The 2025 FIA Formula 2 Championship kicked off at Melbourne’s Albert Park Circuit, marking an eventful opening round filled with high drama and unexpected challenges. While the Sprint Race was dominated by Joshua Durksen, heavy rain ultimately led to the cancellation of the Feature Race on Sunday, preventing several drivers from scoring their first points of the season.

Penalties handed out before the weekend started

Ahead of the 2025 Formula 2 season opener in Melbourne, DAMS Lucas Oil, Rodin Motorsport, and TRIDENT have been penalized for breaching FIA Sporting and Technical Regulations. The issue stemmed from illegal air pressure sensors installed in their cars by modifying the diffuser, a standard component.

As a result, the three teams have been fined €10,000 per car and handed 10-place grid penalties for both races in Melbourne. Additionally, the Stewards recommended restricting their in-season testing in Bahrain to two days instead of three, with the Championship promoter determining which day they will be sidelined.

To ensure fairness, the FIA’s Technical Delegate may allow teams to apply for permission to use similar sensors during the Bahrain in-season test, but DAMS, Rodin, and TRIDENT will be barred from doing so. The penalties serve as a warning against unauthorized technical modifications.

Friday: Victor Martin takes pole after late Qualifying Drama

Victor Martins set the pace early on Friday, topping the time sheets in Free Practice with a 1:32.587, a tenth clear of second-placed Kush Maini. The session saw multiple red flags and the drivers could not get a proper running to get into rhythm, but Victor Martins said that he felt good in the car.

“Short session, not many laps completed for all of us,” reflected Martins. “But we are happy with where we are, even if we completed just one or two push laps. I have a great feeling in the car, I think we have a bit of data to work on it and approach Qualifying in a good way.”

The qualifying later in the day was chaotic from the get-go with Max Esterson and Oliver Goethe colliding on the penultimate corner. Both were forced to return to the pit lane with damage, with the incident prompting a post-session investigation from the Stewards.

Once the flying laps started to come, it was Martins who set the early pace on a 1:31.012, putting him over two-tenths ahead of Minì. On their second run on new tyres, Martins went faster with a 1:29.523, Minì crossed the line late on to take Pole Position with a 1:29.286, beating his ART rival by 0.114s to the top spot.

Minì’s Pole Position was short-lived as he was handed two grid penalties. Stewards determined that Minì had unnecessarily impeded Crawford, at Turn 4 in the closing stages of the session. As a result, the Stewards have assigned the standard three-place grid penalty to Minì, which as of 2025 applies to both the Sprint and Feature Races. This moved Victor Martins up to pole position.

BREAKING: Gabriele Mini receives two grid penalties following #F2 Qualifying in Melbourne

Victor Martins is promoted to pole position#AusGP pic.twitter.com/qo8I9O9klN

— Formula 2 (@Formula2) March 14, 2025

Saturday Sprint: Duerksen Dominates in Melbourne to Win First Sprint Race of 2025

Joshua Duerksen started the reverse grid Sprint Race from second on the grid, behind pole-sitter Leo Fornaroli. The AIX driver made a brilliant start, taking the lead from Fornaroli into turn 1.

The race saw multiple interruptions, with an early Virtual Safety Car for Victor Martins’ crash at Turn 6, followed by two full Safety Car deployments after incidents involving Max Esterson and Sami Meguetounif. Despite the disruptions, Duerksen managed every restart flawlessly, gradually pulling away from Fornaroli.

While Fornaroli fended off heavy pressure from Browning and Richard Verschoor, Beganovic’s race unravelled further with a spin that dropped him to P17. Meanwhile, the top 10 ran closely together, with Alexander Dunne making late moves to secure ninth place.

Duerksen ultimately cruised to victory, crossing the line comfortably ahead of Fornaroli and Browning. Verschoor finished fourth, followed by Roman Stanek, Sebastián Montoya, Gabriele Minì, and Josep María Martí, who secured the final point in eighth.

The feature race on Sunday was cancelled due to the adverse weather conditions. The race had been scheduled to get underway at 11:30 local time but following continuous rain hitting the track, it was initially then Red Flagged. However, after an attempt to start, the decision was made to cancel the event as the heavy downpour continued.

With no racing laps completed, no points will be awarded, although ART Grand Prix driver Victor Martins will receive two points for starting from Pole Position.

The Formula 2 Feature Race is cancelled. ❌#F2 pic.twitter.com/z23OEDfIKZ

— Desi Racing Co (@DesiRacingco) March 16, 2025

A weekend that was plagued before it even began for Kush Maini

Kush Maini headed to Australia with a 10-place grid penalty for both races. He received this penalty through no fault of his own. His team, DAMS Lucas Oil was penalised for for breaching FIA Sporting and Technical Regulations.

