The FIA Formula Regional European Championship weekend at Zandvoort got underway today with the two official collective tests. The Dutch venue welcomed all 30 drivers competing in the second round of the championship, with the field amassing a total of 1,343 laps throughout the day. Among them was Belgian newcomer Thomas Strauven, who missed the opening round at the Red Bull Ring and is making his championship debut this weekend with CL Motorsport.

MP Motorsport’s Sebastian Wheldon set the quickest time of the day, posting a 1:30.804 in the second session. The American edged out France’s Jules Roussel (CL Motorsport) by just 0.035 seconds. Dion Gowda secured third place for Van Amersfoort Racing, ahead of Alex Ninovic (Rodin Motorsport). Championship leader Reno Francot, making his first appearance at his home circuit, completed the top five in another CL Motorsport entry.

With lower track temperatures, despite the sunny conditions, it was Britain’s Reza Seewooruthun who topped the opening session of the day. The Rodin Motorsport driver set a best time of 1:31.726 to lead the field, with Van Amersfoort Racing’s Portuguese contender Francisco Macedo finishing just over a tenth of a second behind in second place. Ninovic was third, while Roussel ended the session fourth. Trident Motorsport’s Maksimilian Popov completed the top five.

Track action will resume tomorrow with two 50-minute Free Practice sessions. Saturday’s schedule features the first Qualifying session, with the drivers split into two groups, before the opening 30-minute race gets underway at 16:45. On Sunday, Qualifying 2 will set the grid for the second and final race of the weekend, which is also scheduled to start at 16:45. All qualifying sessions and races will be broadcast live on the official FIA Formula Regional European Championship YouTube channel, @fiaformularegionaleu.
 

Collective Test 1 | Collective Test 2