for Round 5 of 24!

  • F3 – Bahrain – Day 2 & 3

    Day 2-

    It was a terrific start for the pole-sitter Joshua Dufek who kept a hold of the lead, but AIX’s Slater got ahead of Martinius Stenshorne for P2 at Turn 4 after starting third.

    Behind them, Tsolov got ahead of Alessandro Giusti for P4, while Championship leader Rafael Camara had a slow start from P12 and dropped to the back of the field.

    Onto lap 2, Slater closed in on Dufek before making a move for the lead at Turn 1.
    Behind them, Tsolov continued his fine start, overtaking Stenshorne for third at the same corner.

    The Safety Car was called upon at the start of Lap 4, PREMA Racing’s Ugo Ugochukwu stopped at Turn 2 after colliding with his teammate Brando Badoer, who pitted with a puncture.

    Racing then resumed on lap 7 and Tsolov was flying once again, diving to the inside of Dufek for P2 at Turn 1.
    The battles intensified on lap 9 as Tsolov again dived to the inside at Turn 1, this time on Slater for the race lead. However, the Campos driver went in too deep allowing the Briton to retake the lead.

    Just behind the pair, the battle for P3 was heating up as Dufek, Stenshorne and Taponen almost went three-wide into Turn 4.
    The latter two eventually made their way past at Turn 10 and 11, with Giusti following them through a few corners later at Turn 1.

    Further up the road, Slater and Tsolov were going wheel to wheel once more.
    The Bulgarian dived down the AIX driver at Turns 4 and 8, but on both occasions, the debutant retook the lead.

    However, Tsolov eventually made a move stick with the help of DRS and dived down the inside at Turn 1 again. Behind them, Taponen was now ahead of Stenshorne for P3.

    At the start of lap 13 of 19, the top three had begun to separate themselves out in front, while Stenshorne was coming under attack from Giusti and Callum Voisin for P4.

    Giusti then went side by side with Stenshorne into Turn 6 and 7, but the MP Motorsport driver had the door closed, putting him into the clutches of Voisin, who made a move past at Turn 11.

    On lap 15 of 19, the Safety Car was called upon, with Dufek and Ivan Domingues colliding at Turn 1, causing both drivers to stop by the side of the road.

    We returned to green flag conditions at the start of Lap 18, and Slater was right on the back of Tsolov, but the Campos driver resisted all his overtaking attempts.
    Onto the final lap, Taponen looked to make a move on Slater into Turn 1 but could not make it stick. Tsolov though was able to pull away out in front and went on to claim a record-equalling fourth victory in FIA Formula 3.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Tsolov, P2: Slater, P3: Taponen, P4: Voisin, P5: Stenshorne, P6: Tramnitz, P7: Giusti, P8: Ho, P9: Wurz and P10: Stromsted.

    Day 3-

    It was a great start for Voisin who got ahead of Camara on the brakes at Turn 1, while Charlie Wurz kept a hold of third ahead of DAMS Lucas Oil’s Christian Ho.

    Tuukka Taponen was also on the move for ART Grand Prix. From sixth, he got ahead of Bruno del Pino at the start, before overtaking Ho for fourth into Turn 4 on Lap 2.

    Onto Lap 3, Camara and Wurz had closed in on the back of Voisin, with the former using DRS to get ahead into Turn 1. However, the Rodin driver’s switchback move got him back ahead at Turn 4.

    Camara eventually got ahead on Lap 5, making the same move on Voisin at Turn 1, the Brit unable to get ahead at Turn 4 this time despite his attempts to do so.
    Wurz and Taponen were now battling for P3, allowing Voisin and Camara to disappear up the road.

    Further behind, Alessandro Giusti got himself ahead of Noel Leon for P11 at the same corner. He made a similar move at Turn 1 on the following lap on another PREMA Racing driver, Brando Badoer for P10.

    Trident then came on the radio to tell Wurz to stay with Taponen, but at the same time, his teammate Noah Stromsted was coming under threat from Ho and Tramnitz for P5.

    The Dane fended off Ho, before the DAMS driver ran wide at Turn 2. This opened the door for Tramnitz to get ahead on the run to Turn 4. On the next lap, the Singaporean lost another position to Nikola Tsolov at the next corner.

    Another driver showing tremendous pace was Mari Boya. The Campos driver overtook Badoer for P11 after starting the race down in 20th.
    Tramnitz and Tsolov then got ahead of Stromsted for fifth and sixth, while Giusti overtook his MP teammate del Pino for P9.

    As lap 14 of 22 started, Camara was three and a half seconds clear of Voisin, who was 2.4s in front of Taponen. A DRS train had now formed behind the ART driver, with Wurz, Tramnitz, Tsolov and Stromsted all in the fight for the podium.

    After trying for several laps to get ahead of Wurz, Tramnitz eventually got ahead of the Trident driver by going round the outside at Turn 4 on Lap 17.

    Taponen had been able to pull out a one second advantage due to the fighting behind him, but Tramnitz closed the gap before pulling off another move round the outside at Turn 4 on lap 19 for third.

    Wurz had now dropped to P6 after being overtaken by Tsolov, and was coming under attack from his teammate, Stromsted.

    Out in front though, Camara was over six seconds clear across the line as he went on to win his second feature race of the season. Voisin finished in P2 and Tramnitz ended up third for MP.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Camara, P2: Voisin, P3: Tramnitz, P4: Taponen, P5: Tsolov, P6: Stromsted, P7: Giusti, P8: Boya, P9: Del Pino and P10: Ho.

  • F2 – Bahrain – Day 1

    Practice-

    Oliver Goethe got the Sakhir race weekend off to a great start for MP Motorsport, leading teammate Richard Vershoor in Free Practice around the Bahrain International Circuit.

    The Red Bull Junior driver saved his best effort for the final minutes, a 1:47.789 leaving him fastest going into Qualifying.
    Campos Racing’s Josep Maria Marti rounded out the top three.

    Joshua Duerksen got the ball rolling in the session, recording a 1:48.954 as the early benchmark time for AIX Racing.
    DAMS Lucas Oil’s Jak Crawford went second in the opening 10 minutes, just 0.022s down on the Paraguayan.

    Marti moved to P1 as the clock ticked into the final 20 minutes. He set a 1:48.379 for Campos, 0.008s quicker than Victor Martins who moved up to P2 in his Williams liveried – ART Grand Prix car.

    Much of the remaining laps were dedicated to race running, though Goethe surged to the top in the final two minutes with a 1:47.789 for MP.

    Qualifying-

    It was a direct fight between Leonardo Fornaroli and Victor Martins for top spot, with the former earning his first Formula 2 pole position in the end.

    The Invicta Racing driver secured P1 with a 1:44.008 to pip the Frenchman by over a tenth, while Hitech TGR’s Luke Browning earned third position at the chequered flag.

    After several build laps, ART’s Martins set the early pace and benchmark to beat, going to the top with a 1:45.110.

    Rodin Motorsport driver, Alexander Duune was just 0.002s down on that effort to go second but they were both blown out of the water by Fornaroli, who laid down a 1:44.642 for the top.

    Half of the field opted to wait and as the first 11 returned to the pitlane, the others joined the circuit for their first attempts.
    Josep Maria Marti was the quickest of the second group, going up to P2 for Campos Racing and 0.223s down on the provisional pole sitter.

    With eight minutes remaining, everyone rejoined the circuit for their final attempts. Martins improved to re-take the top spot with a 1:44.163 and he was comfortably clear, but Fornaroli denied him once more, going back to P1 to earn his maiden F2 pole position.

