Finlay McSporran
Published: 15:45, 5th May 2025
Round one of this years Formula Regional European Championship got underway last weekend at the Misano circuit in Italy, a new venue for the series.
A double podium for Evan Giltaire and Matteo De Palo sees them become the early title contenders.
Race 1
The action got underway on Saturday with qualifying for race one, and it was Freddie Slater who claimed pole position ahead of Matteo De Palo, with Giltaire starting in fourth.
By the end of the first lap however Giltaire was already up into second, as slater was spun round by Jin Nakamura dropping him right to the back of the order.
After the safety car De Palo disappeared down the road, leaving Giltaire and Al Dhaheri to battle for second, with the French driver just holding on, crossing the line 0.2 seconds ahead of Al Dhaheri in third!
A home win for De Palo also gave Trident their first even win in the series.
Race 2
Qualifying on Sunday saw Giltaire on pole, with his Formula Regional Middle-Eastern rival Freddie Slater alongside him in second with De Palo in third.
A clean start for the top three saw them hold position on lap one, as the field made their way through the opening laps unscathed. That was until lap seven when Giovanni Maschio lost control at the final corner and spun into the barriers, bringing out the first safety car.
The second came a few laps later when Dion Gowda lost control of his Van Amersfoort and cut the corner, which saw him collect Akshay Bohr and Al Dhaheri as he came back onto the track, taking all three of them out the points.
The final safety car came after a spin from Tim Gerhards, which resulted in a two-lap shoot-out for the win, as Giltaire fended off Slater to win the second race of the weekend.
With De Palo in third, this victory saw Giltaire take an early lead of the drivers standings by just three points, a great start to season for the Frenchman, having already claimed the Formula Regional Middle-Eastern title earlier this year.
But it wont be easy for him, as there were plenty of other drivers who stood out this weekend, with Matteo De Palo, Freddie Slater and Rashid Al Dhaheri all marking themselves out as potential title challengers.
The series returns for round two at the iconic Spa Francorchamps circuit on the 16th of May.
Standings:
1 – Giltaire (43)
2 – De Palo (40)
3 – Clerot (22)
4 – Slater (18)
5- Al Dhaheri (15)
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