Password for the Feature Race F2 in Australia? Comeback. The final session of the junior category was eagerly awaited, but the race was canceled due to the heavy rain that hit Albert Park.
The first season appointment for the lower categories at the Albert Park circuit concluded with the cancellation of the Feature Race, which was supposed to follow the Formula 3 race, where Rafael Camara triumphed. The race ended prematurely due to rain. After a one-hour delay from the scheduled start time, with the start time rescheduled several times, the hope was for an improvement in weather conditions. However, in the end, the race direction decided to cancel the competition completely.
The Report of the Feature Race F2 in Australia
02:27 – RED FLAG! The race is definitively suspended and will likely be rescheduled later. See you next weekend with the F2 category in Bahrain, from April 11 to 13.
02:18 – Finally, the race begins! The Safety Car is out on track for the formation lap. Overall, the delay is now 50 minutes from the original schedule. Considering this, the race will be shortened to a format more similar to a Sprint Race, with drivers allowed to pit from lap 7. Conditions aren’t improving, as rain continues to fall.
02:08 – Another delay is announced for the Feature Race F2. The start is now scheduled for 02:18 (Italian time).
01:59 – Another formation lap was scheduled for 02:04 (Italian time), but the start is postponed again to 02:09 (Italian time). Meanwhile, the wind on the Australian track is increasing.
01:48 – Not exactly Alexander Dunne’s weekend, as he gets stuck with his car at the pit entry. For the Irishman, this event in Australia marks his debut in the F2 series.
01:42 – Green light for the formation lap, with the Safety Car leading the group, but a red flag is declared due to the torrential rain falling on the Australian circuit. The cars return to the pit lane.
01:30 – As rain falls on the Albert Park track, the announcement comes that the start of F2 Feature Race is aborted, with the lights going out delayed by 10 minutes. The race will now start at 01:42 (Italian time).
01:20 – At the lights going out, Victor Martins would have started from pole position. The French driver was promoted after race direction penalized Gabriele Minì, who was deemed to have impeded Jak Crawford during Friday’s qualifying session. Martins will share the front row with ART Grand Prix’s Richard Verschoor, who is seeking redemption after the incident in the second lap of the Sprint Race. Verschoor is in his fifth season in the F2 series.
From the second row, Roman Stanek and Gabriele Minì will start. Minì is also looking for redemption and aims for his second podium in Formula 2. The young Alpine Academy talent had already had a taste of the atmosphere in the category above Formula 3 during the Baku weekend last year, when he replaced Oliver Bearman, called up by Haas F1 Team to race in place of Kevin Magnussen in the top category. In that event, Minì secured third place during the Sprint Race in Azerbaijan.
Luke Browning, Joshua Durksen, and Leonardo Fornaroli – who celebrated on the podium in the first race of the year with AIX Racing’s winning driver (CLICK HERE for the Sprint Race start video) – will start from 7th, 8th, and 6th place in the Feature Race in Melbourne.
Additionally, the rain factor should not be underestimated. A wet race was predicted for the first Formula 1 Grand Prix of 2025; however, the same fate might befall Formula 2 first, with a 50% to 60% chance of rain. Will it happen? The race is scheduled to start at 01:30 (Italian time) with the last Formula 2 session of the weekend before the focus shifts to the Australian Grand Prix.
Photo: Formula 2, FIA.