The second race this afternoon wrapped up the seventh round of the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine at Imola, where Alessandro Giusti (ART Grand Prix) emerged victorious.
The Williams Academy driver claimed his second win of the season on a wet track that shook up the order and delivered plenty of twists, starting from the beginning when a collision at Tamburello between championship leader Rafael Camara (Prema Racing) and his rival Tuukka Taponen (R-ace GP) took the latter out of the race and dropped the Brazilian driver to 26th place. This opened the door for Giusti to take the lead, followed by Noah Strømsted (RPM) and Zachary David (R-ace GP), both of whom moved up from the third row during the chaotic moments following the contact between the leading pair. Brando Badoer (Van Amersfoort Racing), who started third, lost ground and fell to 12th. Shortly after, the first safety car was deployed due to Matteo De Paolo (Sainteloc Racing) going off at Variante Alta. At the restart, Giusti skillfully maintained control of the race, followed by Strømsted, David, and Enzo Deligny (R-ace GP). Meanwhile, Roman Bilinski (Trident) made a strong comeback from 13th, though he was involved in a contact with Ivan Domingues (Van Amersfoort Racing), damaging Domingues’ front wing while battling for 10th.
Shortly after, Giusti’s teammate, Evan Giltaire (ART Grand Prix), dropped back from fifth position before stopping in an unsafe part of the track, prompting a second safety car. During this period, Doriane Pin (Iron Dames) pitted with a technical issue while battling near the top 10.
When the green flag waved again, Deligny was involved in a collision with Enzo Peugeot (Sainteloc Racing) at the first corner, which forced Deligny to retire and handed fourth place to James Wharton (Prema Racing). Meanwhile, Camara, demonstrating an impressive pace, fought his way into the points. The battle for fifth then heated up between Ugo Ugochukwu (Prema Racing) and Pedro Clerot (Van Amersfoort Racing), with the McLaren Driver Development driver ultimately overtaking Clerot in the closing stages. Bilinski also took advantage of the situation, climbing to seventh, while Wharton claimed the final podium spot from David after the latter ran wide at Variante Alta, though he still managed to finish fourth. The safety car was deployed once more until the end of the race following a crash between Kanato Le (G4 Racing) and Peugeot, whose car stopped in the middle of Tamburello. The race’s top 10 was completed by Théophile Nael (Sainteloc Racing), Camara, and Nikita Bedrin (MP Motorsport), finishing in positions eight through ten.
P1: Alessandro Giusti – ART Grand Prix
“Today’s success came thanks to the excellent setup of our car and perfect tire management. I’m very pleased with this result, especially given how tough the race was on such a technical and demanding track like Imola.”
P2: Noah Strømsted – RPM
“The day started off well in qualifying, where we secured a solid third position. At the race start, I found the right conditions after the first corner, allowing me to gain key positions. The safety cars cost us some laps where we could have pushed further, but overall, I’m satisfied.”
P3: James Wharton
“I’m quite happy with the pace I’ve shown this weekend. My season is really starting to come together, especially in recent months, where I’ve achieved consistent results. Now, I feel ready for the Red Bull Ring, where we aim to be among the front runners again.”
The series will be back in action next week in Austria (September 14-15) for the eighth round of the season.
