Australian Grand Prix race officially cancelled due to massive storm

A Williams car races on the Melbourne circuit in the rain — Photo: © IMAGO

Australian Grand Prix

Australian Grand Prix race officially cancelled due to massive storm

The FIA have cancelled a race at the Australian GP weekend

By Matthew Hobkinson.

Sunday 16 March 2025 04:47

The FIA have confirmed that two races at the Australian Grand Prix have been cancelled after the track was soaked in a massive downpour.

Formula 1 is back for the first time in 2025 this weekend, with fans getting their first chance to see the new cars and drivers in competitive action.

F1 HEADLINES: McLaren release HUGE official driver statement as team confirm EXIT ahead of Australian Grand Prix

Article continues under video

A fair bit has changed since then with the likes of Lewis Hamilton now lining up in the red of Ferrari; Carlos Sainz moving the other way to join Williams and Kimi Antonelli being promoted at Mercedes to fill the seven-time world champion's vacant seat.

Although there are some new faces, things seem to be taking a familiar approach in the constructors' standings with the key battles on track.

Carlos Sainz (L) was replaced by Lewis Hamilton (R) at Ferrari

George Russell (L) and Max Verstappen (R) qualified in 4th and 3rd respectively in Australia

Qualifying times and race strategies however may soon be thrown out the window given the weather conditions that arrived in Melbourne on Sunday morning.

An onslaught of wet weather greeted fans in the Victoria state capital and proved so intense that FIA Race Control had to take decisive action.

Melbourne weather sees FIA race cancellation

A staple part of any grand prix weekend sees F2, F3 and F1 Academy take to the track in a variety of support races ahead of lights out in F1.

This was no exception in Melbourne and F2 stars had to battle torrential rain on track as they looked to get their feature race underway.

However, after multiple red flags in heavy rain, FIA Race Control had no choice but to announce that the race was cancelled as the wet weather posed too great a threat to the safety of the drivers to allow them to race in the current conditions.

With delaying the race not being a viable option due to time restrictions on the upcoming F1 race, there sadly was no alternative to finish the race despite the best efforts of those involved.

The Formula 2 Feature Race in Melbourne has been cancelled due to inclement weather#F2 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/DZRj9FSN0K
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) March 16, 2025