Luke Browning claims Hitech’s second Melbourne podium
Luke Browning got his 2025 title fight off to an auspicious start after claiming Hitech TGR’s first Formula 2 podium in Saturday’s Sprint Race in Melbourne.
After a positive start for the team in Friday’s Practice, Luke went on to qualify eighth on his full F2 debut, which put him on the second row of the reverse-grid Sprint Race, with new team-mate Dino Beganovic qualifying just ahead in seventh place.
Racing alongside seasoned second and third-year Formula 2 competitors, Luke acknowledged the strength of the 2025 grid, on full display during Saturday’s 23-lap race, which he finished in third place.
Luke Browning:
“The standard of Formula 2 right now is super high, so it was tough to overtake today. But equally, I think our pace was super strong. So I think if I'm unleashed tomorrow, I could have a good race pace. The Feature Race is the exciting one!”
Speaking after an emotional first F2 podium, Luke paid tribute to the Hitech team he has raced with for the past four seasons:
“We’ve been gelling together well over the winter and obviously I’ve got a huge amount of experience with the team now, so it’s really nice to get a first podium together at the opening race.
“It’s very much in the forefront of my mind that I want to make no mistakes this year, and taking home some good points finishes in the first half of the year is the goal.”
Also beginning his first full season in the category, Dino had a positive build-up to the racing action, enjoying a solid Practice session at a track he achieved his first F3 victory at last year. He raced in the final two rounds of the 2024 season, following the conclusion of his successful F3 campaign, and went on to finish on the podium in his first race. On his Hitech debut, he qualified seventh, putting the teammates side by side for Sunday’s Feature Race.
The Ferrari Driver Academy member lined up fourth for the Sprint Race but a slow start dropped him to sixth on the opening lap. Eager to make up lost places, on lap 6 he made an impressive move on Stanek around the outside at Turn 11 and was demonstrating good pace. Unfortunately, a spin on lap 12 saw him tumble down the order and he went on to finish 14th.
The focus switched to Sunday, but the weather forecast predicted it would be a tough race to start, let alone finish well in. As it transpired, due to the adverse weather conditions in Melbourne, the race was cancelled. It had been scheduled to get underway at 11:30 local time but following continuous rain hitting the track, it was initially Red Flagged. However, after an attempt to start, the decision was made to cancel the event as the heavy downpour continued. With no racing laps completed, no points are awarded.
“It has been a tricky weekend with still a lot of unknowns,” Dino Beganovic concluded. “We had the cancellation today, practice was very limited running, and then qualifying was okay but not ideal. We still have some potential to unlock, so it’s good to have the test in Bahrain coming up. It was quite a tough start to the season, but at least now we’re underway and we’re in the mix, top five on the grid for both races. It’s a solid platform to build on for the rest of the season.”
Luke leaves Albert Park third in the Drivers’ standings with six points from his Sprint Race success. What a start to his first full season in Formula 2!
Dino will be eager to harness the momentum at Sakhir, Bahrain, in four weeks’ time.
Hitech leaves the season-opener third in the Teams’ standings, also with six points,
ROUND 1 RESULTS
Sprint Race – Saturday
Luke Browning – P3 (6 points)
Dino Beganovic – P14
Feature Race – Sunday
Cancelled (rain), no racing points awarded
Drivers’ Championship
Luke Browning – P3 – 6 points
Dino Beganovic – P14
Teams’ Championship
Hitech TGR – P3 – 6 points