    The full top 10 are- Pole: Fornaroli, P2: Martins, P3: Browing, P4: Dunne, P5: Stanek, P6: Verschoor, P7: Meguetounif, P8: Villagomez, P9: Beganovic and P10: Duerksen.

  • R4 – Bahrain Qualifying

    McLaren driver, Oscar Piastri grabbed pole position during Qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix, getting the better of Mercedes rival George Russell and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in a thrilling conclusion.

    Practice pace-setter McLaren had been in control through the Q1 and Q2 phases but had to work hard to remain at the top of the timesheets in Q3 – Piastri’s final 1m 29.841s lap putting him a couple of tenths up on Russell. Leclerc was another tenth and a half back in third.

    The full top 10 are- Pole: Piastri, P2: Russell, P3: Leclerc, P4: Antonelli, P5: Gasly, P6: Norris, P7: Verstappen, P8: Sainz, P9: Hamilton and P10: Tsunoda.

    What a lovely result from Piastri! Pole for the McLaren man, just what he would’ve wanted as he will be looking to grab his second win of the season.
    As for Norris, a bit of a shocker in 6th, however, he hasn’t lost out too much as he will be lining up next to Verstappen…

    P2 and P4 for the Mercedes boys! A really strong finish from Russell and Antonelli, it is a track both drivers know well. However, they are going to be investigated after qualifying for a potential rule breach.

    P3 for Leclerc, a much better result from the Monegasque and Ferrari, hopefully they can keep up the good result and turn it into a good points haul / a podium.
    As for Hamilton, he qualified, 9th, a semi-decent result for the Brit, could’ve been better for sure, especially as Leclerc qualified third but a decent result.

    A mixed result for Red Bull, Verstappen 7th, he was complaining about brake issues throughout the session. As for Tsunoda he qualified 10th, not too bad, but a position where he can improve and grab some points.

    P8 for Carlos Sainz, a lovely result for the Spanish driver, his best result in the Williams so far! Hopefully he can get some points this weekend.

    One driver I haven’t mentioned is Mr Pierre Gaslyyyy, putting his Alpine in P5! A lovely result from him and the team, they definitely seem to have improved from last season. Hopefully a good points haul from the Frenchman to help in the Constructors.

  • F3 – Bahrain – Day 1

    Practice-

    Trident’s Rafael Camara picked up where he left off in Melbourne to set the pace in the opening session in Sakhir, his 1:50.984 the fastest time of Free Practice.

    The Brazilian driver eclipsed Nikola Tsolov’s early benchmark time by 0.127s to end up fastest ahead of his Campos Racing rival, while ART Grand Prix rookie Tuukka Taponen rounded out the top three.

    Van Amersfoort Racing’s Ivan Domingues had the track to himself early on as the rest of the field waited in the pit lane. He set a 1:52.776 to complete the first push lap of the session.

    Action started to ramp up with 15 minutes to go as one by one all 30 cars started to head back out onto the circuit.
    After the first set of push laps, it was Tsolov that set the pace with a 1:51.111, with Rodin Motorsport rookie Roman Bilinski 0.312s behind in P2.

    However, Tsolov was down to second as Camara went top on a 1:50.984, putting the Brazilian 0.127s clear in front.

    Fellow rookie Taponen went third for ART, over two-tenths back from the leading time, as Van Amersfoort Racing’s Santiago Ramos jumped up to fourth.

    The drivers continued to set their best times up until the chequered flag as MP Motorsport’s Alessandro Giusti ended up in P5 ahead of Charlie Wurz and Bilinski.

    Qualifying-

    Rafael Camara was the one to beat once again, as the Trident driver took his second consecutive pole position of the season, beating out Callum Voisin in an action packed Sakhir Qualifying.

    A closely fought encounter between the pair, the Brazilian’s late 1:49.214 was enough for P1, while the Rodin Motorsport driver ended up 0.156s down in second, with Trident’s Charlie Wurz in third.

    It was Nikola Tsolov that set the early benchmark though of 1:50.506, putting the Campos Racing driver 0.169s clear of DAMS Lucas Oil’s Christian Ho, with James Wharton just behind in P3.

    The entire field was back in the pit lane with 18 minutes left in the session, but after a quick change of tyres, they were out on track for the second set of push laps on their new rubber.

    There were plenty of improvements and on this occasion, it was Voisin on provisional pole, thanks to a 1:49.882, putting him just 0.023s ahead of MP Motorsport’s Alessandro Giusti.

    Camara went to third ahead of Tsolov this time around, before the drivers returned to the pit lane to put on another new set of tyres.

    Setting his lap earlier than the rest of the field, Camara went to P1 with a 1:49.214. Voisin set the fastest first sector but could not overhaul the Trident driver and ended up second, 0.156s down.

    The full top 10 are- Pole: Camara, P2: Voisin, P3: Wurz, P4: Ho, P5: del Pino, P6: Taponen, P7: Stromsted, P8: Tsolov, P9: Giusti and P10: Slater.

  • R4 – Tyre Selection

    The Sakhir circuit boasts several layouts, with two different ones used for the races in 2010 and 2020, but the current one is 5.412 kilometres in length and features 15 corners, 9 to the right and 6 to the left.

    The track is one of the toughest on the calendar when it comes to tyres, especially in the braking areas and when traction is required.
    The aggregate used for the asphalt at the Bahrain International Circuit is still very abrasive despite it being quite old now.

    Temperature will be a very important variable when it comes to tyre management at the fourth race of the year.
    As was the case in Suzuka, the teams will have a choice of the three hardest compounds in Pirelli’s range.

    The C1 (Hard), C2 (Medium) and the C3 (Soft), however, the Sakhir track characteristics and indeed the temperatures, will require a different approach to that adopted last week in Japan.

    All the teams, will have a good baseline from which to start work, given that in the last week the circuit hosted the only pre-season test. Which means everyone will have plenty of data to work with when it comes to setting up the cars and choosing the best strategies for qualifying and the race.

    Bahrain is the one Grand Prix where a two stop strategy would seem to be a given, and that was the case last year.
    All drivers made at least two stops, whilst some even stopped three times.
    The Soft and Hard tyres are the preferred compounds, with the vast majority opting to start on the C3.

  • Browning gets FP1 run in Bahrain

    Luke Browning will be making another Formula 1 free practice session appearance with Williams in Bahrain this weekend.

    The Formula 2 racer, will be taking over Carlos Sainz’s car in Friday’s opening session, having made his F1 practice debut with Williams in Abu Dhabi at the end of last year.

    Last week, he drove the team’s FW45 car from 2023 at Monza alongside fellow F2 racer Victor Martins, who recently joined the Williams Academy.

    Browning has been part of the Williams Academy since 2023, during that time he also drove the FW46 at the post-season young drivers’ test last year.

    Currently he is competing in FIA Formula 2 Championship in his first full campaign, after he took part in six races last season after finishing third in the FIA Formula 3 Championship.

    Being given another opportunity to drive in a free practice session with Williams is a dream come true, and I’m getting more and more confidence each time I drive the car. My main aim for FP1 is to get more comfortable with the procedures and environment that come with F1, and to build on my experience from Abu Dhabi last December. I’m excited to feel the progression from the FW46 to the FW47 and I feel incredibly grateful to James [Vowles], Sven [Smeets] and the team at Grove for entrusting me with the car. I’m excited to feel the progression from the FW46 to the FW47 and I feel incredibly grateful to James [Vowles], Sven [Smeets] and the team at Grove for entrusting me with the car.
    Browning on the news.

