March 17, 2025

 

With the dust settling on the first races of the 2025 GPVWC season, we've already seen emerging patterns, surprises, and a few hints at the battles that could define the year ahead.
Four championships got underway - Superleague, Superlights, Formula Sprint 1, and Formula Sprint 2 - each bringing its own mix of dominance, upsets, and unpredictability.

It's early days, but there's already plenty to dissect. Who made a statement? Which teams are on the right track? And who has work to do? Here's what we learned from the opening weekend.

Superleague: A Familiar Winner, But Plenty of Competition

If anyone thought Jan Granqvist's title defence might start slowly, they were mistaken. The reigning champion wasted no time in reminding the field why he's the man to beat, producing a clinical drive to victory in Melbourne. It wasn't straightforward, though. Tom Stevens pushed him hard, finishing just under five seconds back, while Alex Lehoux announced himself as a serious contender with a podium on his debut.

Lehoux's performance was particularly eye-catching. The Road2Formula driver was quick in pre-season, and being a reigning Superlights champion shows he is a strong driver, but translating that into a podium in his first Superleague race is an entirely different achievement. If this is a sign of things to come, he could be a factor all year.

It wasn't the dream start for everyone. Jarl Teien looked in the mix early on but saw his race unravel, ultimately failing to finish. His teammate Stevens gained valuable points for THR with his second place, but a double podium had seemed possible. Meanwhile, Alessandro Maggio converted pole position into an early exit, a disastrous outcome for Valle after such an impressive qualifying performance.

The race also confirmed that TOP Esports has real strength this season. Both Szymon Frelik and Carlos Martin finished inside the top seven, demonstrating consistency and strong race pace. And while Valle's race ended in disappointment for Maggio, Rouven Meschede at least delivered a solid P5 for the team.

In terms of overall competitiveness, the opening weekend showed that this season might be closer than many expected. Qualifying was ridiculously tight - less than 1.3 seconds covered the entire field - and the race saw plenty of close battles all the way through. If Superleague maintains this level of competition, we could be in for a fascinating title fight.

Superlights: New Names

It's often in Superlights that the next wave of Superleague talent begins to show itself, and this season's opener in Australia certainly hinted at some new stars in the making, as well as seeing some Superleague talent drop down to Superlights.

Tom Satherley wasted no time in making an impression, delivering a perfectly judged drive to take victory. Starting from fourth, he showed great pace and composure, fending off Philipp Puschke, who had earlier claimed pole for Draig. Jose Soriano also made his presence felt, securing a podium finish for Netrex, another indication that the team has pace in 2025.

One of the biggest gains were made by Norbert Jakab, who quietly worked his way into fourth place after starting seventh, on the two-stop strategy. His team, True North, might have been among the pre-season favourites, and performances like this suggest they shouldn't be overlooked.

It wasn't such a smooth race for some of the other big names. Joseph Hurlock had been expected to challenge at the front, but after qualifying second, he could only manage ninth in the race. Whether it was a case of struggling with race pace or just an off night, it wasn't the start Optiminal was hoping for.

Attrition was also a factor, with several retirements highlighting the challenge of managing long runs on high-degradation tyres. The key takeaway? There's no runaway favourite in Superlights yet, and consistency may be the deciding factor in this title battle.

Formula Sprint 1: A Contender Emerges

Malta Force stole the headlines, with a one-two in race one, FS2 Champion Mateusz Majka taking the win, and a race win for Andrzejewski in race two.

If the pre-season suggested Lucas Thylin might be a driver to watch, his race in Australia didn't confirm it. The KKR driver was dominant in testing but ended up with a 10th and DNF.

OverPower Racing looked strong, with Scott Flack and Thomas Smit both right in the mix in race two. They're not far off, but a little extra speed could be needed to mount a genuine title push.

Apex GP also made a solid start, Oliver Taras picking up a top-three finish to ensure they remain in the conversation early on. There's depth in this grid, and while Malta Force might have set the benchmark, there's enough competition here to suggest they won't have it all their own way.

Formula Sprint 2: The Unpredictability of the Reverse Grid

There's always chaos in Formula Sprint 2, and Round 1 didn't disappoint.

It all started with Junio Lopes making an emphatic statement in Race 1, converting pole into a dominant victory. No drama, no mistakes - just a commanding drive to open his account for the season. Sandeep Singh and Omari Watson followed him home, both securing strong starts to their respective campaigns.

Then came the reverse grid for Race 2, which completely turned the field upside down. Domenico Scarpelli took full advantage, carving through to victory from fourth on the grid. Behind him, Kaspar Koorits and Lopes both charged through the field, securing a podium in a chaotic affair.

Some of the biggest position changes came from Brody Lawless and Thijs Jongstra, both gaining 15 places in Race 2 to finish fourth and tenth, respectively. It was proof that reverse grid races reward those who can make quick, decisive moves through the pack.

Not everyone enjoyed the format, though. Sandeep Singh, for example, had a strong Race 1 result but struggled in Race 2, finishing well outside the top ten. It's a reminder that consistency in this series is notoriously difficult, and being able to handle the unpredictability of the second race might be just as important as outright pace.

Track Limits were an ongoing issue for many; drive through penalties had to be served, and if you didn't do it before the final lap, you would be punished with a 30 second penalty. Justin van der Smissen fell foul of this in Race 1, whilst James Knox ended up trying to serve a drive through on the last lap, but that doesn't count sadly for him, and he still ended up with a 30 second penalty on top.

Looking at the early standings, Lopes, Koorits, and Scarpelli have positioned themselves well, but Formula Sprint 2 always throws up surprises. There's still a long way to go.