For one last time, ACI Sport and Alpine will join forces to bring the 2025 season of the Formula Regional European Championship, colloquially known as FRECA, to life. After a sizable proportion of last year’s grid, including reigning champion Rafael Câmara, stepped up to F3, some new protagonists such as Freddie Slater will take centre stage. Feeder Series tells you all you need to know about the 2025 season.

By Francesca Brusa

Ever since its conception, the Formula Regional European Championship has been an established proving ground in the junior single-seater ladder, hosting some of the fastest drivers from all over the world. Of the 41 racers racing under 20 different licences in 2024, 11 now compete in F3.

Since ACI Sport and Alpine announced their split in early April, intended for the end of this year’s campaign, the future of regional-level racing in Europe has been uncertain. However, these circumstances do not take away from the level of the 2025 edition’s grid, which promises to bring some exciting competition to the championship starting from round one in Misano. 

The calendar

Traditionally, the opening round of FR Europe has always taken place in Italy – the only exception being last year, when the Hockenheimring did the honours. The 2025 season will be no different, with the first weekend of racing taking place at Misano, a track where the series hasn’t competed since 2020. To make room for this new entry, the Mugello round has been removed from the series’ calendar for the first time.

The rest of the calendar consists of rounds on circuits that have hosted F1 grands prix, including seven on the current calendar. The season will wrap up at the home of the Italian Grand Prix in Monza on the last weekend of October. 

• Round 1: Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli (2–4 May)
• Round 2: Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (16–18 May)
• Round 3: Circuit Zandvoort (6–8 June)
• Round 4: Hungaroring (4–6 July)
• Round 5: Circuit Paul Ricard (18–20 July)
• Round 6: Imola Circuit (1–3 August)
• Round 7: Red Bull Ring (5–7 September)
• Round 8: Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya (19–21 September)
• Round 9: Hockenheimring (3–5 October)
• Round 10: Monza Circuit (24–26 October)

The format

The FR Europe weekend starts on Friday with two 50-minute long collective test sessions, during which both the teams and the drivers get to grips with the track. 

The real excitement, however, begins on Saturday. Qualifying is divided in two groups, A or B, to which drivers are assigned based on championship position. The faster of the two groups earns the odd-numbered places for the race in the afternoon, while the slower group’s members fill in the even-numbered grid spots.

This procedure is repeated on Sunday, with an inversion in order for the two qualifying groups to mitigate the advantage of having better track conditions in later groups.

Races are held in the afternoon and last 30 minutes plus one lap. 

The championship follows F1’s points system, with the winner earning 25 and the remainder of the top 10 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 and 1 points in descending order. No points are awarded for pole position or fastest lap. 

Where to watch

All qualifying sessions and races are available to watch for free on the championship’s YouTube channel. Collective tests have no video coverage and can only be followed via live timing.

Teams and drivers

Prema Racing

After having snatched both the teams’ and the drivers’ title in 2024, Prema Racing have enjoyed many testing sessions in the winter to prepare their brand-new line-up as well as possible.

The first racer announced at the reigning teams’ champions was Freddie Slater (#27) in October. Despite being only in his third year in single-seaters, the Stratford-upon-Avon–born driver has already achieved a lot. In 2024, he claimed both the F4 UAE and the Italian F4 titles and finished second in Euro 4, with a total of 19 wins and seven further podiums across the three series. Earlier this year, the British driver made his debut in regional-level racing by taking part in FR Middle East, in which he clinched the runner-up spot with four wins and one further podium. Slater, 16, also made a cameo appearance in the Bahrain F3 round and finished second in the sprint race on debut. 

Also joining the Grisignano di Zocco–based squad is Australia’s Jack Beeton (#45). The 2023 F4 SEA champion is no stranger to racing in Europe, as this will be his third year racing in the Northern Hemisphere. Last year, Beeton competed in Italian F4, in which he earned the runner-up title with one win and nine further podiums, and stood on the rostrum in Euro 4, F4 UAE and the Formula Winter Series. The 17-year-old also participated in the 2025 FR Middle East season, during which he bagged one win and one further podium.

Continuing his now three-year-long journey with Prema Racing in single-seaters will be Rashid Al Dhaheri (#14). The Emirati racer has completed two seasons in Italian F4 and finished both 10th in the drivers’ championship. Over the winter, Al Dhaheri took part in Formula Trophy UAE, in which he claimed the runner-up spot despite missing the last round, and FR Middle East, in which he scored three podiums and came sixth in the standings. Shortly after the Middle Eastern season ended, the 17-year-old was announced to have joined the Mercedes Junior Team.

Fellow Mercedes junior Doriane Pin (#28) will drive the Italian outfit’s fourth car allocated for female drivers. Pin raced for the Prema-run Iron Dames squad last year and finished with a best result of 14th in race two at Le Castellet. Having finished as the F1 Academy runner-up in 2024 with three wins and five further podiums, the 21-year-old French driver is now in her second season in the all-female category and is currently second with one win, one further podium and 52 points to her name. She also contested two rounds of FR Middle East over the winter with Prema affiliate Mumbai Falcons.

