FRECA: Matteo De Palo sets the pace in friday’s opening test at Zandvoort

The Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine resumed action this morning at Zandvoort with the first Collective Test of the weekend. On a dry track and under steady winds sweeping across the Dutch circuit, championship leader Matteo De Palo topped the timesheets. The Trident driver posted the fastest lap of the session with a 1:30.856, once again showcasing his strong form and consistency so far this season.
 

As usual in the competitive FRECA field, margins were extremely close. The top eleven drivers were covered by less than one second, underlining the high level of performance across the grid. Pedro Clerot (Van Amersfoort Racing) was just 0.023s off the top time, with his teammate Dion Gowda completing the top three. Once again, Gowda emerged as the fastest rookie of the session, proving his excellent form and adaptability to the car.
 

Fourth went to Japan’s Jin Nakamura (R-ace GP), followed by Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi (Trident), Rashid Al Dhaheri (Prema Racing), and Nikita Bedrin (Saintéloc Racing), who continues to show consistency at the front. Enzo Deligny (R-ace GP), fresh off his win in Spa, ended up eighth, ahead of Freddie Slater (Prema Racing) and Ruiqi Liu (Trident). Enzo Peugeot (RPM) completed the top eleven, all within one second of the lead.
 

The international series will return to the track later this afternoon for the second Collective Test, set to get underway at 2:55 PM and run for 50 minutes.

Go to the results page.