With a rain forecast for the first race of the season, the Formula 2 Australian Grand Prix was expected to be a complex and slippery race.

Although Victor Martins had a promising weekend after securing pole on Friday, safety took priority when the race was ultimately canceled.

“I feel sorry for the fans who wanted to see us race and also for our teams and drivers who came all the way to Melbourne, but safety takes precedence”, Bruno Michel.

The start was initially aborted due to technical issues with Richard Verschoor’s car, but MP worked against the clock to get him back on track when the race resumed but it was red-flagged.

Half an hour later, officials reduced the planned 33-lap race to a 16-minute session, with the safety car leading the field onto the track. However, deteriorating conditions forced officials to issue a red flag once again after another start attempt.

After the medical car went out to check on the conditions, FIA announced the cancellation of the Australian Grand Prix. No points were given, apart from the two points for the polesitter.

Formula 2 CEO, Bruno Michel, commented: “We tried everything we could to make it happen, but ultimately, the track conditions were too dangerous, which the drivers confirmed over the radio, so the right call was to cancel. We focus now on Bahrain, which will take place on 11-13 of April.”