What we learned in Melbourne: Fast starts and familiar contenders

While we only got the Sprint Race in Melbourne, there were some early season trends emerging as FIA Formula 2 returned in 2025.

Plenty of drivers looked to be starting on the front foot, while others will be aiming to rebound as quickly as possible next time out.

From early title contenders to surprise results and impressive debuts, here are some of the big moments from Round 1 of the new F2 campaign.

Show of force

Invicta Racing laid down an impressive marker in the first race weekend of their Teams’ title defence. While they have undergone a transformation off the track, on it they looked every bit as competitive as they did last season.

In the hands of the experienced Roman Stanek along with rookie and reigning F3 Champion Leonardo Fornaroli, the British squad earned two top 10 results in Qualifying.

Stanek’s P6 became P3 after penalties were applied, while Fornaroli lined up on reverse grid pole in the Sprint Race on Saturday. While the Italian couldn’t convert to win Saturday’s race, he took his first piece of F2 hardware with a runner-up finish to Joshua Duerksen, but displayed impressive pace regardless.

We will never know how they both might have fared in the wet on Sunday, had the conditions been less torrential to enable F2 to go racing, however their points scoring finishes and general pace will encourage the team going forward.

One to watch

Gabriele Minì made quite the statement over the course of the Melbourne weekend, earning Pole Position on his full-time F2 debut. The PREMA Racing driver saved his best effort for the very end of the session, denying the experienced Victor Martins the top spot, and his 1:29.286 was 0.3s quicker than any other driver other than the Frenchman.

Unfortunately for him, an impeding penalty meant he received a three-place grid penalty for both races, putting him down in 13th for the Sprint Race, and leaving him with quite a comeback drive on his hands for points.

READ MORE: RACE ANALYSIS: Where Duerksen made the difference to win in Melbourne

The Alpine Academy talent obliged, putting in a tremendous drive on Saturday, rising up to seventh by the chequered flag. He added a flourish too, achieving the fastest lap and an extra bonus point in the process.

After the setback he received on Friday evening, Minì rebounded with a confident performance that, considering he was able to rise up the order in a shorter Sprint Race, left plenty wondering what he might have been able to do in the longer Feature Race.

We will find out in Sakhir in a few weeks’ time.

Rookies look ready

Five of the drivers competing in their first full-time Formula 2 campaign were able to secure top 10 starts in Qualifying, as Minì headlined the day with Pole Position.

The Italian was the highest-ranked rookie, though Alexander Dunne’s P5 result was strong on his first appearance in the Championship with Rodin Motorsport.

Dino Beganovic and Luke Browning were seventh and eighth on Friday, while Fornaroli earned 10th as mentioned above for Invicta. He along Browning went on to secure a podium in the Sprint Race, while Sebastián Montoya and Minì joined them in the points as rookies.

Half of the top 10 spots in the Championship table are taken up by first-year drivers. They will be hoping to build on their momentum across in-season testing and Round 2 in Sakhir, a familiar venue for everyone with Formula 3 also racing at the Bahrain International Circuit in seasons past.