🚨 | BREAKING: 🇮🇳 Kush Maini has received a TEN-PLACE grid drop for the sprint and feature race, due to a breach of article 10.2 of the FIA Formula 2 sporting regulations during pre-season testing in Barcelona.#F2 #AustralianGP pic.twitter.com/mn1c2DdbU4

— Desi Racing Co (@DesiRacingco) March 13, 2025

Kush started the weekend well, he finished second in the practice, only a tenth below Victor Martins. In the qualifying, Kush seemed to be having good pace but spun out on his final push lap and could not improve his lap times. This left him with 13th in qualifying, which means he’d start at the lower end of the grid for both races. In the sprint race, Kush failed to move up the field and finished P16, 3 places up from where he started. The feature race getting cancelled worked out for Kush as the grid penalty would have no effect on him.

Kush feels confident about his chances this year and is very comfortable with the team. He displayed flashes of pace in Melbourne as well, but made mistakes that overshadowed them. Going forward, the Indian driver would want to be more consistent with his pace and minimise the mistakes so everyone can see his true potential, which we know is as good as anyone on the grid.

Read more: Formula 2 Season Preview: Third Time Lucky for Kush Maini?

Up Next

Formula will head to Bahrain next for an in season test, followed by Round 2 of the championship from 11-13 of April.

Desi Racing Co. brings you the latest updates and insights from Formula 1, Formula 2, WEC, MotoGP, Indian motorsports, and more! Stay connected for in-depth motorsport analysis—follow us on Twitter/X, Instagram, and LinkedIn for all the latest news and updates.

The Formula 2 paddock has made its way to Melbourne for the first-ever race weekend of the 2025 season. Melbourne will host a season opener for Formula 2 for the first time ever, although this will be the third time in a row that Albert Park will host Formula 2.

Read more: Kush Maini joins Alpine F1 Team as Test and Reserve Driver.

Third year in Formula 2 for Kush Maini

Kush Maini is entering his third year in Formula 2, with a third different team as well. His first year in Formula 2 was with Campos Racing, where he finished the season in 11th position with 62 points and a podium. In 2024, Kush switched to Invicta Racing, it was also the year where he started his first full season as an Alpine Academy Driver.

He had a strong start to the year, competing at the front in every session before losing momentum after a few races. It all started in Imola where he just didn’t seem to have enough pace, back to back race weekends took him to Monaco with not enough time for the team to understand what went wrong. It was only later that it was figured out that Kush was driving with a cracked chassis. Kush finished the season in 13th position, with 74 points, 5 podiums, a pole and a win.

For 2025, Kush has made a switch to DAMS Lucas Oil, leaving his previous team, which won the team championship in 2024, and his teammate, who won the driver title, moving up to Formula 1. DAMS finished 6th in the team standings last year, with a combined 7 podiums and a win between both their cars.

Rediscovering his confidence with DAMS

In DAMS, Kush is joining an experienced team where he already feels right at home. DAMS have experience of winning championships before, winning the team’s championship in 2019. DAMS have also sent drivers to Formula 1, as Alex Albon and Nicholas Latifi competed with DAMS in their final F2 seasons before making their debut in Formula 1.

“2024 was a year of many ups and downs,” Maini admits. “We had some really good moments, like the Pole and win, lots of podiums but at the end of the day, it didn’t quite click.

“For whatever reason, the second half of the season – not scoring a point, that was a bit confusing for me. I took the decision to move to DAMS, I have a good relationship with Yannick even from previous years.

“That positive feeling is massive. Just having that confidence again and that belief that it can happen, which I feel like I lost a bit midway through 2024. The whole team, my engineer, everyone, we get along really well, and it feels like a very strong team.

“That’s my goal here – to get fully incorporated in the team, spend a lot of time with them to try and understand everything.

“ I might move to a place closer to DAMS, so I can fully give it my all this year. But I’m really excited to be working with them and this new chapter in my career.”

Maini started work with his new team at post-season testing at the Yas Marina Circuit back in December.

He recalls both parties being very honest with each other, wasting as little time as possible in getting up to speed with how the other works, which has helped his adaptation to the team.

“Testing was very strong. When you join a new team, you want to understand how they work but I feel we were all very blunt with each other, which is the best way to operate in this sport.

“If they wanted something better from me, or if I wanted something better from them, we just said it, and there was no hiding.

“I think that really made our relationship strong and it definitely helped during the tests. I found that confidence again as a driver, which I had lost. That’s very important for me so I feel like we’re on the comeback trail, and there’s some great things in store for us in 2025.”

Learnings from 2024

Kush is very honest about his results from 2024, he admits that last year’s downturn in form was difficult to swallow, but that he’s eager to prove it was a blip and not an irreversible slide.

But Maini says it was an important learning experience he’ll be putting to use this season, as he gets another chance he readily admits many might not have been able to.

“I think after the first three rounds last year, fighting for Pole at each round, I got a bit overconfident and just thought that everything would come easy.

