Formula 2 2025 season opener is right around the corner after 94 days. Albert Park circuit is hosting F2 for the third consecutive year, but it is serving as the season-opener for the first time in history. The circuit is 5.278 KMs long and has an elevation of 2.45 meters. The track has a reputation for having a generous number of overtaking zones.
Free Practice starts at 10:00 local time on Friday morning, followed by the feature race qualifying. Saturday will see its first sprint race of the season at 14:15, with the grid set by reversing the top 10 of the qualifying results. The feature race is set for Sunday at 11:30 with the grid set by qualifying results.
What to expect at the Melbourne Formula 2 weekend?
With Gabriel Bortoleto, Isack Hadjar, Oliver Bearman, and Kimi Antonelli moving to F1, the focus will shift toward the other drivers. Paul Aron, who was third in the 2024 standings, has moved on from F2 with P4 Zane Maloney following suit to F-E. That leaves Jak Crawford as the highest returning driver at F2.
DAMS, TRIDENT and Rodin will have all eyes on them at the season opener. The three teams were punished for putting a sensor in their cars for testing, being charged 10,000€ per car and 10-place grid penalties for their drivers.
Crawford will have a huge uphill battle due to their penalties with the American being one of the favorites to win one of the races at Melbourne. Victor Martins is next in the list of favorites as he is second only to Crawford in the standings.
22 drivers. One goal.
Meet the 2025 FIA Formula 2 grid! 🙌✨#F2 #RoadToF1 pic.twitter.com/KmnlwZQgca
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) March 6, 2025
Another driver that will turn heads will be the latest F3 champion, Leonardo Fornaroli joining Invicta Racing. Crawford, Maini, and Stanek are the only ones who have finished on the podium at Melbourne and will hope to repeat that.
The 2025 season has its milestones, with the introduction of Aramco’s 100% sustainable fuel, being one of the biggest in the history of the sport. Pirelli compound allocation for F2 is Mediums and Supersofts.
While Melbourne is looking to be an exciting season opener, the weather reports make the matter even more interesting.
Melbourne F2 weekend weather prediction
Melbourne has a wild weekend planned for drivers and spectators alike. The three days of the weekend have different weather for each day.
Friday will have overcast weather with little to no effect on performance. Saturday will bring trouble for the drivers and teams. The day of the sprint race is predicted to have cloudy weather and high levels of heat that can potentially bring car issues. Extreme heat makes cars more prone to overheating, and drivers prone to dehydrating, reducing performance.
🌦️| It looks to be one hell of a weekend in terms of weather for the Australia Grand Prix weekend.
A sunny Friday, hot and cloudy on Saturday with some serious rain hitting the tracks on Sunday!#F1 #AustralianGP pic.twitter.com/HMaNP2zCP3
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) March 13, 2025
Sunday will top it off with rain, bringing about a wet track and more trouble for the drivers, especially for the 10 rookies stepping up to F2.
Round 1 of F2 2025 has a lot of excitement in store due to the volatile nature of the weather. With 10 new drivers, a lot of favorites, and penalties heading to teams, Melbourne is set to be a wonderful season opener.
