Formula 1 – Silverstone

Oscar Piastri experienced an action-packed weekend at Silverstone, facing an unexpected penalty that challenged him in taking home the win.

Piastri started the 52-lap race in 2nd, behind Max Verstappen and in front of teammate Lando Norris.

Silverstone involved difficult track conditions, with heavy rain resulting in many safety cars.

Piastri was in the lead for the majority of the race and was looking confident in securing the victory. However, on lap 21, the Aussie stepped on the brakes behind a safety car, resulting in Verstappen reacting to avoid a collision.

Piastri was therefore given a 10-second penalty, which saw him finish 6.8 seconds behind the eventual race winner in Norris.

Although it was a frustrating race for the Australian, Piastri extends his lead in the driver championship, with hopes to come back stronger in Belgium on 25-28 July.

Formula 3 – Silverstone

Australian driver James Wharton delivered a strong performance at Silverstone, demonstrating excellent racecraft and mature race management.

Qualifying started on a positive note, with Wharton posting P15 on his first push lap and improving to P8 on the second.

Unfortunately, a clear opportunity to break into the top five was lost during the third run due to heavy traffic, placing Wharton in 20th on the starting grid.

Saturday’s 18-lap Sprint Race saw Wharton in 19th at the end of lap one, gradually moving up to P17 by lap nine.  From that point on, the race settled, with Wharton holding his position to the chequered flag.

Starting the Feature Race in 20th, Wharton made an exceptional getaway as the rain began to fall, climbing to 8th within a couple of laps.

He remained in close pursuit of Ho and Inthraphuvasak, eventually passing the latter for seventh by lap six.

As the rain increased, several drivers on slicks were forced to pit for wets, while Wharton’s tyre choice proved to be the right one, allowing him to stay out.

By lap 11, the safety car was called once again due to worsening conditions, which soon resulted in a reg flag on lap 15.

This led to the race finishing early, with Wharton crossing the line in sixth and collecting some well-deserved points.

“A weekend that could’ve gone better. But considering how it started, we can’t complain,” Wharton said.

“Saturday’s race was tough, with little degradation and strong DRS trains making overtakes nearly impossible. But in the Feature Race, we finally showed what we’re capable of: P20 to P6 in 12 laps on wets.

“Massive thanks to the team for trusting the wet-tyres call. Now eyes on Spa, where we’ll aim to qualify where we deserve.”

Wharton now has 19 points to his name in the FIA Formula 3 standings, with the next round at Spa-Francorchamps on 25-27 July.

Formula Regional European Championship – Budapest

Jack Beeton’s weekend in Budapest unfortunately didn’t work in his favour, facing challenges in each session.

The Australian secured 5th in Qualifying for his group and ninth overall, starting Race One behind Akshay Bohira.

Beeton advanced to eight during Race One, before colliding with Nikita Bedrin, resulting the Aussie finishing 14th with a time of 1:40.194.

Race Two was just as unfortunate for Beeton, starting in 18th before crashing at turn one, with his car catching fire.

Beeton is determined to bounce back, with the 2025 season returning to action at Circuit Paul Ricard on 18-20 July.

GB3 Championship – Hungary

Round 4 of the 2025 GB3 Championship was highly eventful, with four Australian drivers battling it out for podiums throughout the weekend.

Rodin Motorsport’s Gianmarco Pradel advanced from second to secure his maiden GB3 Championship victory in Race One. Pradel defended his position throughout the race, extending his lead to over three seconds at the chequered flag.

Australian championship leader, Alex Ninovic, challenged Pradel during the race, finishing in fourth and reaching a 10 point lead at the top of the driver standings.

Xcel Motorsport’s Pat Heuzenroeder claimed fifth ahead of Hitech TGR’s Deagen Fairclough, while JHR Developments’ Noah Lisle finished in eighth ahead of his teammate Kai Daryanani.

Race Two was successful for Ninovic, claiming his third victory of the season and extending his championship lead to 32 points.

The Aussie started the race on pole, making an impressive launch off the starting line, while also withstanding a safety car restart following a lap one collision.

Lisle claimed 4th after being handed a one place position penalty for forcing Pradel off the track, promoting Pradel onto the podium. Heuzenroeder settled for eighth, ahead of Rodin Motorsport’s Abbi Pulling.

The Aussies continued their close ties in the final race, with Heuzenroeder securing sixth, while Ninovic and Pradel completed the top ten with P8 and P10. Lisle finished the weekend just two tenths behind Pradel, claiming 11th for Race Three.

With these additional points, Ninovic holds a 34 point lead at the midway point of the 2025 season.

The next round of the 2025 GB3 Championship takes place at Silverstone on 2-3 August.

European Le Mans Series – Imola

Multiple Australians took part in last week’s 4 Hours of Imola, with all three successfully finishing the intense endurance race.

James Allen and his Nielsen Racing teammates Anthony Wells and Sergio Camara qualified 8th for the LM P2 Pro/Am. The trio were able to finish 8th by the fourth hour, securing 20th outright.

WTM By Rindaldi Racing’s Griffen Peebles and teammates Torsten Kratz and Leonard Weiss drove superbly, starting the race in 9th for the LMP3 and crossing the finish line in 4th, taking home 33rd overall.

Garnet Patterson and the United Autosports team delivered solid pace in Practice and a strong Qualifying result, starting the four-hour battle in 12th for the LMGT3. Patterson and his teammates claimed 10th for their class, finishing the weekend in 35th outright.

Up next is the 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps on 24 August.

Indy NXT – Mid-Ohio

Australian Tommy Smith delivered a solid effort last weekend at the Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio.

Smith began his weekend by securing 18th in Qualifying with a time of 1:10.9037, starting the race in front of Hailie Deegan.

The Aussie made improvements during the 33-lap race, securing 15th at the chequered flag, collecting 15 points towards the championship.

The next INDY NXT by Firestone race is at Iowa Speedway on 12 July, the second of four oval races on the 2025 schedule.