“There were some things during the season that were confusing for me, but it’s just one of those things you have to move on from.

“But I’m grateful that I get another chance to show what I can do. Because I really feel like 2024 wasn’t a proper showing of myself. Many people don’t get another chance so I’m just really grateful for everyone involved that I’ve got one.

“I think 2024 threw everything at me. It gave me highs and very big lows, so I don’t think 2025 could take me by surprise. In that sense, mentally, I feel much stronger, and I feel ready for any obstacle.”

While Maini has prided himself on his one-lap speed since joining Formula 2, DAMS have been most impressive on a Sunday, able to coax the best out of the tyres on many occasions, securing victories and podiums from seemingly difficult grid positions.

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It’s one of the biggest appealing factors for Maini in his joining the team, eager to combine his Qualifying prowess with the team’s ability to maximise their package on race days. It might even be the missing ingredient according to the Indian driver, who hopes to take a step forward in race pace consistency in 2025.

“Even in my rookie year, I was on the front row many times. Last year I was in the first three rounds and for this year, I don’t think that will change. Every team is different, but I feel that DAMS have a more even package.

“It was a big choice, but I feel that’s why DAMS are picking me. I need their help with race pace, and they need my help with Qualifying. Together, I feel we can give each other what we need to build a really strong foundation.

“I feel I have a lot left to show – this year is a good chance for me to work with this team and try to challenge for the title.”

“I have Jak next to me, who’s a very quick driver and a race winner as well, and that’s just going to help our chances further. Together, I think we have a really strong team for 2025.”

Overall, Maini is honest about his previous year in the Championship, but it has only fuelled his motivation for this one.

In a new team, he has a fresh start and is optimistic that he’s in the right environment to not only get the best out of himself but to also help the French outfit find their best form.

The weekend at Hungary was action-packed, just as you would expect Formula 2 to be. The championship rivals had a bad outing, giving everyone else a chance to catch up to them. While Kush Maini scored his first in F2. Here are the top talking points from Hungary.

Read the Round 9 Preview here

Kush Maini is Finally a Race Winner in F2

Kush Maini finally became a race winner in Formula 2. After qualifying P9 for the feature race, Maini would start the sprint race on the reverse grid front row. Verschoor was on Pole and was starting on hard tyres, just like Kush. At the start, both Maini and Verschoor got off the line well, but Kimi Antonelli who was starting on softs got past them. Maini, in P3, kept piling the pressure on Verschoor in P2. Eventually, Antonelli’s Softs ran out of rubber and a lock-up from him helped Verschoor and Maini get past the Prema driver. Maini finished in P2 behind Verschoor, but a post-race disqualification meant the Indian driver was promoted to the top step.

Kush Maini scored valuable points in the Feature Race, starting from P9 on the alternate strategy and finishing P7. He took home 16 points from Hungary, marking his tied second-best weekend in terms of points.

Kimi Antonelli wins the Feature Race on the alternative strategy.

Kimi had a weekend full of gambles in Hungary. In the Sprint Race, Kimi gambled to start on Softs while the majority were on Hards. The gamble didn’t pay off as his tyres wore off before the end of the race and he had to pit for fresh rubber. In the Feature Race, Kimi again gambled on the alternative strategy. This time, however, it worked perfectly. Two Safety Car interventions helped Kimi utilize his alternative strategy perfectly.

Making use of his fresh Softs while everyone ahead of him was on old Hards, Kimi Antonelli took his first Feature Race victory in Formula 2.

Bad outing for Championship rivals

Both Championship rivals had a tough weekend in Hungary. The championship leader Isack Hadjar left Hungary with just 7 points. Finishing 4th in the Sprint Race, he was then promoted to P3 following Verschoor’s disqualification. In the Feature Race, Hadjar who was supposed to start from P3 was going to start from the pitlane instead. The Campos driver failed to leave the pits in time before the pit lane closed. After that, there wasn’t much Hadjar could do and he finished the race 18th.

His closest rival Paul Aron scored a combined 5 points during the weekend. The weekend started well for Aron, scoring the pole position for the Feature Race. This meant he’d start P10 for the reverse grid Sprint Race. He climbed up 3 spots to finish P7, later getting promoted to P6. In the Feature Race, Aron got a poor launch off the line, and then a huge lockup into turn 1 dropped him down to seventh. On Lap 7, Aron went into the back of Zane Maloney, causing both drivers to spin into a stop.

This gave other drivers to close some gap to the top. Gabriel Bortoleto currently sits P3 in the standings, 30 points shy of the top.

Everything to play for in the Teams’ Championship

The top three teams in the Formula 2 championship are separated by only nine points. Invicta Racing enjoying a good weekend to climb to the top of the standings.

Next Up

Formula 2 heads to Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps for Round 10 of the championship. You can watch all the sessions live on F1TV and Fancode.

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