PREMA Racing got its 2025 FIA Formula 2 campaign off to a points-scoring start at Round 1 of the season in Australia, with both drivers gaining places to finish in the top eight.

Colombian Sebastián Montoya and Italy’s Gabrielle Mini finished sixth and seventh respectively in the first race of 2025. 

AIX driver Joshua Durksen took the victory in Melbourne after controlling an incident-filled race through two safety car restarts. 

It marks a far more promising start to the season for the Italian team, which has twice been crowned F2 Teams Champions, in 2020 and 2021, as well as winning the series in 2016 when it was known as GP2.

Double points and fastest lap in Melbourne ???

Good pace, nice overtakes, let’s aim for more tomorrow ?#PREMARacing #AustralianGP pic.twitter.com/d9NCMB7fr0

— PREMA (@PREMA_Team) March 15, 2025

Both PREMA’s had started outside the top 10 for the reverse-grid race.

Montoya was 11th and Mini 13th, although the Italian was serving the first of two three-place grid-drops for impeding DAMS Lucas Oil driver Jak Crawford during Qualifying, which lost the F3 graduate pole position for Sunday’s Feature Race. 

Mini said: “I got a pretty good start and overtook a few cars and it was quite a strong lap 1. We had really good pace straight away and tried to attack the cars in front.”

The 19-year-old said being stuck in a ‘DRS train’ meant he was unable to make further progress than seventh place, but he did collect an extra point for delivering the fastest lap of the race.

Mini, who will start the Feature Race from the second row of the grid, is optimistic about his chances on Sunday.

Let's GO!!! ?https://t.co/qLgyAl7LUL#F2 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/S8kvxBDokQ

— Formula 2 (@Formula2) March 15, 2025

Montoya, son of ex-Williams and McLaren F1 star Juan Pablo, admitted to being a bit nervous at the start.

“It’s a little nerve-wrecking when you start and see the big cars in front and not the F3s, but I followed the procedures for the start and it was good,” he said.

Montoya, 19, said his pace was promising, despite a few errors during the race.

He said: “I think the pace [is] there. I made a few small mistakes along the way and learned small things that I could change, so we really showed our speed at the end.”

The Colombian driver will start from P11 on Sunday again, with points available to the top 10 finishers in the Feature, rather than just the top eight in the Sprint.

Image: FML – Prema Racing