    Luke has made strong progress since his first F2 weekend last year and scored good points in the opening race of the season in Australia. His previous FP1 experience, participation in our TPC [testing of previous cars] programme, and simulator work have prepared him well for this weekend and we look forward to seeing him take this next step forward in his development.
    Williams Sporting Director, Smeets.

  • Drugovich in for FP1 for Aston Martin

    Fernando Alonso will be sitting out for the first free practice session at this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix.

    The two-time champion makes way for reserve driver Felipe Drugovich for the hour as one of the FP1 sessions by a rookie driver.

    Having stood in for Lance Stroll at the Sakhir International Circuit during pre-season testing in 2023, Drugovich knows his way around the track in an Aston Martin car.

    The 24 year old has competed in numerous FP1 sessions for the Silverstone team since winning the Formula 2 Championship in 2022.

    I’m very happy to be getting out in the F1 car again, especially so early in the season. I’ve been preparing on the simulator to get a feel for the car, and Bahrain is a track I know well and really enjoy driving. I’m excited to contribute and give the team the data they need to perform at their best this weekend. Thanks to the whole team for their continued support.
    Drugovich on the news.

    We’re pleased to offer Felipe this opportunity to drive the AMR25 in Bahrain. He has been an integral part of our team’s simulator programme at the AMRTC and consistently provides valuable and insightful feedback that helps drive the development of the car. Felipe is a trusted pair of hands, and we’re confident he’ll do a great job in FP1 and contribute to our preparations for the race weekend.
    Andy Cowell, CEO and Team Principal.

  • Vesti to drive in FP1 at Bahrain

    Frederik Vesti will be driving for Mercedes in the opening session for this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix.

    Mercedes’ test and reserve driver, will be taking over George Russell’s W16 for FP1 at the Bahrain International Circuit, having already assisted the squad with simulator work at Brackley this year.

    This is the Dane’s third appearance in a grand prix weekend, having also driven in FP1 for Mercedes in Mexico and Abu Dhabi in 2023.

    This year, he is dovetailing his Mercedes commitments with a drive in the IMSA Sports Car Championship with the factory backed Action Express Cadillac team.

    New for 2025 signing, Andrea Kimi Antonelli has already fulfilled the requirements for Mercedes in Australia and China, but now that the Italian has completed two grands prix, he is no longer considered a rookie for this purpose.

    The Sakhir circuit is seen as an ideal venue for F1 teams to bring in newcomers, as they already have a substantial amount of data from the track during pre-season testing in February.

    I am really looking forward to getting my first taste of the W16 in FP1 in Bahrain. Being able to put all of my simulator work into practice on the track is a really exciting prospect for me. At the start of the year, I set myself the goal of maximising every chance I get behind the wheel of an F1 car in 2025, and that is what I hope to achieve in Bahrain. I will be doing everything I can to help the team, George, and Kimi get set for the rest of the weekend. I am grateful to Mercedes for once again giving me this opportunity.
    Vesti on the news.

  • Beganovic set to make debut in Bahrain

    Dino Beganovic will be making his official Formula 1 debut during the first practice session of the Bahrain Grand Prix.

    This will take place alongside his existing responsibilities in F2 as he and Hitech TGR ready themselves for a busy weekend.

    The Swedish driver taking part in FP1 will begin to fulfill Charles Leclerc’s obligation to hand over his car to a rookie for two sessions this season, but will also make him a fifth member of Ferrari’s famous Driver Academy to join an official F1 weekend.

    Beganovic began racing in karts in his home country, quickly establishing himself as a talented driver within Europe. On joining Formula 4 in 2020, he immediately proved his talent when he finished third in the Italian race with PREMA.

    He was able to quickly ascend through the junior formulas, with his hard work bearing fruit with 13 podiums, four race wins and an FRECA championship to his name in 2022.

    Moving on to Formula 3, he finished sixth in the drivers’ standings in both 2023 and 2024 seasons, and at the end of the year had a taste of F2, where he scored a podium finish with DAMS Lucas Oil at the Yas Marina sprint race.
    Currently he sits 15th in the standings with Hitech TGR after the Australian season opener.

  • R3 – Japan

    Max Verstappen scored his first victory of the 2025 season with a masterful drive to P1 in the Japanese Grand Prix, the World Champion holding off the McLaren pair of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to claim his fourth consecutive win at the Suzuka Circuit.

    After making a strong start from pole position, Verstappen held a decent lead over the McLaren’s throughout the early stages.
    Drama then ensued during the pit stop phase when the Dutchman’s slightly slow stop saw Norris – who had pitted on the same lap – try to go side by side at the pit exit, resulting in the McLaren man having to take to the grass while Verstappen remained ahead.

    While both drivers voiced their unhappiness about the incident over the team radio, the stewards opted not to investigate and Verstappen remained ahead of Norris as the race progressed, building a gap back to the Briton.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Verstappen, P2: Norris, P3: Piastri, P4: Leclerc, P5: Russell, P6: Antonelli, P7: Hamilton, P8: Hadjar, P9: Albon and P10: Bearman.

    What a great result from Verstappen and Red Bull! Their first win of the season and it all started from a lovely qualifying lap on Saturday and then the Dutchman just put everything together on Sunday to secure the win!
    As for his new teammate, Tsunoda, he finished 12th, just outside the points.

    A lovely result from McLaren, P2 for Norris and P3 for Piastri a very strong weekend for both drivers, they were bringing the heat to Verstappen but it wasn’t enough to grab the win.

    P4 for Leclerc! A lovely result for the Ferrari driver, especially after their horrible weekend in China, it’s unfortunate they couldn’t get on the podium but it was close enough. It was P7 for Hamilton, not too bad but definitely not the worse and still some points in the bag for the team.

    P5 for Russell and P6 Antonelli, a decent weekend for the Mercedes boys. Antonelli seems to be settling in comfortably at the Silver Arrows, and is rewarded with points once again!

    P8 for Hadjar! What a start of a season for him in his rookie campaign! He is doing well and I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do for the rest of the season.

  • R3 – Tyre Selection

    The Suzuka track is one of the most spectacular and demanding on the calendar, as well as being the only circuit of the season with a figure of eight layout.
    Located in the Mie Prefecture, the venue is owned by Honda whose Suzuka factory, built in 1960 is one of its main sites in Japan.

    The track is regarded as being demanding for both car and driver, 5.807 kilometres in length, it is made up of 18 corners, some of which are part of motor racing history, such as the Esses in the first sector.

    The C1, the hard compound of the 2025 range, makes its season debut at this the third round, joined as usual by the C2 (Medium) and C3 (Soft).
    That’s because Suzuka is one of the toughest tracks on the calendar when it comes to tyres and Pirelli has therefore always selected the hardest trio of compounds.

    Something new for this year is the fact that a large part of the track has been resurfaced, from the exit of the last chicane to the end of the first sector.
    This is an important section, as it features medium and high speed corners, some of them long ones, such as the first two after the start-finish straight, where tyres come under a lot of stress.

    As already mentioned, the three hardest compounds in the range will be available. It is worth noting that, of the three, the C1 is the one that most closely resembles its 2024 iteration, while the C2 especially and the C3, have undergone the most changes in terms of performance, being softer than last year.

    In 2024, the race was won by Max Verstappen, followed home by Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez and the then Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz.
    The field was split pretty fairly evenly between the Medium and Soft for the first stint, with 12 choosing the C2 and eight the C3.

    But the race strategy was then influenced by the race being red flagged following a collision between Albon and Ricciardo, with seven drivers changing compounds for the restart off the grid.

