Freddie Slater has officially been crowned the 2025 Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine Champion following a decisive performance in Race 1 at Monza, the final round of the season organised by ACI Sport and Alpine Racing. The British driver adds his name to the prestigious list of past champions, joining Grégoire Saucy (2021), Dino Beganovic (2022), Andrea Kimi Antonelli (2023), and Rafael Camara (2024).
Driving for Prema Racing, Slater has delivered a remarkable campaign throughout the year, combining raw speed with consistency and racecraft. His title-winning season included victories at Spa-Francorchamps, Zandvoort, and the Hungaroring, along with a dominant double win at Paul Ricard. He also claimed wins in Race 1 at Hockenheim and today’s opening race at Monza, bringing his total number of wins to seven.
Throughout the season, the Prema Racing driver traded the top spot in the standings with Matteo De Palo (Trident Motorsport), who arrived at Monza just four points behind the British driver. However, in today’s race, De Palo finished eleventh, dashing his hopes of securing the crown. The Italian talent will now battle for second place overall with Enzo Deligny (R-ace GP), who was also among the championship contenders heading into the final round at the Temple of Speed.
A race full of twists and turns unfolded on track, starting with pole-sitter Evan Giltare (ART Grand Prix), who led from the start until two minutes from the end, when Freddie Slater made the decisive move to take the victory and secure the title. Giltare crossed the line in second, with Pedro Clerot completing the podium after a solid performance that saw the Van Amersfoort Racing driver hold third place all the way to the chequered flag.
Equally consistent was Taito Kato (ART Grand Prix), who finished just off the podium in fourth ahead of a determined Rashid Al Dhaheri (Prema Racing), who repeatedly challenged the Japanese driver for position. A strong race also for Nikita Bedrin, who claimed sixth for Saintéloc Racing, ahead of Enzo Deligny. The Frenchman was later handed a two-place penalty for overtaking under Safety Car conditions and was classified ninth.
Applause also goes to Dion Gowda (Van Amersfoort Racing), who secured a top-ten finish and, with it, the Rookie title. The two Trident Motorsport drivers, Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi and Ruiqi Liu, completed the points-scoring positions in eighth and tenth, respectively.
It was a challenging race for De Palo, who finished 11th. After a strong start that saw him gain four places to move up to fifth, the Italian was forced to pit for a new front wing following contact. From the back, he mounted an impressive recovery drive, but it was not enough to keep his championship hopes alive.
The race featured two safety car interventions: the first following a multi-car incident involving Jack Beeton, who was forced to retire, and the second after a three-car collision between James Egozi (Saintéloc Racing), Michael Belov (CL Motorsport) and Hiyu Yamakoshi (Van Amersfoort Racing).
Freddie Slater (Prema Racing)
“It’s an incredible feeling. This season has had so many ups and downs, so to come back and win the title like this is just amazing. Coming into the race, I knew there was only a slim chance we could take it today, so the goal was to score strong points, but when the opportunity came, I took it. I stayed patient, tried to read Evan, and made the move at the right moment, which was the championship-winning move.
It’s been a special journey with Prema. They’ve made me feel like part of the family since the very beginning, through F4 and now FRECA, winning multiple titles together. I’m incredibly grateful to René, to my engineer Vincent who’s been with me for two and a half years, and to everyone at the team for the hard work and trust they’ve shown in me. I also want to thank my family and everyone who’s supported me along the way. This one means a lot.”
Evan Giltare (ART Grand Prix)
“I’m happy with another podium, even if it’s not the result we wanted after starting from pole following an incredible qualifying this morning. We’ve been coming back strong lately, and hopefully tomorrow we can go one step higher and fight for the win in the last race of the season.
It was a tough race with all the safety cars, especially while leading. I struggled quite a bit towards the end with tyre degradation, but I managed to bring it home in P2, so overall I’m satisfied. We’ve learned a few things today that should help us in qualifying and in managing the tyres better for tomorrow’s race.”
Pedro Clerot (Van Amersfoort Racing)
“I’m happy to be back on the podium here at Monza. We didn’t quite have the pace to fight for the win today and I made a couple of small mistakes, but it’s still a strong result and we scored important points. Qualifying wasn’t ideal, but we know what to improve for tomorrow and I’m confident we can fight for another good result.
It’s also great to share this moment with Dion after he secured the Rookie title. We’ve had a great season together, and I’m really proud of the team for all the hard work they’ve done. They truly deserve it.”
Dion Gowda (Van Amersfoort Racing)
“It feels amazing to become Rookie Champion. It’s been a season full of ups and downs, but we worked really well as a team and I’m grateful to end it like this. Starting from P19 today wasn’t ideal, especially after missing free practice for an exam, but it’s Monza, anything can happen. I just focused on moving forward and managed to fight up into the points, which was really satisfying.
Overall, it’s been a great season, and I want to thank Van Amersfoort Racing, my engineer Chris, my mechanics Guillaume and Elia, my sponsors, and my parents for all their support. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved together.”
With one more race remaining on Sunday, the championship finale will continue with the final qualifying session scheduled for 08:30 AM (CEST), broadcast live on ACI Sport TV (Sky channel 228) and on the official Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine YouTube channel.