The Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine returned to action this morning with the first official session of the year at the Misano World Circuit, host of the opening round of the ten-event 2025 calendar.
Saturday morning’s qualifying session delivered intense on-track action, with Freddie Slater emerging as the fastest driver. Thanks to a blistering lap time of 1:28.373, the Prema Racing driver will lead the field from pole in this afternoon’s Race 1.
A standout in the first qualifying of the season was Matteo De Palo (Trident), who topped Group A, the first of the two groups to hit the track, with a strong 1:28.794. The Roman driver impressed with a solid performance, battling until the final moments with a determined Evan Giltaire. The ART Grand Prix driver, who had been quickest in Friday’s testing, secured the second-fastest time in his group and will therefore start from fourth on the grid.
Another strong run came from Pedro Clerot (Van Amersfoort Racing), who fought for the top spot throughout the session and ended third, just ahead of Kanato Le (ART Grand Prix). Solid pace also from Nikita Bedrin, representing Saintéloc Racing, who will line up on the fifth row with the fifth time in his group.
Group B was headlined by Slater, who impressed once again behind the wheel of the T-318. Less than two tenths adrift was teammate Rashid Al Dhaheri (Prema Racing), who will start from third alongside Giltaire. Also making a strong impression was Jin Nakamura (R-ace GP), a member of the TGR Driver Challenge Program, who challenged Slater for the top spot for most of the session and ended up third. Honda-backed Taito Kato (ART Grand Prix) finished fourth in the group, ahead of the third Prema Racing car driven by Jack Beeton, who will start from ninth.
All eyes are now on the first race of the season, scheduled for this afternoon at 16:10 local time, and set over a 30-minute distance plus one lap.
Freddie Slater (Prema Racing)
“It’s definitely a strong way to kick off the season, but it’s only Round 1, so we have to stay focused and keep pushing. We’ve got another qualifying session tomorrow and we know the competition will close in, so the goal is to keep improving. The conditions this weekend are quite tricky too, with rising temperatures, lots of rubber and grass on track, and a strong wind, there are many factors that could affect the race. The team has done a fantastic job so far, and having all three cars at the front is a great result. Now we just need to carry that momentum into the race.”
Matteo De Palo (Trident)
“It’s a great way to start the weekend. We knew from winter testing that our pace was strong, but you always enter the first qualifying with some question marks, not knowing who might be holding back. So this result is a great reward for the hard work we’ve done during the off-season. Starting like this with a new team makes it even more special, and to do it here in Italy makes the moment even more meaningful.”
The race will be streamed live on the official YouTube channel of the championship and broadcast by several partner networks, including ACI Sport TV.