  • Red Bull unveil special livery for Japanese GP

    Red Bull have revealed a special one-off livery that will adorn the RB21 during the Japanese Grand Prix weekend, with the team running a striking white and red design to honour the final year of their partnership with Honda.

    In an event that will see Yuki Tsunoda step up as Max Verstappen’s new team mate in front of his home crowd – following the decision to swap the Japanese driver with Liam Lawson the latter returning to Racing Bulls – Red Bull’s challenger will pay tribute to Honda by sporting a design inspired by the RA272, which gave the engine manufacturer its inaugural win back in 1965.

    The livery recreates the RA272’s Japanese flag motif, featuring the ‘H’ logo on the nose and the simple Honda logo on the rear of the bodywork, while a special logo commemorating the 60th anniversary of Honda’s debut victory will be displayed on the Red Bull and Racing Bulls cars during the weekend.

    This is not the first time that Red Bull have raced in white, with the squad having previously run a special livery at the 2021 Turkish Grand Prix.

    Our relationship with Honda deserves celebration, it has been one of continued success and brought the team one of the most triumphant and dominant periods in our history. Max has won four world titles with a Honda power unit, and the team have lifted two Constructors’ titles. In addition, Honda’s reliability enabled it to complete the most successful season in the sport’s history in 2023. This livery is a tribute to Honda’s success in the sport and the final year of what has been a thoroughly enjoyable partnership. I am looking forward to seeing it out on track.
    Horner on the special livery.

    It is quite moving to see the RA272 tribute livery on the latest Red Bull Racing machine, in the final year of Honda and Red Bull’s partnership. Our successful path will continue to shine in the history of F1.
    Koji Watanabe, President of Honda Racing Corporation (HRC).

  • Alpine’s reserve Ryo Hirakawa to drive in FP1

    Alpine have announced that Ryo Hirakawa – one of their reserve drivers for 2025 – will get behind the wheel of the A525 in front of his home crowd during Free Practice 1 at the Japanese Grand Prix.

    Hirakawa – who previously enjoyed his debut practice run with McLaren at last year’s season finale in Abu Dhabi – has extensive experience across different categories of motorsport, having competed in various single-seater and endurance championships.

    This saw him take victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2022, while he is also a two-time Hypercar champion in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

    Now, after previously testing Formula 1 machinery for McLaren and Haas, Hirakawa will get his first taste of a 2025 car during his home event at the Suzuka Circuit, with the 31 year old set to take over Jack Doohan’s challenger for the session.

    I’m very excited, I can’t wait to drive the A525 in Free Practice 1 this weekend. I’m looking back to 18 years ago to 2007, the first time I went to watch the Japanese Grand Prix, it was a different track, Fuji, but it was Formula 1 in Japan. Since then, I started my racing career and now to drive during the weekend is going to be a dream come true, I just can’t wait. I have got everything prepared, we did simulator work in Enstone a few days ago and I’m going to enjoy the moment. Hopefully the weather is good, it will be a short session, but I will enjoy it and do my best for the team to hopefully input some direction on set-up. I just want to add my appreciation to everyone at the team for the opportunity and support.
    Hirakawa on the news.

  • Victor Martins joins Williams Driver Academy

    Williams have announced that F2 driver and former F3 champion Victor Martins has become the latest addition to their Driver Academy, adding to their roster of young talent on the pathway to Formula 1.

    Martins won a closely-fought title battle during the 2022 Formula 3 campaign, the Frenchman beating the six other drivers – including the likes of Ollie Bearman and Isack Hadjar – that remained in contention at the Monza season finale to secure the crown for ART Grand Prix.

    From there he progressed to Formula 2 in 2023 and finished his debut season in fifth place, whilst also helping, whilst also helping the ART Grand Prix squad to secure their first F2 Teams’ title.
    Martins collected a further five podiums in 2024, including a victory in the Barcelona Sprint Race.

    Alongside competing in his third F2 campaign for ART Grand Prix in 2025, Martins will receive training and guidance from the Williams Driver Academy as he continues to develop his skills on and off the track.

    The 23 year old who was previously a part of the Alpine Academy is set to get behind the wheel of the FW45 as part of the TPC (Testing of Previous Cars) programme in Monza this weekend, as will fellow F2 driver and Academy member Luke Browning.

    I’m super happy to be joining the Williams Racing Driver Academy! This is a new chapter for me, but my goal remains the same – to push myself to the limit, both as a person and as a racing driver, and to make it to Formula 1. Williams is an iconic team with an incredible history, and I’m confident this is the best place to be to help me achieve my goals. This year, I’ll put all my focus into winning the Formula 2 Drivers’ Championship with ART Grand Prix and maximising this opportunity with the Driver Academy both on and off the track. I look forward to working with everyone at Williams as we embark on this new journey together.
    Martins on the news.

    We’re thrilled to welcome Victor to the Williams Racing Driver Academy. He has repeatedly demonstrated that he is a talented driver who is capable of winning championships. We will continue to support Victor’s development on and off the track as part of the Academy and look forward to working with him in 2025.
    Sven Smeets, Sporting Director at Williams.

  • Haas reveal livery for Japanese Grand Prix

    The Haas F1 team has revealed a beautiful new livery for the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix, celebrating the iconic cherry blossom of the country.

    The pink livery, which lays over the traditional 2025 livery of the American team celebrates the connection that’s growing between Haas and Japan.

    The team has transformed its VF-25 car with a cherry blossom inspired livery, “paying homage” to the natural beauty of the Sakura. This will feature across both cars over the weekend.

    There’s more to this change than just aesthetics. A strong relationship between the team and the country has formed over the past year, after a multi-year technical partnership with Toyota was confirmed in October 2024, seeing the manufacturer return to the sport for the first time since 2009.

    This will see Toyota Gazoo Racing working with Haas on design, technical and manufacturing services, something that will help the team build their capabilities under new leadership from team principal Ayao Komatsu.

  • Tsunoda to replace Lawson at Red Bull

    Red Bull have announced that Yuki Tsunoda will replace Liam Lawson at the senior Red Bull Racing team from the Japanese Grand Prix onwards, with the 24 year old getting the nod to replace Lawson following a difficult opening two races for the New Zealander.

    Lawson raced alongside Tsunoda in the latter stages of 2024 after replacing Daniel Ricciardo at the then-name RB team, and his performances were enough to earn him a promotion to Red Bull, following the exit of Sergio Perez.

    However, Lawson struggled to get to grips with the RB21 during the Australia and China Grand Prix weekends, crashing out in the former amid treacherous conditions before crossing the line in 15th in Shanghai, which then became 12th following three disqualifications for Leclerc, Hamilton and Gasly ahead.

    Rumours then quickly mounted that the 23 year old could be replaced at the team as early as Round 3 in Japan, and now it has been confirmed that Tsunoda will fill Lawson’s seat when F1 returns to Suzuka on April 4th – 6th with Lawson returning to the Racing Bulls squad alongside rookie Isack Hadjar.

    After making his debut for the then-named AlphaTauri squad back in 2021, Tsunoda has continued to develop as a driver across the years that have followed, the Japanese driver having outscored his recent team mates including Nyck de Vries and Daniel Ricciardo.

    The 2024 season was one that Tsunoda heralded as “one of my best” after scoring 30 of his team’s 46 points across the season.
    He went on to make his test debut for Red Bull at the post-season test in Abu Dhabi – but it was subsequently confirmed that Lawson rather than Tsunoda.

