Formula 3 returns to Melbourne for the opening race of the 2025 season this weekend. Feeder Series spoke to three rookie drivers to find out about the biggest challenges they face heading into their first race weekend. 

By Tori Turner

The new grid take to the streets of Melbourne for the first round of the 2025 season, two years after the circuit first debuted on the calendar.

The Albert Park circuit is a technical street track featuring multiple high-speed corners with 14 turns and four DRS zones. The 5.278-kilometre length makes it the fourth-longest circuit on which the series will race this year.

Beginning their season at such a circuit will immediately challenge the 30 drivers, 17 of whom will make their debut this weekend. Only the returning drivers from 2024 will have any prior experience of the circuit.

Prema Racing’s Ugo Ugochukwu has prior street track pedigree from winning the Macau Grand Prix on the Guia street track in November 2024, but the season opener in a new car poses challenges of its own.

“The biggest challenges will probably be adapting to the circuit. It’s a new track [for me] so I’m going to try to get on top of that in the FP. We’re not going to  get many laps before quali. It’s just about trying to adapt as quickly as possible,” Ugochukwu told Feeder Series.

“It’s also going to be high track evolution as well through the qualifying sessions. I think that’ll be the most difficult part, but we’re going to do our best to be on top of everything and make sure we’re in a good position when we get to quali.”

MP Motorsport driver and Williams academy member Alessandro Giusti echoed Ugochukwu’s thoughts about adapting to the car and circuit. 

“It will be difficult for a rookie,” he said. “I think the trickiest part will be to really adapt well to the car and the medium tyre, which we have never tested. We saw a lot of deg last year.”

Reigning FRegional Europe champion Rafael Câmara – racing for Trident, whose drivers won the last two titles – said he would not approach the race weekend any differently than another despite having never raced on a street track.

“It’s the first time [racing] on a street circuit,” he said, “but I think you always have the same approach. We have been doing a lot of sim work and you always have the previous notes. Even if you’ve never driven there, once you’re driving it feels like you’ve been there before.”

All three drivers also said adjusting to the time difference in Australia over the past week has been challenging. The time in Melbourne is 10 hours ahead of Central European Time, in which the majority of their races take place. 

Moreover, there is currently a 70 per cent chance of rainfall during Sunday’s feature race, with the potential for lightning to strike later on in the morning. If it does rain, it will be the first time the series has experienced wet conditions in Melbourne, which already has a limited margin for error. Both Friday and Saturday’s sessions are likely to be dry. 

Câmara highlighted the importance of having previous experience in the wet during the final day of F3’s pre-season test. That day, drivers tested the new 16-inch wet tyres manufactured by Pirelli.

“We can have some rain on Sunday, but I think it’s the same for everyone,” he said. “We did some laps already in Barcelona, where we were able to see and feel the new tyres and how the car was behaving in the wet. I think we are prepared for whatever condition.”

Header photo credit: Dutch Photo Agency