A pair of open wheel drivers close the book on 2025, after putting together respectable drives in their final rounds of the year. Meanwhile, a trio of Aussie drivers, including a Supercars team owner, take part in the annual Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch.

Formula Regional European Championship – Monza

Jack Beeton’s final appearance of the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine season took place at The Temple of Speed, Monza. Beeton got off on the right foot in his qualifying group, locking in a fifth-fastest time in Qualifying 1, then a second-fastest time (third outright) in Qualifying 2 among Group A following Race 1.

Beeton would be placed 10th outright on the grid in Race 1, but it was a short session for the PREMA Racing driver, going off in the gravel at turn 2 of the first chicane after contact with another driver – resulting in irreparable suspension damage.

To further compound the issue for Beeton, he would not begin Race 2 due to unforeseen circumstances and would prematurely end his 2025 season after a strong qualifying performance. It would have put him second row of the starting grid.

Beeton also delivered an impressive performance last round at the Hockenheimring to claim the ninth Pirelli Rising Car Award. The Prema Racing driver earned the accolade thanks to a determined recovery across both races in Germany, gaining a total of 12 positions and showcasing strong pace in a highly competitive field. The Pirelli Rising Car Award celebrates the drivers who showcase exceptional overtaking skills, resilience, and race craft across each round.

Beeton finishes the season 13th overall in the Drivers’ Standings with 32 Championship points, securing points in eight races throughout the year, highlighted by two sixth place results in Misano and Spielberg.

Formula One – Mexico City

Oscar Piastri put in another strong outing on track to climb multiple positions from his starting box on the grid to finish fifth at the Mexico City Grand Prix.

Starting from seventh, Piastri dropped to as low as ninth, but strong discipline and speedy pit stops helped the Australian work his way to fifth position behind rookie Oliver Bearman, overtaking both Mercedes drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli.

Getting within DRS range of Bearman, Piastri had setup a chance to over take the Haas driver on one of the two remaining laps of the race. However, a Virtual Safety Car due to Carlos Sainz prevented the opportunity from taking place and Piastri had to settle for fifth.

Norris now leads the Formula One World Drivers’ Championship for the first time since the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix by one point over Piastri with four races remaining in the season.

The next stop will be the São Paulo Grand Prix in Brazil in two weeks’ time with Norris on 357 points, Piastri on 356 points, and Verstappen on 321 points.

Formula Ford Festival – Brands Hatch

A trio of Aussies made considerable impacts overseas at the Brands Hatch motor racing circuit by participating in the 2025 Formula Ford Festival, an event dating back to 1972.

English-Australian Rory Smith opened up his weekend in strong form, claiming the Heat 3 win by more than two seconds in the #45 Medina Sport JL18. Smith carried the momentum over into the Semi-Final, running a race time of 13:12.747, less than eight tenths of a second behind winner Jason Smyth, settling for third and locking in a spot in the Final. Smith then capped off a positive weekend with a fourth place finish in the Grand Final, less than a second off the bottom step of the podium.

Ben Turner made the trip across the pond to give the festival a run in his Van Diemen RF92, however was only able to muster a 17th in his Heat 3 performance as Smith claimed the win. Turner finished the 10 laps 33 seconds behind his Australian compatriot and earned a spot in the second Progression Race, where he ultimately finished ninth.

John Blanchard also competed at Brands Hatch, lodging a 15th place finish in Heat 2, driving the #6 RF88. The result was good enough to earn a spot in the the second Progression Race, but after receiving contact on lap 5 from Turner, a broken front wheel ended Blanchard’s race and subsequently his plan to reach the Grand Final.

Both Turner and Blanchard featured in the Historic Final, with Turner claiming seventh, but the Supercars team owner again retired from 18th on the grid after five laps. All in all a strong performance from all three representatives at the historic event.

Euro 4 Championship – Monza

A week on from wrapping up his Formula 4 season, Dante Vinci focused his attention toward a strong finish in the E4 Championship at Monza.

In the first of three races, Vinci starting things off 15th on the grid, but a 25-second penalty against Vinci dropped him all the way down to 24th post-race.

Vinci began 12th in Race 2, but was unable to gain any momentum up the order, finishing 28th in the second to last session of the year.

The Van Amersfoort Racing driver started 16th in Race 3 and quickly showcased his overtaking abilities. Clocking a fastest lap time 1:53.143 on lap 14, Vinci would wrap up the year by finishing the session in 10th. Two post-race penalties given to other drivers would bump Vinci up to eights meaning Vinci would gain four championship points to the rookie.

The four points would propel Vinci into 11th in the Drivers’ Standings with 21 points and secure a top three rookie finish on the year behind Hanna Salim and Bondarev Oleksandr.