Finlay McSporran
Published: 15:40, 20th January 2025
The 2025 Formula regional middle eastern championship got underway in Abu Dhabi this weekend, with British driver Freddie Slater picking up two wins on his debut weekend in the championship.
This follows on from his dominant Italian F4 campaign last year where he won 15/21 races on his way to the title.
Slater kicked things off by taking an impressive double pole in qualifying, earning himself four points, with Frenchman Evan Giltaire lining up second for race 1 and 3, while the reverse grid race 2 saw him start ninth and Slater tenth.
Unfortunately for him, a slow start in race 1 saw him loose out to Rashid Al Dhaheri who improved to second, as Slater drove off to win on debut by seven seconds!
Race 2 saw Japanese driver Kanato Le start on reverse grid pole which he defended well into turn one to maintain the lead as his countryman Taito Kato stalled on the grid. Despite two safety cars and constant pressure from Theophile Naël in second, Le held his own to take his first win at this level, with former Redbull junior Enzo Deligny rounding out the podium just half a second ahead of Macau GP winner Ugo Ugochukwu in fourth.
Race 3 saw Freddie Slater and Evan Giltaire lock out the front once again, this time with Redbull junior Ernesto Rivera lining up in third. The top three all held position on lap one, as contact between Ugochukwu and Al Dhaheri brought out an early safety car.
Racing resumed on lap three with Slater and Giltaire pulling away from Rivera who was coming under pressure from the cars behind, being passed by Carrasquedo for third.
Further down the order, Reza Seewooruthun (in 9th) was coming under pressure from Aaron Cameron and race 2 winner Kanato Le. However as they rounded the turn 6-7 chicane Cameron locked up which sent Le into a spin, dropping them both out of the points.
Back in front, Freddie Slater lead home Evan Giltaire to take his second win of the weekend as Jesse Carrasquedo rounded out the podium in third.
With a double pole and double win in round one, 16-year-old Slater finds himself with an early lead in the standings heading into round two this week with his sights set firmly on the title before he, and many other drivers on this grid, head to Europe to compete in the Formula Regional European Championship later this year.
Standings:
| Standings | Drivers | Teams | Points |
| P1 | Freddie Slater | Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited | 74 |
| P2 | Evan Giltaire | ART Grand Prix | 48 |
| P3 | Theophile Naël | Pinnacle Motorsport | 43 |
| P4 | Brando Badoer | R-ace GP | 37 |
| P5 | Kanato Le | Saintéloc Racing | 34 |
Other News
Speaking of double pole and double win, that’s exactly what Redbull junior Arvid Lindblad did in this weekend in the Formula Regional Oceania Championship. The 17-year-old won race 1 and 3, and went from eighth to the podium in race 2 as he continues his seemingly unstoppable march towards the title.
While it might seem unusual for a driver who will be making his Formula 2 debut in a few months to still be racing at this level, this is a crucial championship for Lindblad, as it will help provide the necessary number of super licence points for him to be eligible to race in F1 next year.
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