Griffin Peebles is the latest Australian to win an international title after claiming the 2024 Formula Winter Series on the weekend.

With the final of four rounds held at the famous Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Peebles dominated the weekend to secure victories in both races.

Heading into the round with a slender lead over Peruvian Andres Cardenas, Peebles started the weekend strong by converting his race two pole position into victory after the opening race of the round was cancelled due to poor weather.

The teenager then started the final race from P2 and a lightning quick start off the line saw him charge to the front on the opening turn, before leading the field for the rest of the race. 

Rounding out the podium behind Peebles and Cardenas in the final race was fellow Aussie Gianmarco Pradel, who bounced back nicely after an unfortunate DNF in the first completed race.

Also entered in the series was Beeton and Peter Bouzinelos, with Beeton scoring a solid P10 in the opener, while Bouzinelos made ground in the second race, climbing from P20 to P14.

There were just as many Aussies in action in the United States over the weekend, with Lochie Hughes enjoying the best results of the lot on the streets of St. Petersburg 

Graduating to the USF Pro 2000 Championship after a successful season in USF2000 last year, the Queenslander was a standout performer in the opening round, coming away with two pole positions and a race win.

In what was a scrappy first race of the year, Hughes managed to take a one second victory Christian Brooks, having led the most laps for the race.

Hughes once again led the most laps in the weekend’s second race but couldn’t hold on for victory as he was overtaken by fellow USF2000 graduate Nikita Johnson shortly after a safety car restart during the final stint of the 25-lap affair.

Despite finishing the race second, Hughes still finished the weekend on top of the standings – eight points ahead of the second-placed Johnson.

In the event’s headline act, Will Power got his 2024 Indycar campaign off to a decent start, finishing the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in fourth place, just six tenths off three-time Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin.

While Power and McLaughlin’s Team Penske teammate Josef Newgarden dominated the event, converting his pole position into an eight second victory, the battle for the podium positions were much closer.

By the chequered flag, the second placed Pato O’Ward, McLaughlin and Power were all split by just one second – with Power making plenty of gains during the 100-lap race after starting from eighth.

Also running at the event as a support category was the USF2000, which featured Aussies Quinn Armstrong and Xavier Kokai. Armstrong ended the weekend with a pair of P7s, while Kokai picked up a P14 up in the first race and improved in the second to finish 10th. 

Rounding out the international Aussies in action was Jesse Lacey, who had a mixed weekend in the first round of the 2024 Formula Regional Japanese Championship season.

Taking place at the iconic Suzuka International Racing Course, Lacey had a good start to the three-race round, securing a podium finish before dropping to P7 in race two and retiring in race three.

Lacey ended the weekend in seventh overall, just four points off 2023 Ferrari Driver Academy Asia Pacific and Oceania Selection Program finalist, Sebastian Manson.