In the first feature race of the 2025 FIA Formula 3 season, the heavens opened with what commentators described as “biblical rain” and “varying volumes of rain”, making for a challenging and slippery race to kick off the season.
The last wet race in F3 at the Albert Park Circuit was back in 2010.
Kiwi Louis Sharp started on the grid 15th in a 30-car field, with teammates Roman Bilinski and Callum Voisin beginning the race in 10th and 18th, respectively. It was a Trident 1-2 with drivers Rafael Câmara and Noah Strømsted on the front row.
The race began with three laps under the safety car and a rolling start due to the wet conditions. The rain became heavier as the green flag dropped and the 20-lap race began.
Rafael Câmara instantly found grip and took an early lead. Visibility was poor for the rest of the field, and water spray became an instant issue for drivers.
Lap 1 was action-packed, with drivers struggling with the challenging conditions. The safety car was called out by Turn 9 as Nikola Tsolov squeezed Rodin Motorsport driver Voisin into the wall. The drivers ran out of space and slid off the track, Tsolov stuck in the wet grass and Voisin in the gravel trap. Both cars, therefore, retired from the race.
The collision was noted by race control, and later announced a post-race investigation would take place.
The race got back underway on Lap 5, with Câmara gaining an instant 0.9-second lead on Strømsted as he charged forward. Sharp jumping up to 14th position.
Van Amersfoort Racing driver Santiago Ramos had a moment on Lap 6 going into Turn 1 when Hitech TGR driver Joshua Dufek struggled with grip. The driver went wide and seemingly pushed Ramos off the track. Ramos travelled through the grass and drove through a large amount of standing water as he re-entered the track, losing six positions.
Dams Lucas Oil driver Nicola Lacorte had a big moment on Lap 7. He lost control of his car on the mid-corner of Turn 10 and completed a 360-degree spin at speed. Lacorte managed to bring the car back, face in the right direction, and continue. McLaren junior Brando Badoer had to take evasive action to avoid Lacorte during his spin.
Kiwi Louis Sharp lost four positions on Lap 8, falling down the field to 18th after going wide on Turn 3, travelling through the gravel but managing to keep momentum and re-enter the track.
Meanwhile, Câmara had increased his lead by 4.9 seconds ahead of Strømsted—an impressive performance from the Ferrari junior.
Alessandro Giusti and Matías Zagazeta made contact on the final corner on Lap 11. Giusti fell from 11th to 27th place, and Zagazeta lost two positions, dropping to 14th. Zagazeta was later handed a 10-second penalty for causing the collision.
On lap 13, Dams Lucas Oil driver Christian Ho lost control of his car mid-corner going into Turn 6 as the rain intensified. He slid across the inside kerb and made heavy contact with the outside wall. With severe damage to his car, the crane was called in to remove it. Ho reported to be okay and walked away from the incident.
The remainder of the race was run under the safety car while car recovery took place. The red flag came out on lap 18 as the heavens well and truly opened, and the rain continued to intensify.
Originally, the race was meant to be a 23-lap affair, but with three formation laps under safety cars, it was reduced to 20 laps and then 18 with the red flag. The race officially cleared the full points race distance, meaning full points would be awarded to the top 10 drivers.
It was a Trident 1-2 victory, with Câmara taking the win for the season’s first race on his debut weekend and teammate Strømsted finishing behind the Brazilian in 2nd place. Vans Amersfoort Racing driver Théophile Naël rounded out the podium, finishing in 3rd place.
“P1, very happy with the result. Still, there is a long way to go in the Championship. Now we can enjoy this a bit, but we’ll be focused on Bahrain.” said Câmara
Sharp managed to claw back the positions he had lost after his off-track excursion at Turn 3, finishing the race 14th. It was a clean race for the 17-year-old Kiwi as he returned the car to the pits with no damage. Simply finishing the race in such challenging conditions is an achievement for the rising star.
Rodin Motorsport teammate Roman Bilinski finished the race inside the Top 10 in 9th place, scoring 2 points for the Rodin team. Voisin was classified as a DNF after his Lap 1 incident.
Câmara’s points for pole and fastest lap in the Feature Race, along with his victory, put him on top with 28 points to his name. VAR’s Théophile Nael follows in second on 19 points, with Stromsted third on 18. Nikita Bedrin and Martinius Stenshorne round out the top five with 17 and 14 points respectively.
The second round of the 2025 FIA Formula 3 season is scheduled to take place in Sakhir, Bahrain, from 11 to 13 April 2025. It will be another doubleheader with a sprint and feature race.
The driver to hold the current F3 fastest lap at the 5.4km long Bahrain International Circuit is Franco Colapinto, with a lap time of 1.46.249, which he achieved back in 2022 while driving for Van Amersfoort Racing.
Header Image: Formula 3 via X
