The qualifying session at Mugello, which hosted the fifth double-header of the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine, was intense and competitive until the end, marking the halfway point of the season in Italy. On the famous Tuscan ups and downs, during the second qualifying session of the weekend, Brando Badoer, with the best time of 1’42″292, secured his first pole position of the year for Race 2. The Van Amersfoort Racing driver displayed an unbeatable pace, putting himself ahead of championship leader Rafael Camara (Prema Racing) by just 43 milliseconds in his group.
The Ferrari Driver Academy driver, who currently boasts 169 points, was followed by a fast Ugo Ugochukwu, another Prema team member, who finished the session in third place, securing the third row for the afternoon race, just 64 milliseconds behind his teammate. Noteworthy in group A was rookie Noah Strømsted (RPM), who momentarily led the timesheet before finishing the session in fourth place ahead of fellow rookies Enzo Peugeot (Sainteloc Racing) and Valerio Rinicella (MP Motorsport).
Group B, which kicked off the action this morning, also delivered a spectacle. James Wharton topped the times, securing the top spot in his group and placing all three Prema cars in the top three rows. Pedro Clerot (Van Amersfoort Racing) finished the timed session behind Wharton, battling with teammate Ivan Domingues for the second row during the central phase of qualifying. The Brazilian prevailed, securing the second row alongside Camara. Regretfully, Tuukka Taponen (R-ace GP), who was a standout performer with a pole and victory yesterday, finished third in his group but was demoted two grid positions for hindering Michael Belov‘s car while entering the pit lane. This maneuver cost the Finnish driver the eighth grid spot. Also performing well in this group were Zachary David (R-ace GP), who posted the fourth-best time, followed by Williams Academy driver Alessandro Giusti (ART Grand Prix), and Belov (Trident Motorsport), who finished sixth.
All eyes are now on Race 2, scheduled for this afternoon at 2:00 PM, which will last 30 minutes plus one lap. As usual, the race will be broadcast live on the championship’s official YouTube channel.
