The opening round of the 2025 FIA Formula 3 season delivered a drama-filled and rain-soaked Feature Race at the Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, which came to a conclusion with a dominating debut victory for TRIDENT’s Rafael Câmara. The Brazilian, starting from pole position, led from lights to flag, crossing the checkered flag ahead of teammate Noah Strømsted for a dominant one-two for the Italian squad.
A Strong Start and Early Incidents
The race already began in tricky wet conditions, with the entire field on wet-weather tyres, three formation laps and the Safety Car leading the pack for the formation laps. During the rolling start Câmara needed no hesitation in grabbing an immediate lead when the green flag flew, and he rapidly built a margin to Strømsted, who was unable to match the leader’s rhythm in the challenging conditions.
Lower down the field, the battle for the last points-paying positions soon erupted into chaos. A hard-fought duel for P10 between Alessandro Giusti and Matías Zagazeta ended with Giusti spinning following contact with the Peruvian. While both drivers were able to carry on, the latter was later handed a 10-second penalty for his role in the incident.
Brilliant Moves and Mid-Race Battles
Martinius Stenshorne gave one of the thrills of the race with a wild pass on Ugo Ugochukwu at Turn 4 to snatch P8. As Hitech’s Nikita Bedrin was putting pressure on Van Amersfoort Racing’s Théophile Nael in the fight for third, with Tim Tramnitz waiting just behind them.
The slippery surface took a few drivers by surprise, like Charlie Wurz, who ran wide at Turn 10, briefly exposing him to attacks from both Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak and Ugochukwu. The Austrian managed to recover, and retain his position.
Safety Car and Red Flag Drama
Just as the race was entering its closing stages, Christian Ho spun on the exit of Turn 6, and the Safety Car was called out once again. With the rain intensifying, the event was red-flagged on Lap 18 by officials, which meant that the race would not be restarted.
As the final classifications were determined by the last lap completed, Câmara was declared the winner, ahead of Strømsted. Nael claimed the final spot on the podium, rounding off a successful weekend for Van Amersfoort Racing.
Câmara’s triumphant debut not only places him among the most probable of young chargers to the championship but is also a gauge of TRIDENT’s solid plans for 2025. Having won under the worst weather conditions is a reflection of his game and raceability and makes him an outright title contender now onwards and leaving Australia with a 7 Points advantage in the Championship.
After a dramatic and action-packed start to the season, attention now shifts to Round 2 in Bahrain from April 11-13, where the drivers will face a completely different challenge in the dry desert heat.
Stay tuned for an action-packed opening weekend in Melbourne.
Top 10 Formula 3 Feature Race Timesheet: