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March 30, 2025
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Let's take a look through the four career ladder championships, and see what stories are starting to develop now that we have some information to work with.
Superleague: Granqvist's Command, Chaos Behind
Jan Granqvist has been faultless so far, and he knows it. After calmly converting a front-row start into victory in Melbourne, the Super Venturi man repeated the feat in Turkey with a mature drive on a two-stop strategy that outfoxed the likes of Loic Meunier, Matthew Williams, and Szymon Frelik. It's not just the results, it's the control, the poise, and the lack of mistakes. At this point, he's the benchmark once again.
Behind Granqvist, the championship is close. Frelik, Williams, and Stevens all sit tied on 26 points, each with flashes of form. TOP look particularly composed; Frelik has been consistently near the front, and Carlos Martin's back-to-back points finishes have cemented their Constructors' title charge. Meanwhile, Edonis are emerging as real dark horses. Matthew Williams finished just behind Granqvist in Istanbul, and Robin Pansar stormed from 20th to 8th with a spectacular recovery.
THR have work to do. A podium in Melbourne for Stevens has only translated into a poor showing at Turkey, and a rubbish qualifying coupled with their three-stop strategy in Turkey left both cars out of podium contention. Still, they're fourth in the standings, and Jarl Teien's gritty drive from 12th to 7th in Round 2 was a rare bright spot.
And what of Valle? Maggio's 3-stop approach in Istanbul was ambitious but unfortunately a disconnect prevented us from seeing the outcome, and with two DNFs in two races, they're yet to trouble the scorers. Contrast that with newly-promoted Road2Formula, who are quietly efficient - Tomasz Wach's P5 in Turkey added more to a growing tally that's kept them in the hunt.
Superlights: Soriano's Rise, Puschke's Pursuit
Netrex's Jose Soriano has been the standout of the early Superlights campaign. His win in Turkey, following a podium in Australia, marks him out as the driver to beat. The consistency is there, but crucially, so is the composure. Behind him, Draig's Philipp Puschke is showing equal pace, if not yet the luck; two runner-up finishes for the former Superleague champ mean he's just a point behind.
Turkey also gave us glimpses of potential title twists. Brehm's Tom Satherley, the winner in Australia, retired early in Round 2, throwing his season back into the mix. Meanwhile, Jan Dragoun's podium for True North reasserted his credentials after a forgettable opener.
It's a deep grid in Superlights, with the likes of Mike Kwint, Cas Rietveld, and Luke Mitchell all showing strong pace, but also inconsistency. Optiminal look promising, particularly Rouven Meschede, who's running a solid P8 in the standings despite some on-track misfortune. If they can string a weekend together, they could be a serious threat.
It's also worth noting that AlphaDelta and KV86 are gaining ground. Patrekur Magnusson and Noa Tuomela have been quietly scoring, and if the midfield begins to tighten, expect them to be in the thick of it.
Formula Sprint 1: Malta Force Dominate, But Watch Bintz
Malta Force have been the defining force of the FS1 season so far, but even they'll be aware the margin could easily close. Pawel Andrzejewski and Mateusz Majka sit 1st and 2nd in the championship, with 84 and 73 points respectively, thanks to their relentless front-row lockouts and tactical discipline. But Turkey wasn't a total whitewash.
Pixelate's Janson Bintz took a superb win in Race 2, with a drive full of confidence and control. Alongside him, Lucas Thylin has rediscovered his speed for KKR, and Mateusz Guzowski has begun to emerge as Nexium's leading light. Roszak's qualifying results have been good, but he's struggled to convert since Australia, with a DNF in Race 2 at Istanbul further halting momentum.
Apex GP have had a mixed campaign; Jasse Lahtinen has been reliably inside the top six, but Oliver Taras hasn't quite hit his Australia highs. Shiba continue to bring points home through Saracino and De Ciutiis, though neither look like breaking Malta's stranglehold just yet.
In the pack, Thomas Smit, Frank Hamming and Carl-Magnus Borre are consistently racking up smaller points, and that's keeping the midfield scrap alive. But make no mistake: this has all been Malta Force so far, and the rest are chasing.
Formula Sprint 2: Lopes Leads, But the Pack Bites Back
Junio Lopes' championship lead tells a story of speed and consistency, but not comfort. His dominance in Australia gave him a strong cushion, but in Turkey he had to fight for every point. KAP Clay's main man sits on 68, but the chasing trio are tightening the net.
Both Kaspar Koorits and Omari Watson are now tied on 54, the former collecting solid points in every race, the latter surging to a spectacular win in Istanbul. Watson, in particular, is showing the kind of racecraft that makes you believe more wins are coming.
Sandeep Singh is right there too, though his Turkey weekend saw a dramatic contrast: a hard-fought P2 in Race 1 was not followed up with a resurgence through the pack in Race 2. Still, Potentia are firmly in the constructors' hunt thanks to Singh and Scarpelli's strong showings, the latter taking reverse-grid victory in Australia.
RGS Racing are leading the team's championship battle, though. Brody Lawless has emerged as one of the revelations of the season, from P19 in Australia to a double top-five in Turkey, his trajectory is steep. His teammate Koorits has been the model of consistency.
Behind the leaders, it's a bloodbath! HBS, RNG, Orbit, Mapes-VO; they're all in contention for top-five finishes, with drivers like Magnus Okkenhaug, Ben Skinner and Thijs Jongstra quietly putting together strong weekends.
One thing's for sure, there's no margin for error in FS2. The midfield is stacked, and just one poor qualifying can leave you scrapping for scraps from the inevitable lap 1 scrapheap.
Final Thoughts: What Lies Ahead
Next up? Japan, an historic circuit that rewards commitment, balance, and bravery. Australia was a tight, fast flowing street track, Turkey a Tilke-drome - it's back to old-school F1 layouts with Suzuka, and I for one cannot wait.
