The Hungaroring weekend of the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine concluded with two races and two different winners: Matteo De Palo (Trident) and Freddie Slater (Prema Racing), who are currently locked in a fierce battle for the championship lead. Heading home with the points advantage is the Italian driver, who now sits on 122 points, four clear of the British racer on 118.
Starting from third on the grid, Slater made a decisive move in the early stages to overtake teammate Rashid Al Dhaheri, who then settled into third place. Pole-sitter Enzo Deligny led the race for much of the distance, maintaining his advantage after the start until a technical issue erased the gap to the chasing pack. After being overtaken by Slater and briefly reclaiming the lead, the R-ace GP driver was eventually passed by Al Dhaheri in the closing laps, securing a crucial one-two finish for Prema Racing.
However, Deligny was later disqualified following a decision by the stewards, who deemed his driving conduct unsafe while returning to parc fermé ahead of the podium ceremony. As a result, De Palo was promoted to third place, further consolidating his position at the top of the standings. Fourth place went to Akshay Bohra (R-ace GP), who held his ground throughout the race, while Evan Giltaire (ART Grand Prix) completed the top five.
Another solid performance came from ART Grand Prix’s Kanato Le, who finished sixth ahead of experienced competitor Michael Belov (CL Motorsport). Hiyu Yamakoshi also impressed, battling with teammate Pedro Clerot (Van Amersfoort Racing) before securing eighth place, just ahead of Taito Kato (ART Grand Prix) and Clerot himself, who again brought home points.
The rookie trophy, initially awarded to Dion Gowda (Van Amersfoort Racing), was reassigned after the race to debutant Ean Eyckmans (RPM). Gowda received a five-second time penalty for causing contact with Jin Nakamura (R-ace GP) at Turn 1 while fighting for positions on the fringes of the top 10.
The race also featured a safety car intervention following the incident that left Jack Beeton (Prema Racing) stranded at Turn 1.
The international series will return to action in two weeks at Circuit Paul Ricard over the weekend of July 18–20.
Freddie Slater (Prema Racing)
“A bit lucky in the end. We were set for P2 until Enzo had an issue that handed us the win. Unfortunate for him, but you have to take every chance in such a close championship. Different teams are strong on different tracks, so you always have to be ready. Overall, it was a tough weekend. Our one-lap pace was decent, but race pace was harder to manage. Still, we look forward to Paul Ricard. It’s been enjoyable but very challenging. The margins are so small, and you have to be on your game all the time. Paul Ricard is a tricky, windy track—let’s see how it goes.”
Rashid Al Dhaheri (Prema Racing)
“A very emotional weekend. We made big steps forward, and I learned a lot. The track was new with a lot of overheating, but P2 is a great result and the team did an amazing job. We could have done more—I lost a position at the start and overtaking is tough here. But a one-two for the team is fantastic. The competition this year is so high, which pushes everyone to improve. For Paul Ricard, we aim to keep progressing. You always have to keep moving forward.”