    Lawson, will be returning to Racing Bulls where he will partner with rookie Isack Hadjar – the situation mirroring the cases of Daniil Kvyat and Pierre Gasly who each returned to the sister outfit from Red Bull after three races into 2016 and 12 in 2019 respectively.

    It has been difficult to see Liam struggle with the RB21 at the first two races and, as a result, we have collectively taken the decision to make an early switch. We came into the 2025 season with two ambitions, to retain the World Drivers’ Championship and to reclaim the World Constructors’ title and this is a purely sporting decision. We acknowledge there is a lot of work to be done with the RB21 and Yuki’s experience will prove highly beneficial in helping to develop the current car. We welcome him to the Team and are looking forward to seeing him behind the wheel of the RB21. We have a duty of care to protect and develop Liam and together, we see that after such a difficult start, it makes sense to act quickly so Liam can gain experience, as he continues his F1 career with Visa Cash App Racing Bulls, an environment and a Team he knows very well.
    Christian Horner on the news.

    We’re incredibly proud of Yuki earning his well-deserved move to Oracle Red Bull Racing! His progress last year, and more recently from the very start of 2025, has been nothing less than sensational. Personally, and collectively, it has been an immense privilege to witness those progresses for all of us in Faenza and in Milton Keynes. Yuki’s energy and positivity has lightened up every corner of our factories and of our garage and he will always be a Racing Bull! We wish him all the success he deserves at ORBR. Everyone here at VCARB is looking forward to working hard with Liam to give him the best environment possible for him to shine in our car and to express the talent we all know he has. He fit in so well last year, and we cannot wait to challenge ourselves and grow as a team. With Isack having started so strongly with us already, we know we have a young and strong line-up.
    Laurent Mekies, Team Principal of Racing Bulls on the news.

  • Domenicali to continue as President and CEO of Formula 1

    Formula 1 has announced that President and CEO Stefano Domenicali has extended his agreement with Liberty Media in a five-year renewal and will lead the business through 2029.

    Domenicali became President and CEO on January 1st, 2021 and has been instrumental in driving the business to new levels of success and becoming the global sport it is today.

    Formula 1 has seen incredible growth and increased interest and demand for its races around the world. It has continued to experience very strong momentum in fan growth and engagement alongside commercial success across all business areas including sponsorship, media rights and race promotion.

    The Formula 1 ecosystem has never been stronger for all stakeholders and the strategy to continuously innovate, create new ways to engage audiences and improve offerings for the fans will propel the sport’s success into the future.

    Before joining Formula 1, Domenicali began his professional career at Ferrari in 1991, where he held various positions, increasing his responsibility until he became the Team Principal in 2008.

    In 2014 he joined Audi AG as Vice President of New Business Initiatives and then was appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Automobili Lamborghini in 2016.
    During his time at Lamborghini he successfully grew the brand in major global markets and across platforms, producing strong financial results.

    We are thrilled to renew Stefano and look forward to his leadership alongside the talented management of Formula 1 for the years ahead. Stefano has been an excellent steward of the business, building on its successful foundation and accelerating Formula 1’s rate of growth both commercially and in fan engagement. His energy and enthusiasm for the sport translate into highly effective strategy and results. On behalf of Liberty, we are thankful for his partnership and incredibly optimistic about the continued success the F1 team can drive for the sport, our fans, partners and shareholders.
    Derek Chang, President and CEO of Liberty Media.

    I am honoured to continue to lead this incredible sport, which I love and has been part of my life since my childhood and grateful to the Liberty Media Team for their trust. Together, with all the relevant F1 stakeholders, we will continue to serve the best interest of our fans, as they are the heartbeat of everything we do.  The passion, the energy and the adrenaline are the fuel that powers me every day to give my absolute best to Formula 1.
    Domenicali on the news.

  • Kick Sauber confirm Wheatley’s start date

    Kick Sauber have confirmed that Jonathan Wheatley will officially become their Team Principal on April 1st, 2025.

    Wheatley, who has long served as Red Bull’s Sporting Director, was announced in the position last August, but the Swiss team stopped short of communicating an exact start date.

    Now, that date has been finalised for the beginning of next month, with Wheatley’s race debut to follow at the Japanese Grand Prix.

    Wheatley will lead the management team at Sauber Motorsport AG alongside Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technical Officer, Mattia Binotto.
    In their respective positions, both Binotto and Wheatley will report directly to Gernot Dollner in his role as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sauber Motorsport AG.

    It comes as German car manufacturer Audi prepare to take over Sauber’s entry and make it their own works operation from the 2026 season onwards.

    Wheatley’s career in F1 started with Benetton in the early 1990s where he climbed the ranks to become Chief Mechanic and remained there through the team’s Renault guise.
    He joined Red Bull’s new team in 2006, achieving significant success – including six Teams’ and seven Drivers’ titles – as Sporting Director.

  • Fortescue Zero becomes Official Pit Boost Provider

    Fortescue Zero has been announced as the Official Pit Boos Provider of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship for Season 11.

    Having successfully developed and launched its new PIT BOOST technology for the all-electric series, its hardware provides teams competing in the global championship with a +10% boost of total battery capacity, in less than 30 seconds.

    This rapid and efficient ultra-fast booster system has been designed to deliver two battery boosts from a portable unit.
    The use of onboard energy storage also enables the 600kW boost that is not constrained by grid connection.

    PIT BOOST technology was first deployed in competition during Round 3 of Season 11 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and will continue to be deployed during double-headers as part of the 16 race calendar this season, including rounds in Monaco, Tokyo, Shanghai, Berlin and London.

    Fortescue Zero has taken its ultra-fast boost innovations and used them to help develop real-world solutions with on-road and heavy industry vehicle applications, including a 6MW fast charger that is designed to be compatible with a wide range of battery electric heavy mining equipment.

    This process underscores Formula E’s position to offer commercial partners and organisations with a world-leading test bed where new products and systems can be developed and integrated into the world championship and beyond.

    Fortescue Zero pushes the limits of what batteries, their infrastructure and intelligence systems can do in a safe, tested and innovative way. The ultra-fast boost technology used in the Pit Boost, not only takes motorsports to a new level, it also has a flow on effect to real-world practicalities too, including in Heavy Industry and on-road electric vehicle applications.
    Ellie Coates, CEO, Fortescue Zero.

    The successful development and integration of Fortescue Zero’s Pit Boost technology has not only been a positive gamer-changer for the racing our fans can expect, but is one of the biggest new features introduced into world-motorsport in recent memory. Not only is it bringing huge new excitement to our race tracks, but allows the series and commercial partners to pioneer cutting edge technology that is directly relevant to road-going EV users. This new technology will have enormous real-world benefits and tangibly contributes to our overarching mission of accelerating the development and uptake of EVs around the world.
    Jeff Dodds, CEO, Formula E.

  • R2 – China

    Oscar Piastri bounced back from the disappointment of his late-race mistake at last week’s 2025 season opener in Australia by converting pole position into an assured victory during the Chinese Grand Prix – leading home team mate Lando Norris for a McLaren 1-2.

    Piastri controlled Sunday’s 56 lap race at the Shanghai International Circuit from start to finish, never putting a foot wrong in a much calmer second race of the season that centred around whether drivers would complete one or two pit stops.

    As it transpired, the first five finishes and the vast majority of the field only visited the pits once, with Piastri building and managing a gap back to Norris across their two stints to take the chequered flag and kick off his challenge for the title.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Piastri, P2: Norris, P3: Russell, P4: Verstappen, P5: Leclerc, P6: Hamilton, P7: Ocon, P8: Antonelli, P9: Albon and P10: Bearman.