Jan Granqvist has been faultless so far, and he knows it. After calmly converting a front-row start into victory in Melbourne, the Super Venturi man repeated the feat in Turkey with a mature drive on a two-stop strategy that outfoxed the likes of Loic Meunier, Matthew Williams, and Szymon Frelik. It's not just the results, it's the control, the poise, and the lack of mistakes. At this point, he's the benchmark once again.
Behind Granqvist, the championship is close. Frelik, Williams, and Stevens all sit tied on 26 points, each with flashes of form. TOP look particularly composed; Frelik has been consistently near the front, and Carlos Martin's back-to-back points finishes have cemented their Constructors' title charge. Meanwhile, Edonis are emerging as real dark horses. Matthew Williams finished just behind Granqvist in Istanbul, and Robin Pansar stormed from 20th to 8th with a spectacular recovery.
THR have work to do. A podium in Melbourne for Stevens has only translated into a poor showing at Turkey, and a rubbish qualifying coupled with their three-stop strategy in Turkey left both cars out of podium contention. Still, they're fourth in the standings, and Jarl Teien's gritty drive from 12th to 7th in Round 2 was a rare bright spot.
And what of Valle? Maggio's 3-stop approach in Istanbul was ambitious but unfortunately a disconnect prevented us from seeing the outcome, and with two DNFs in two races, they're yet to trouble the scorers. Contrast that with newly-promoted Road2Formula, who are quietly efficient - Tomasz Wach's P5 in Turkey added more to a growing tally that's kept them in the hunt.
Superlights: Soriano's Rise, Puschke's Pursuit
Netrex's Jose Soriano has been the standout of the early Superlights campaign. His win in Turkey, following a podium in Australia, marks him out as the driver to beat. The consistency is there, but crucially, so is the composure. Behind him, Draig's Philipp Puschke is showing equal pace, if not yet the luck; two runner-up finishes for the former Superleague champ mean he's just a point behind.
Turkey also gave us glimpses of potential title twists. Brehm's Tom Satherley, the winner in Australia, retired early in Round 2, throwing his season back into the mix. Meanwhile, Jan Dragoun's podium for True North reasserted his credentials after a forgettable opener.
It's a deep grid in Superlights, with the likes of Mike Kwint, Cas Rietveld, and Luke Mitchell all showing strong pace, but also inconsistency. Optiminal look promising, particularly Rouven Meschede, who's running a solid P8 in the standings despite some on-track misfortune. If they can string a weekend together, they could be a serious threat.
It's also worth noting that AlphaDelta and KV86 are gaining ground. Patrekur Magnusson and Noa Tuomela have been quietly scoring, and if the midfield begins to tighten, expect them to be in the thick of it.
Formula Sprint 1: Malta Force Dominate, But Watch Bintz
Malta Force have been the defining force of the FS1 season so far, but even they'll be aware the margin could easily close. Pawel Andrzejewski and Mateusz Majka sit 1st and 2nd in the championship, with 84 and 73 points respectively, thanks to their relentless front-row lockouts and tactical discipline. But Turkey wasn't a total whitewash.
Pixelate's Janson Bintz took a superb win in Race 2, with a drive full of confidence and control. Alongside him, Lucas Thylin has rediscovered his speed for KKR, and Mateusz Guzowski has begun to emerge as Nexium's leading light. Roszak's qualifying results have been good, but he's struggled to convert since Australia, with a DNF in Race 2 at Istanbul further halting momentum.
Apex GP have had a mixed campaign; Jasse Lahtinen has been reliably inside the top six, but Oliver Taras hasn't quite hit his Australia highs. Shiba continue to bring points home through Saracino and De Ciutiis, though neither look like breaking Malta's stranglehold just yet.
In the pack, Thomas Smit, Frank Hamming and Carl-Magnus Borre are consistently racking up smaller points, and that's keeping the midfield scrap alive. But make no mistake: this has all been Malta Force so far, and the rest are chasing.
Formula Sprint 2: Lopes Leads, But the Pack Bites Back
Junio Lopes' championship lead tells a story of speed and consistency, but not comfort. His dominance in Australia gave him a strong cushion, but in Turkey he had to fight for every point. KAP Clay's main man sits on 68, but the chasing trio are tightening the net.
Both Kaspar Koorits and Omari Watson are now tied on 54, the former collecting solid points in every race, the latter surging to a spectacular win in Istanbul. Watson, in particular, is showing the kind of racecraft that makes you believe more wins are coming.
Sandeep Singh is right there too, though his Turkey weekend saw a dramatic contrast: a hard-fought P2 in Race 1 was not followed up with a resurgence through the pack in Race 2. Still, Potentia are firmly in the constructors' hunt thanks to Singh and Scarpelli's strong showings, the latter taking reverse-grid victory in Australia.
RGS Racing are leading the team's championship battle, though. Brody Lawless has emerged as one of the revelations of the season, from P19 in Australia to a double top-five in Turkey, his trajectory is steep. His teammate Koorits has been the model of consistency.
Behind the leaders, it's a bloodbath! HBS, RNG, Orbit, Mapes-VO; they're all in contention for top-five finishes, with drivers like Magnus Okkenhaug, Ben Skinner and Thijs Jongstra quietly putting together strong weekends.
One thing's for sure, there's no margin for error in FS2. The midfield is stacked, and just one poor qualifying can leave you scrapping for scraps from the inevitable lap 1 scrapheap.
Final Thoughts: What Lies Ahead
Next up? Japan, an historic circuit that rewards commitment, balance, and bravery. Australia was a tight, fast flowing street track, Turkey a Tilke-drome - it's back to old-school F1 layouts with Suzuka, and I for one cannot wait.
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