DAMS Lucas Oil proved their one-lap pace at Round 1 of the 2025 FIA Formula 2 Championship in Melbourne, Australia, with Jak Crawford qualifying third in an event cut short by adverse weather conditions.

In his second year with the team, the Aston Martin F1 Reserve and Development Driver displayed his speed to narrowly miss out on pole position in the first qualifying session of the year. Meanwhile, Alpine F1 Team Test and Reserve Driver Kush Maini clinched 13th in a tight session.

Penalties for both drivers following a team infraction in testing meant the pair had an uphill battle in the Sprint Race. Maini fought hard in the pack, ending the 23-lap race in 16th, while Crawford encountered engine issues and was forced to retire.

Crawford and Maini were looking to improve in the Feature Race, but continuous rain meant the track conditions were unsafe. After an attempt to start under the Safety Car, the decision was made to cancel the race, with no points awarded.

Round 2 takes place at Bahrain International Circuit on 11-13 April, with a three-day test also set to be held at the track from 26-28 March.

Jak Crawford: “It was a challenging weekend in Melbourne, but I was happy with our performance in qualifying. Unfortunately, the Sprint Race didn’t go as we had hoped due to some issues, but the team worked hard throughout. We’ll take the positives, and come back stronger next time.”

Qualifying: 3rd | Sprint Race: DNF | Feature Race: Cancelled

Kush Maini: “The first weekend of the season is complete in Melbourne, we started well with P2 in practice but a small mistake in qualifying cost us a better result. We knew it was going to be tough with the penalties, and we fought hard throughout the Sprint Race. It was unfortunate to have Sunday’s race cancelled, but the car feels strong and I’m looking forward to getting back out there in Bahrain.”

Qualifying: 13th | Sprint Race: 16th | Feature Race: Cancelled

Charles Pic, Team Owner: “The weekend started with a positive Free Practice session, as both drivers built confidence and put in good lap times. Jak was impressive in qualifying, which was a big positive for the team. Unfortunately, Kush wasn’t quite able to put his best sectors together on one lap and missed out on the top-10. The Sprint Race was always going to be tough for us with the penalties. Jak was forced to retire after four laps with an engine issue, while Kush wasn’t fully comfortable with the car, but collected plenty of data and kept up good pace throughout. We were hoping to make up positions in Sunday’s race, but sadly the weather had other ideas, with the rain far too heavy for us to start. The positives to take from this weekend is the way we improved in qualifying compared to last year in Melbourne, and we’ll hope to continue moving in this positive direction in Bahrain.”

Image: Dutch Photo Agency