March 07, 2025

 

The opening round of the Formula Sprint 1 Championship was back with a bang last night, with some familiar names on top, and a new feature being introduced for the first time at this level.
It was ominous from the very start of the broadcast. Malta Force locked out the front row in qualifying. Straight away, the pair set the benchmark early in the session, and those times were never to be beaten, with 2024 FS2 champion Majka setting the pace with a superb 1:23.089, edging out teammate Andrzejewski by 0.228s.

Oliver Taras (Apex GP) put in a strong lap to secure P3, followed by Vin Glenn (HGP) and Giuseppe Saracino (Shiba), who rounded out the top five. The top 10 were separated by less than half a second, proving just how competitive the grid was shaping up to be.

Race 1: Majka Triumphs in a Tense Battle

From pole, Majka controlled the start, fending off pressure from his teammate Andrzejewski and Taras, who held station in P3. The front three quickly built a gap, running at a rapid but consistent pace. However, by lap 7, it was clear that this would be the Malta Force show, as the gap to Taras grew to over 3 seconds.

For the first time in FS1, 'Push to Pass' was used. The drivers had 200 seconds available to them, with a 60 second cooldown between uses. The back 'straight' between turn 6 and the 9-10 chicane was the favourite place for it's use; however, it led to many late lunges and moves being made into the chicane, as drivers didn't want to waste their usage of the button; Owen Kvilhaugsvik rotating on lap 7 after running side by side with Sven de Vries, for example, whilst Janson Bintz retired on lap 10 in the same chicane.

There were some who fared worse than that, though; Philipp Koenig the first retiree of 2025 after contact with a Hyperion forced him into the wall. On lap 13, several drivers made contact with various objects; Raymond van Soest emerged out of turn 1 with only 3 wheels on his wagon, whilst De Ciutiis was shown on the broadcast to also struggle with the exit of turn 10 and his race ended facing backwards.

Lap 13 also saw the first pitters, with Andrzejewski, Glenn, Menno Klont (up from 6th to 5th at this point) and Saracino were the first to blink on tyres, coming off their softs and going to the hards.

After the stops, the race settled down. Glenn and Hamming (HGP) fought hard for P4, whilst Saracino (Shiba) slipped down the order slightly but still managed to secure P6.

Further back, Scott Flack (OverPower) and Patryk Roszak (Nexium) made notable progress. Flack climbed from P18 to P11, while Roszak jumped from P20 to P12, both showcasing impressive racecraft.

Despite a late-race charge from Andrzejewski, Majka remained composed to cross the line just 0.300s ahead of his teammate, slowing down for a photo finish with his team mate and securing an early 20-point haul.

Race 2: Andrzejewski Fights Through for Victory

With the reverse grid number drawn at 9, Menno Klont inherited pole position for Race 2.

However, it was Andrzejewski who stole the show, making up ground quickly after starting P8. By lap 10, he had already climbed into the podium positions, pressuring Hamming and Saracino.

Both Hamming (HGP) and Menno Klont looked set for a potential victory but couldn't hold off Andrzejewski's relentless charge, Hamming ultimately settling for P2, 6.041s behind. Saracino (Shiba) rounded out the podium, securing a strong P3 finish. Klont led for the early laps of the race but his pace couldn't keep him in the lead and he slipped down the order, much to the disappointment of the fans.

The standout drive came from Thomas Smit (OverPower), who rocketed from P21 to P5, a 16-place gain that saw him finish just behind Sven de Vries (LEF), who also gained nine places to take P4.

At the front, though, it was all about Andrzejewski. With measured overtakes and consistent pace, he stormed to his first win of the season, completing an excellent weekend for Malta Force.

Janson Bintz (Pixelate) also had an impressive race, moving up 18 places from P29 to P11, proving how unpredictable the reverse grid format can be.

However, it wasn't a race to remember for Vin Glenn (HGP), Lucas Thylin (KKR), and Jasse Lahtinen (Apex GP), all of whom suffered DNFs after strong performances in Race 1.

Race 1 winner Majka had an incident-packed race, with the broadcast replays showing him doing a fancy twirl at turn 9-10 chicane at one point. He will be hoping for a bit more consistency if he is going to follow his 2024 FS2 triumph with a championship challenge this season, but it's early days.

With the next round two weeks away, all eyes will be on Malta Force to see if they can maintain their dominance, or if HGP, Shiba, and Apex GP can strike back.