The 2025 Formula 3 season is underway for the Australian GP for the first FP1 session of the F3 season, view the full report and results below.
2024 saw the grid incredibly close throughout the season with multiple drivers fighting for the championship right down to the final round. With talented drivers up and down the grid again and new cars debuting in the series, no doubt the series will be just as competitive in 2025.
The drivers had just 45 minutes to learn to drive the brand-new cars for 2025 around the Melbourne circuit. The AIX cars led the field out of the garages and onto track for the season’s first round.
As it happened
Roman Bilinski in the Rodin was the first car to cross the line around Albert Park with a competitive time, with a 1:39.832. However, it was short-lived when Bilinski’s teammate crossed the line with Louis Sharp taking the lead, with 1:38.676.
Sharp has high expectations surrounding him coming into the Formula 3 championship. The Kiwi won both British F4 and GB3 with Rodin Carlin in the previous two years. Now coming into F3 with Rodin, there are high hopes for the Kiwi.
Santiago Ramos in the Van Amersfoort Racing was the next driver to make his way to the top of the timing sheets, with a 1:37.274. Ramos competed with Trident in 2024, finishing the season in 16th. This year he made the move to VAR looking for more success in the series.
Sharp got himself back ahead of Ramos, clearing the VAR driver by 0.265 seconds.
In the early laps of the F3 FP1 session, a few drivers were running through the grass or sliding in the run off area. Although as the first cars on track for the season opener, mistakes were expected.
Roman Bilinski was on a flying lap, putting himself in second fastest with a 1:36.600. Billinski suffered a severe back injury in 2024 that took him out of racing for a large portion of the FRECA season. However, he’s back and searching for wins in his debut F3 season.
Second half of the session
Joshua Dufek took the fastest time with a 1:36.384 in the Hitech. Dufek was with AIX racing for 2024 and finished his rookie campaign in 28th with a single point. The move to Hitech comes with the hopes of finding himself challenging for wins.
Dufek went faster on his previous time, breaking into the 1:35’s. His time of 1:35.402 put him 0.506 clear of Roman Billinski’s Rodin behind.
Rafael Câmara is the reigning FRECA champion as well as a highly rated member of the Ferrari Driver Academy. For the first time, without a PREMA seat, instead opting for the trident colours. Câmara put in a blinding 1:34.901, which put him 0.400 ahead of Stenshorne and Boya.
Câmara has shown he is a potential title contender after breaking record after record in FRECA, finishing inside the top 10 for the entire season.
Mari Boya moved himself just 0.007 seconds behind Câmara in his Campos Racing car. Boya is one of the more experienced drivers on the grid, entering his third season in F3.
James Wharton represents the Aussies for ART in 2025, his rookie year in the series. If he achieves a podium in Melbourne, he’ll be the first Aussie to step on the podium in the home race across F1, F2 or F3. Unfortunately, he found himself in 26th in the first part of the F3 FP1.
Final 15 minutes
Tim Tramnitz took the top spot from Câmara with a 1:34.892. Tramnitz is the highest returning driver in the series as the ‘ninth seed’. The top eight from 2024 all advancing to Formula 2.
The 2025 Formula 3 grid is full of previous champions from various series. The mix of drivers and an incredible number of rookies, combined with the top eight from 2024 moving up means that all is to play for in 2025.
PREMA dominated the 2024 F3 season as a team, but they’ve come into 2025 with a much quieter entrance. In F2, they struggled under the new regulations and new cars, but there were hopes that they would avoid those issues in F3.
Noel Léon got his PREMA in tenth. However, Badoer was in 24th with Ugochukwu in 25th.
Tramnitz and Câmara were swapping the fastest laps of the session, with Câmara pushing his Trident 0.200 seconds ahead of Tramnitz’s MP Motorsport into first place.
Yellow flags were waved with Louis Sharp’s Rodin was stopped on the side of the track between turns 2 and 3. With just five minutes left in the session, it was then red flagged, allowing stewards to move the car.
Full Formula 3 FP1 results
- Câmara
- Tramnitz
- Boya
- Tsolov
- Stromsted
- Inthraphuvasak
- Dufek
- Stenshorne
- Giusti
- Ramos
- Léon
- Voisin
- Del Pino
- Billinski
- Ugochukwu
- Sharp
- Wurz
- Bedrin
- Van Hoepen
- Naël
- Xie
- Zagazeta
- Taponen
- Lacorte
- Badoer
- Domingues
- Ho
- Sagrera
- Wharton
- Marinangeli
