 Credit: Joe Portlock For the first time since September 2024, it is time to go racing this coming weekend in Australia, for the opening round of the 2025 FIA Formula 3 Championship. Formula 3 has not been racing since that frantic Feature Race finale in Monza, which saw Leonardo Fornaroli take the title with a last lap, final corner overtake on Christian Mansell. The 30 drivers kick-starting the season in Melbourne will be hoping to follow in Fornaroli's footsteps. It will be just the third time that FIA Formula 3 has made the trip to the infamous Albert Park Street Circuit, in Melbourne, Australia, after making its debut in 2023. However, it will be the first time that Formula 3 will have its opening round hosted down under. New team DAMS Lucas Oil will be making their race debut this coming weekend, as the French outfit replace the outgoing Swiss team Jenzer Motorsport This is the start of a brand new era for Formula 3 with brand new machinery having its rookie season in 2025. The opening round in Melbourne will be the opening round of a 10-round season, with the season finishing at Monza, in Italy, at the start of September. Throughout the season, there is bound to be unexpected action as is the norm. A look at the track: Round 1 - Albert Park, MelbourneSince FIA Formula 2 and FIA Formula 3 both arrived at Albert Park for the first time, in March 2023, it has become a fan favourite and a venue centred around drama on each of the Formula 2 and Formula 3 calendars. The modernised layout of the Albert Park was first used in 2022, but it would take 12 months for either Formula 2 or Formula 3 to race there. It would just be the second time for FIA Formula 3 going racing in Albert Park, in 2024. Overtakes, drama, maiden victories and even heated exchanges have all been part of the action at Albert Park, in the two previous visits. The most recent season in 2024 saw drama before qualifying had began in Melbourne, as during free practice, Nikola Tsolov vented his anger at Alex Dunne for getting in his way, while Tsolov was on a flying lap. Venting anger and frustration saw Tsolov hit Dunne out on circuit - putting Dunne out of free practice and bringing out a red flag. When it boiled down to the qualifying at Albert Park, for round two of the 2024 season. Pole position on Friday down under would be Leonardo Fornaroli, who ended up becoming that year's Formula 3 champion. Fornaroli would take pole position ahead of two Prema drivers, with Gabriele Mini ahead of Dino Beganovic, with the pair second and third respectively. On Saturday's sprint race, Martinius Stenshorne took his maiden victory in Formula 3, and his only one to date, in action-packed race at Albert Park. This would be a win that contributed into McLaren welcoming him into their Driver Development Programme before the third round in Imola. Stenshorne would take the victory ahead of Prema rookie Arvid Lindblad, who was second, with Laurens Van Hoepen in third for ART Grand Prix - making it an all-rookie podium, to show the excess in talent on the 2024 Formula 3 grid. When attention turned to the feature race on Sunday, it would be another maiden victory but this time for Dino Beganovic, who took victory for the first time, in his second season of the championship. Beganovic won ahead of pole sitter Fornaroli, who was second, with Mini third to complete the podium positions. Formula 3 will have its new era embark on the Albert Park street circuit to kick start the first ever round of the new machinery. The circuit itself has 14 corners and a lap distance of 5.278km long. DRS plays a role in FIA Formula 3 and around the circuit there are four zones in total - down into turns 1, 3, 9 and 11. This means plenty of chances for overtakes to be made and that is a great advertisement for a lot of action ahead. Across the weekend, there will be 20 laps to come on Saturday's sprint race, with Sunday's feature race having 23 laps. Now Formula 1 driver Gabriel Bortoleto has the lap record at Albert Park, with a 1.33.025 that he set in his maiden and only season of Formula 3 back in the 2023 campaign. The first ever round of the Formula 3 Championship, in this new era of machinery, is to begin this coming weekend in Melbourne. With free practice starting the season off on Friday morning local time, which is Thursday evening for UK viewers. 2025 FIA Formula 3 Championship: Round 1 - Australia session timesTrack Times:
UK Times:
 Brandon Whiteside
Writer - F1 Journal
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