    However, after the race there was drama from the FIA, they have disqualified Leclerc and Gasly for their cars being found to be underweight in post-race checks.
    Not only this Hamilton has also been disqualified for his rear skid block which was found to be under the minimum thickness.

    This means that the new top 10 is- P1: Piastri, P2: Norris, P3: Russell, P4: Verstappen, P5: Ocon, P6: Antonelli, P7: Albon, P8: Bearman, P9: Stroll and P10: Sainz.

    What a result for McLaren, a lovely 1-2 finish for the team, that is what they would’ve wanted last weekend but either way it’s a massive points haul for the team.
    Piastri had a dominating weekend anyway, P2 in the Sprint Race, Pole and then Win. Norris had a good race, made up for the Sprint. He pretty much had a smooth race apart from the brake problems at the end but he kept it cool, calm and collected.

    Russell had a lovely race, P3! He pretty much kept out of trouble and was putting pressure on Lando towards the end which is good to see. As for his teammate, Antonelli finished 6th by the time disqualifications come into it, another decent points haul for him and more learning.

    A good race for Verstappen, he lost quite a few places at the start, but after switching tyres and during the second half of the race, the Dutchman put pressure on the Ferrari’s and managed to make some ground back up.

    It was a decent race for Ferrari, P5 and P6, but after the race just ruined their weekend. A DSQ for both drivers so they come away from the Grand Prix with no points (apart from Sprint). Let’s hope they learn from this and don’t let it happen again as they’ve missed out on decent points…

    A double points finish for Haas!! P5 for Ocon and P8 Bearman, this amount of points so early on will make a big difference to the end of the season as the mid-field is going to be so close!

    Again double points for Williams, which means Sainz’s first point for the team. He had a bit of a rough weekend for the team, still struggling with the car but at least it’s better than last weekend.

    Now onto the next race weekend, we have a break now but we are back for Round 3 in Japan on the 4th – 6th of April and it will be a triple header!

  • R2 – China Sprint

    Lewis Hamilton has claimed victory in the first Sprint of the 2025 season at the Chinese Grand Prix, the Ferrari driver putting in an assured drive to add to his tally of wins in Shanghai and claim his debut P1 for the Scuderia.

    After a strong start when the lights went out, Hamilton went on to build a commanding lead and while it was not entirely smooth sailing, his SF-25 experiencing graining on the tyres at one stage – the seven time World Champion looked in stunning form across the 19 lap event.

    Max Verstappen spent much of the Sprint running in second but lost out to McLaren’s Oscar Piastri with a few laps to spare, putting the Red Bull third.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Hamilton, P2: Piastri, P3: Verstappen, P4: Russell, P5: Leclerc, P6: Tsunoda, P7: Antonelli, P8: Norris, P9: Stroll and P10: Alonso.

    A wonderful Sprint result from Lewis Hamilton, just what he would’ve set out to achieve after securing pole. It seems like the Ferrari has got some pace behind it as the Brit managed to finish the Sprint with just under a seven second lead.

    A good result for Piastri, made up a move in the race, which makes up some of the lost points from last weekend. As for his teammate, Lando Norris, he finished P8, he had a wide moment early on in the Sprint which cost him places and he just managed to get back up into the points scoring position.

    Good result for Verstappen, P3, he has got pace in the Red Bull, but I think with other teams around him they have just got that extra bit more than Red Bull. But we all know Max can drag stuff out of the car to keep him in the top 3.

    Yuki Tsunoda finished sixth, which is a lovely result, it seems like the Racing Bull car has got pace, as displayed last week in Australia but they just lucked out and didn’t score points. However the Japanese driver has managed it this weekend and it is only the sprint.

    I woke up feeling great today. I really do feel a lot of people underestimated the really steep climb it is to get into a new team, to become acclimatised within a team, understanding and communication, all sorts of things. From Lap 1 here this weekend, really feeling on it. We’ve done a great job – the engineers have done a great job, mechanics have done a great job to really finetune the car and it felt great today. I got a good start and then there’s so much grip on this new tarmac. It’s really hard to look after these tyres but I think everyone was struggling the same.
    Hamilton on Sprint Victory.

  • R2 – China Sprint Qualifying

    Ferrari driver, Lewis Hamilton delivered a stunning performance to secure pole position during Sprint Qualifying at the Chinese Grand Prix, narrowly getting the better of Red Bull rival Max Verstappen and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.

    Hamilton posted a time of 1m 30.849s during the decisive SQ3 phase to pip Verstappen to the top spot by 0.018s with Piastri and the other Ferrari of Charles Leclerc not much further back in an ultra-close session.

    Hamilton’s benchmark was a new lap record around the Shanghai International Circuit and when informed of his pole over the radio the seven time World Champion could not believe it at first.

    The full top 10 are- Pole: Hamilton, P2: Verstappen, P3: Piastri, P4: Leclerc, P5: Russell, P6: Norris, P7: Antonelli, P8: Tsunoda, P9: Albon and P10: Stroll.

    What a result from Hamilton and Ferrari, very surprising but also very welcomed! It seems that Ferrari may have sorted out some of their issue from last week, plus Lewis absolutely loves this track so I wouldn’t be surprised if that helped a little bit.

    A very nice result from Verstappen, P2, it feels like we’ve gone back 4 years and its Max VS Lewis all over again! The Dutchman took the gamble with a one lap gamble and it paid off with a worthy front row result.
    As for his team mate, Liam Lawson qualified in 20th, he has just struggled so far this weekend, which is so tough to see.

    Now onto McLaren a bit of a mixed bag, Piastri qualified third which is a lovely result and Norris qualified 6th, which definitely could of been better, but they made the call of doing two laps instead of the rest of the top 10 and it didn’t pay off in the end as everyone else was improving on their lap times.

    An okay result for Mercedes, Russell, P5, which could’ve been better but still a decent result. As for Antonelli a much better qualifying for him so far this weekend, it will be interesting to see how the rookie goes this weekend in his first Sprint weekend.

  • R2 – Tyre Selection

    We are back once again as we return to China, which is the first Sprint race weekend of the season.

    The Shanghai track is 5.451 kilometres long and its layout is based on the Chinese character “shang” meaning “upwards” or “above”.
    The circuit features several slow corners, such as the first three, turn 6 and 14 and high speed corners like the combination from 7 to 8.

    There are two long straights, the one that crosses the start-finish line and another between turns 13 and 14, which is over a kilometre in length.

    Last summer, a new surface was laid down on the track and the pit lane at the Shanghai International Circuit. It has only been used a few times towards the end of 2024 and should be smoother than before, but it’s logical to expect the track to evolve very quickly.

    The trio of compounds chosen are the same as last year, C2 (Hard), C3 (Medium) and C4 (Soft). The last two were in use in Melbourne last weekend, while the first as run extensively during the three day test in Bahrain.

    Another important factor to consider this weekend will be the temperatures.
    It’s the first time that Shanghai hosts the Grand Prix in March when average temperatures rarely exceed 18°C.

    There were three interruptions last year – one VSC and two Safety Cars – which significantly influenced the outcome of the race, both in terms of the number of stops and the sequence in which the compounds were used.

    Three of the drivers who finished in the top ten made just one stop, six pitted twice and one even three times.
    The majority of the drivers opted to line up on the grid on the medium tyre, which also completed the most stints.

  • Shi Wei confirmed as Wild Card for RND 1

    F1 Academy has announced that Shi Wei, also known as ‘Tie Dou’ will be the first F1 Academy Wild Card entry for 2025, joining the grid for the opening round of the season at the Shanghai International Circuit.

