Rafael Camara (Prema Racing) set the benchmark in the first Collective Test session at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, further asserting his dominance in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine. The championship leader recorded a fastest lap of 1’37″088, narrowly outpacing Brando Badoer (Van Amersfoort Racing) by just 74 thousandths of a second. Badoer, fresh off strong performances in recent rounds, continues to show he is a serious contender, while Tuukka Taponen (R-ace GP), currently second in the standings, rounded out the top three.
James Wharton (Prema Racing) once again demonstrated his consistency and pace, setting the fourth-fastest time of the session, just ahead of RPM’s Noah Strømsted, who not only led the rookie classification but also claimed an impressive fifth place overall.
Roman Bilinski (Trident), the Anglo-Polish driver, made a remarkable return to form after his injury layoff, securing sixth position. Bilinski has been on an upward trajectory, having collected four consecutive points finishes since his comeback, showing that he is back to full strength and competitiveness. Matteo De Palo (Saintéloc Racing) was another standout performer, frequently featuring among the fastest during the session and eventually finishing in seventh place. His teammate Enzo Peugeot followed closely behind in eighth, underlining the pace of the Saintéloc Racing cars at this stage of the weekend.
Rounding out the top ten were Zachary David (R-ace GP) in ninth and Alessandro Giusti (ART Grand Prix), who continues his solid run of form with the tenth-fastest time.
Meanwhile, Nicola Lacorte (Trident) encountered technical difficulties that prevented him from completing a single competitive lap. The young Italian suffered an issue with his car that cut short his running, leaving him unable to participate fully in the morning session.
The teams will return to the track for the second Collective Test session, scheduled for this afternoon at 15:15, where more developments are expected as drivers fine-tune their setups ahead of the competitive action.
