PREMA Racing stormed to the team's first win of the year in round 2 of the 2025 Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine at Spa-Francorchamps, although incidents prevented the team from achieving more success with potential podiums slipping away.
After Qualifying 1 on Saturday was cancelled due to lengthy barrier repairs, the grid was set according to the Collective Test 1 results. Freddie Slater took off from pole and fought back to P1 after briefly losing the point early. The British racer then put up a brilliant run to deliver his maiden FRECA win. In Qualifying 2, featuring tricky improving conditions following early rain, Slater had a tough run and starting from the mid-pack, he was involved in a turn 1 contact that also collected teammate Doriane Pin.
Qualifying for Race 2 handed Rashid Al Dhaheri his first pole position in Formula Regional, to confirm the high potential he showed so far this season. Unfortunately, while he was fighting for the lead at Les Combes, he was hit by a competitor, which caused him to spin. He was coming from a solid points finish with P6 in Race 1.
Jack Beeton posted points finishes in both races. In Race 1, he fought back from the 11th place at the start to P8. The Australian had an amazing start following the tricky qualifying 2 in Race 2, and was laying in P7 when a small mistake in a hard-fighting pack demoted him to P11. He still secured the final point of the day in P10.
Making her first start in FRECA this season, Pin showcased impressive progress. In Race 1, she finished into the top-20 while in Qualifying 2, she fought for a potential top-10 overall spot. Starting from P13, he was involved in the opening contact and forced to retire.
The Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine will be back in early June at Zandvoort.
#14 Rashid Al Dhaheri
"It was a bit of an up-and-down event. The way it ended up was disappointing, but we need to take the positives. We did our first pole of the season, and we did a great job as a team in a very difficult session with changing conditions and tricky things to figure out. The pace in both races was quite strong, and we'll be ready for Zandvoort."
Qualifying 1: P12 CT1 Fastest lap: 2:11.645
Starting position Race 1: P12 Race 1: P6
Qualifying 2: P1 Gr.A Fastest lap: 2:10:981
Starting position Race 2: P1 Race 2: P11
#27 Freddie Slater
"Pretty tough weekend overall. It was obviously very good to get the win on Saturday, while Sunday was super tough. I think we didn't maximise the work in qualifying, and we need to analyse what went wrong to make sure we can master those situations when it's raining slightly. In Race 2, we had a mega start, but it ended so quickly, which was unfortunate. We will see what we can do in Zandvoort. The pace has been insanely good, but we didn't have the results to prove that, so hopefully we can deliver them there."
Qualifying 1: P1 CT1 Fastest lap: 2:11.031
Starting position Race 1: P1 Race 1: P1
Qualifying 1: P7 Gr.B Fastest lap: 2:16.209
Starting position Race 2: P14 Race 2: DNF
#28 Doriane Pin
"We made some good improvements, and I can take them for the next events. Obviously, we missed Misano, but I'm happy with my progression. Qualifying 2 was especially positive, even though I could have done better, but P13 overall is a good start. Unfortunately, Race 2 didn't go as planned, and we didn't do any laps. Looking forward to the next one, and to trying and qualify around the top-10, which would make things easier. We will continue working and make further steps."
Qualifying 1: P21 CT1 Fastest lap: 2:12.159
Starting position Race 1: P21 Race 1: 19
Qualifying 1: P7 Gr.A Fastest lap: 2:12.150
Starting position Race 2: P13 Race 2: DNF
#45 Jack Beeton
"A bit of a disappointing weekend. We came into it with good expectations, looking to build on Misano, but struggled a little bit. Qualifying 1 was cancelled, and we ended up starting race 1 in P11, a little lower than we expected, but we made a decent recovery to P8. Going into Sunday morning, we had high expectations, but the session was tricky with mixed conditions. I was fast initially, but after the red flag, I couldn't adapt as well as I could. I ended up sixth in the group and P11 overall. In Race 2, I was making good progress through the field, fighting for P5. I made a mistake in the fighting, losing a lot of positions, and finished in P10. An okay weekend, looking to bounce back in Zandvoort."
Qualifying 1: P11 CT1 Fastest lap: 2:11.617
Starting position Race 1: P11 Race 1: P8
Qualifying 1: P6 Gr.A Fastest lap: 2:12.106
Starting position Race 2: P11 Race 2: P10