    Shi Wei has achieved impressive results in various racing series in China. In 2024, she won the Challenge Cup at the FIA F4 Chinese Championship in Shanghai and finished third in the CFGP category.

    Shi will be the first Chinese driver to feature on an F1 Academy grid when she takes to the stage during Round 1 of the F1 Academy season.

    Introduced for the 2024 season, the Wild Card initiative was created to help strengthen the talent pool in the regions where F1 Academy races and prioritises talented young drivers from each race region.

    It’s an incredible honour to receive the Wild Card for F1 ACADEMY, giving me the opportunity to compete and learn alongside top drivers on a larger stage, making a dream that once seemed out of reach come true. Hopefully, I can inspire the young generation and raise greater attention to motorsport and the development of the automotive industry.
    Shi Wei on the news.

    Shi Wei’s Wild Card entry into F1 ACADEMY represents not only a historic breakthrough for Chinese motorsport but also a powerful reflection of the power that defines Chinese women. We look forward to seeing her shine on the global stage and to the exciting opportunities this will create for future generations of female drivers.
    Huang Ming, General Manager of Shanghai Juss Sports Development.

  • F3 – Australia – Day 2 & 3

    Day 2-

    Ramos held firm into Turn 1, but Bilinski had to fight back past Stenshorne with a late dive into Turn 4 having lots out in the first corner to the Hitech TGR driver.
    It also opened the door for Campos Racing’s Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak to follow through, but their fight was far from over.

    The Rodin then swept by Matias Zagazeta for second into Turn 9, but waiting in the wings, Inthraphuvasak, went into third around the outside into the chicane.
    Stenshorne fired back before the end lap, re-passing the pair into Turn 11 to move back into second, while Inthraphuvasak lost out to Zagazeta for fourth before the end of the lap.

    A Virtual Safety Car was called upon as the second tour began. Charlie Wurz’s Trident in need of recovering after stopping at Turn 5.

    Back to green flag racing on Lap 3, Tramnitz was tucked in the slipstream of Inthraphuvasak and he took fifth with an around-the-outside pass at Turn 9.

    The Safety Car was called upon in short order though, Rafael Camara and Laurens van Hoepen both in the gravel at Turn 12 following contact with James Wharton, who also retired at the end of the lap with suspension damage.

    Tramnitz had been up to fifth after passing Inthraphuvasak before the Safety Car. But an apparent issue under the Safety Car forced him to slow and drop to the back, before he eventually retired from the Sprint.

    Racing got back underway entering Lap 9, with Ramos holding on to his lead from Stenshorne, Bilinski, Zagazeta and Inthraphuvasak in the top five, as they broke away from the rest of the pack.

    On Lap 13, Stenshorne got a good run into Turn 11 and forced the Mexican driver to defend the corner, but he couldn’t find a route through.
    At the back of the leading queue, Inthraphuvasak made a pass stick on Zagazeta into Turn 1 to claim fourth on Lap 15. But their battling allowed the top three to escape three seconds up the road.

    Another Safety Car was called upon with five laps to go after contact between Bruno Del Pino and Javier Sagrera into Turn 6, leaving both in the gravel.

    The clean up operation meant that there was not enough time to get back to green flag racing, allowing Ramos to lead the field over the line for his first F3 win.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Ramos, P2: Stenshorne, P3: Bilinksi, P4: Inthraphuvasak, P5: Zagazeta, P6: Bedrin, P7: Nael, P8: Tsolov, P9: Voisin and P10: Leon.

    Day 3-

    After several formation laps behind the Safety Car, racing got underway in the Feature Race with a rolling start, and pole sitter Camara launched into a sizeable lead over Stromsted.

    The Safety Car was called upon before the end of the first lap however, with Nikola Tsolov and Callum Voisin off the road at Turn 10.

    Back to racing conditions entering Lap 6, Camara re-established a healthy gap back to Stromsted in second.

    McLaren Development Drivers Ugo Ugochukwu and Martinius Stenshorne went into battle on Lap 8 at Turn 4, the Norwegian slicing his way by the PREMA Racing for P8.
    Ugochukwu lost another place on Lap 9 to Roman Bilinski after running wide at Turn 11, opening the door for the Rodin Motorsport driver to go through for ninth.

    The rain intensity picked up on Lap 11, making things even trickier for the drivers as they fought through the spray, though Camara was taking full advantage of his clear view, five seconds clear of the pack.

    The Safety Car was back out on Lap 13, with DAMS Lucas Oil driver Christian Ho in the barriers at Turn 7.

    After several laps behind the Safety Car, the Red Flags were thrown on Lap 18 of 20, and with the weather not improving, the Feature Race was called.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Camara, P2: Stromsted, P3: Nael, P4: Bedrin, P5: Tramnitz, P6: Wurz, P7: Inthraphuvasak, P8: Stenshorne, P9: Bilinski and P10: Ugochukwu.

  • Piastri agrees new multi-year deal with McLaren

    McLaren and Oscar Piastri have agreed a new multi-year contract extension that the British team say will keep the Australian driver with them “for the long term”.

    Piastri joined McLaren ahead of the 2023 season on a multi-year contract and extended that arrangement after just 15 races of his debut campaign with the team to at least the end of of 2026.

    He continued to thrive at McLaren in only his second season, where he won two Grands Prix and scored another six podiums as well as achieving a Sprint win to earn another new deal.

    The 23 year old was the only driver to complete every racing lap of the 2024 season, and went on to finish a career-best fourth in the Drivers’ Championship, which also played a key role in the team securing the Teams’ title for the first time since 1998.

    This now means that McLaren have secured impressive stability through multi-year contract extensions with Brown, Stella, Norris and Piastri as well as several senior team members in recent times.

    It’s a great feeling knowing that I’m part of McLaren’s long-term vision. The team had the belief in me when we signed in 2022, and the journey we’ve gone on over the past two seasons to help return McLaren to the very top of the sport has been incredible. There are so many talented and special people working at MTC who have helped me to become a Formula 1 race winner very early in my career. Therefore, I’m very proud to be continuing to represent this legendary team for many years to come. I’m excited to fight for the big prizes as a McLaren driver and after last year’s fantastic achievements, it has made me even hungrier to stay at the sharp end.
    Piastri on the news.

    It’s fantastic to confirm Oscar’s extension with McLaren. Not only is he an incredibly talented driver, but his work ethic and cultural fit within the team made it a no-brainer to extend his time in papaya. We’ve got the best driver line-up on the grid, and in the past two seasons, we’ve seen how much of an asset to the team Oscar is both on and off track. He was absolutely fundamental in adding to our legacy with the 2024 Constructors’ Championship last season, so we’re all excited to see what we can do in the years to come as we continue to fight for World Championships together.
    Zak Brown, McLaren CEO.

    Further extending our partnership with Oscar is a symbol of our belief and trust in him as a driver, as well as a reflection of our shared ambition to continue in our fight for Championships together. It has been a pleasure working with Oscar throughout the past two seasons and he has continued to prove how impressive he is in terms of his talent, determination and work ethic as a driver and his contribution to our team and culture as a person. Alongside Lando, we have what we need locked in for the long term to keep pushing forward. I look forward to continuing to watch Oscar grow and develop as a driver and know that many successes lie ahead for him.
    Andrea Stella, Team Principal.

  • R1 – Australia

    Lando Norris converted pole position into a hard-fought win during the 2025 season-opening Australian Grand Prix, which featured mixed weather conditions, multiple crashes, Safety Cars and a late-race downpour that caused huge drama.

    Norris controlled the early stages of Sunday’s encounter from McLaren team mate Oscar Piastri and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen on a sodden track, before improving conditions enabled a switch to slick tyres over the second half.

    However, shortly after the field had ditched their intermediates, another patch of heavier rain soaked the circuit once more, dramatically sending both McLaren’s onto the grass and bringing most drivers immediately back into the pits for suitable rubber.

    While Norris managed to gather his car and head into the pit lane, Piastri spun off at the penultimate corner and lost a heap of time trying to recover the situation – a chain of events that released reigning World Champion Verstappen into the lead.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Norris, P2: Verstappen, P3: Russell, P4: Antonelli, P5: Albon, P6: Stroll, P7: Hulkenberg, P8: Leclerc, P9: Piastri and P10: Hamilton.

    It all started before the race even started, during the formation lap, Isack Hadjar lost control of his Racing Bulls car at the exit of Turn 1 which saw him go into the barriers and out of the race. It was so disappointing for the rookie and it would’ve been interesting to see if he could’ve grabbed points after qualifying 11th/

    What a lovely result for Norris, the best way to start the season with a race win. A really dominant weekend from Norris and McLaren. It all went wrong when it started raining again and both drivers went off track and over the grass at Turn 12 – which then Piastri ended up rearwards in Turn 13 run off. Gutting for Piastri as it was looking like a 1-2 for the team, but the Australian driver will bounce back.

    A lovely result for Max, P2, first race of the season. He was quite close to Norris, but McLaren just seemed to have that edge over Red Bull. As for Verstappen’s teammate, Liam Lawson, he DNF at Turn 2 when the rain intensified.

    A great result for Mercedes, Russell in P3 and Antonelli P4. The best team from the race, as they had both drivers in the points and the closest team mates. Antonelli is the best rookie of the weekend with a P4 finish and it makes him the second youngest driver to score points on debut!

    A lovely result from Alex Albon, P5! We all had a feeling that Williams would be up there especially because of their qualifying result but a lovely points haul for the team. For his teammate, Carlos Sainz, he had a DNF, during the Safety Car period Sainz crashed through the final corner – he reported a “massive power surge”.

    A great result for Nico Hulkenberg for Stake. They have now got more points in one race compared to last season overall, which they will be thrilled about.

    As for Ferrari, they had a bit of a shocker, they just didn’t seem to have much pace in the wet and they did mess up there strategy when it started raining, they thought they’d stay out which is a big gamble but the rain was just coming down so heavy so they ended up having to pit after everyone, which pushed them down the order.
    They did manage to grab points for both drivers, but both Leclerc and Hamilton would’ve wanted more…

    Now, onto Round 2! We are going to China, which is this week so we don’t have too long to wait for more racing and it is the first sprint race weekend of the year!

  • R1 – Australia Qualifying

    Lando Norris surged to pole position for the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, the McLaren driver having just edged out teammate Oscar Piastri by 0.048s to secure a front row lockout for the reigning Teams’ Champions.

    After Max Verstappen had initially secured provisional pole during the first runs of Q3, Piastri thrilled the crowd at his home event by stunningly beating that effort by four tenths. But the Australian did not keep P1 for long, as Norris went even faster.

    The full top 10 are- Pole: Norris, P2: Piastri, P3: Verstappen, P4: Russell, P5: Tsunoda, P6: Albon, P7: Leclerc, P8: Hamilton, P9: Gasly and P10: Sainz.

    What a result from McLaren, starting off where they finished last year! To have both drivers in the top 2 is the best result for the first race weekend of the year.
    Gutting for Piastri to not be on pole position, but I have no doubt he will be in the fight for the race win…

    A good result for Verstappen and Russell! It’s interesting that there lining up on the same row… especially as both of their teammates are further down the grid, so they do not have them to rely on for helping with pit stops etc.

    What a result from Yuki Tsunoda! P5! That was very surprising but it was a welcomed surprise. His teammate Isack Hadjar qualified 11th, the highest rookie position and just slightly missing out on Q3!
    It will be interesting to see how the Racing Bull cars get on in the next few races and keep up the very good results.

    A lovely qualifying for Alex Albon, P6 for the Williams man. Such an improvement compared to last year and to be honest its great to see! Hopefully they can mirror a points finish for the team. As for Albon’s teammate, Carlos Sainz, a decent result in P10, he seems to have got quite comfortable quite quickly which is good to see.

    A decent result for Ferrari, 7th for Leclerc and 8th for Hamilton, it could’ve been better for both drivers. But still a decent result at least they are in the top 10 and you can overtake here in Australia so they could make up some positions in the race.

  • F3 – Australia – Day 1

    Practice-

    Rafael Camara and Trident started 2025 on the front foot, going quickest in Free Practice around the Albert Park circuit.

    The Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy talent set a 1:34,652 just before a red flag stopped the session later on.
    He finished ahead of MP Motorsport’s Tim Tramnitz in second and Mari Boya of Campos Racing in third.

    It was Rodin Motorsport’s Louis Sharp who got the ball rolling by setting a 1:38.676 and the early time to beat, before lowering that to a 1:37.009 on his next attempt.

    Teammate, Roman Bilinski improved on that effort, but Hitech TGR driver, Joshua Dufek set the next benchmark time, 1:36.384 putting him 0.2s ahead of the Rodin in second position. He then lowered his best on the following lap to go onto a 1:35.402.

    Mari Boya joined him shortly afterwards, moving himself up to second, just 0.007s adrift of Camara, while his Campos Racing teammate Nikola Tsolov went third quickest behind him.

    Tramnitz then took over at the top next for MP, 1L34.892 good enough to better the Brazilian by 0.009s, as the session ticked to the final 15 minutes.

    There was one final change of the leaderboard with Camara saving his best effort for last and setting a 1:34.652 to retake top spot.
    But the session came to an early end as Louis Sharp stopped on the track ahead of Turn 4 bringing out the Red Flags with five minutes to go.

    Qualifying-

    It was a perfect Friday in Melbourne for Rafael Camara as he topped both Practice and Qualifying, earning the first pole position of 2025.
    He set a 1:34.999 to lead teammate Noah Stromsted in a great day for Trident. Theophile Nael wound up third, but ended the session under investigation for an unsafe release.

    Installation laps complete and it was Roman Bilinksi that set the benchmark time initially with a 1:36.125 for Rodin Motorsport.

    Two purple sectors by Camara put him in contention until he caught traffic in the final sector and instead slotted into second less than a tenth back.
    Trident teammate Stromsted then went fastest overall to become the first driver in the 1:35s in qualifying.

    Nikita Bedrin put AIX Racing top of the pile with 10 minutes gone, 1:35.873 the fastest time to beat, while Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak and Ugo Ugochukwu improved to go into the top five in third and fourth respectively.

    After waiting for clear track, MP Motorsport’s Tim Tramnitz moved into contention to go third fastest, before Camara strung together a traffic-free lap to storm to P1, half a second clear of anybody else.

    With under 10 minutes to go, the majority of the field then returned to the circuit on fresh tyres for their final attempts of the session.

    There was only five minutes left on the clock when Brando Badoer found the barriers on the exit of Turn 2, requiring a red flag to remove his car from the track.

    The full top 10 are- Pole: Camara, P2: Stromsted, P3: Nael, P4: Bedrin, P5: Tramnitz, P6: Wurz, P7: Inthraphuvasak, P8: Ugochukwu, P9: Stenshorne and P10: Bilinski.