R-ace GP

A promising first half of the 2024 FR Europe season elevated R-ace GP’s hopes and had the team eyeing at least the drivers’ title for Tuukka Taponen. The script was flipped, however, as Taponen fell behind Wharton in the second half of the season, and the Fontenay-le-Comte–based squad had to settle once again for the runner-up position. Will this be the year R-ace GP claims the crown after missing out for three years? 

The French outfit first chose to line up reigning Euro 4 champion Akshay Bohra (#31). Apart from taking that title with two wins and two further podiums, the New York City–born driver also participated in Italian F4 last year, finishing fourth in the standings with one win. Bohra, 18, got acquainted with the team in FR Middle East, in which he bagged one win and four further points finishes en route to 14th overall. 

Sticking with R-ace GP is Enzo Deligny (#23). The 17-year-old joined forces with the Fontenay-le-Comte–based squad in 2024, scoring nine points finishes and taking fourth and top rookie honours in the Macau Grand Prix in November. Earlier this year, after parting ways with the Red Bull Junior Team, the French-Chinese driver headed to FR Middle East, in which he claimed one win and two further podiums.

Jin Nakamura (#11), the last driver in the French team’s line-up, moves to Europe after having taken part in several series in his homeland. The 19-year-old clinched the runner-up position in Japanese F4 in 2023 with three wins and six further podiums to his name and came fourth in Super Formula Lights in 2024, scoring one win and seven further podiums. Throughout the winter, the Chiba native competed in the Middle East, where he collected one win and one further podium along the way. 

Van Amersfoort Racing

A one-point deficit to R-ace GP meant that Van Amersfoort Racing had to be content with a third-place finish in the teams’ championship in 2024. The Dutch squad, however, did so even without a race win – the only team in the top five to boast such a record. 

Back in orange for his sophomore year in the series will be Pedro Clerot (#22). The 18-year-old Brazilian racer had his fair shot in FR Europe last year, claiming two podiums and three further top-five results en route to eighth in the standings. He will be the second highest-placed driver returning to the championship in 2025.

Sticking with Van Amersfoort but making a step up on the F1 ladder is Hiyu Yamakoshi (#6). In 2024, the 18-year-old competed in both Italian F4 and Euro 4 with the Zeewolde-based team, bringing home a total of four wins and seven further podiums across the two series. Earlier this year, the Tokyo native participated in selected rounds of FR Middle East, scoring points on five occasions.

Rounding out the Dutch outfit’s line-up is a new entity for the team in Dion Gowda (#55). Last year, the 17-year-old Indian racer took part in Italian F4 with Prema and clinched two podiums and nine further points finishes. He also raced in F4 UAE and Euro 4, finishing 11th in the former and 14th in the latter.

ART Grand Prix

With a total of 292 points, ART Grand Prix were the first team outside the top three in FR Europe in 2024 despite taking victory on three different occasions. The season, however, marked a turning point for the French outfit, who endured a difficult campaign with no wins in 2023 that put them eighth in the standings.

Eighteen-year-old Evan Giltaire (#95) is the highest-placed driver returning to the series in 2025, making him a strong candidate for the title. In 2024, the French racer achieved one win during race two at Hockenheim and one further podium at the Red Bull Ring in race two. This winter, Giltaire became FR  champion in the Middle East courtesy of three wins and five further podiums. Will he be able to bring the fight to the main series? 

Joining the Villeneuve-la-Guyard–based squad this year is 17-year-old Taito Kato (#89). The 2024 French F4 champion, who clinched the title with five wins and seven further podiums, got to know his new team by participating in the FR Middle East earlier this year and claimed one podium en route to 12th overall. 

Returning to the series for his sophomore season is Kanato Le (#19), likewise 17. The Japanese driver joined forces with G4 Racing last year and gave the team their only podium of the campaign at a rainy Le Castellet. Just like his teammates, Le flew over to the Middle East this winter to gain more mileage in the FR car and came out on top in the second race of the championship.

Saintéloc Racing

Towards the end of the season, Saintéloc Racing enjoyed the FR Europe spotlight in a way they weren’t quite used to. Despite the 130-point gulf that separated them from ART, the French outfit showed improvement from 2023 and even claimed a win and a pole position at the eighth round in Spielberg thanks to Théophile Naël. 

For 2025, Saintéloc welcome a brand-new driver line-up, the first member of which is 17-year-old Tim Gerhards (#50). The Dutch racer made his single-seater debut last year and competed in selected rounds of FWS as well as Spanish F4, in which he finished in the points three times as the only point scorer for Monlau Motorsport.

Alongside Gerhards, Yaroslav Veselaho (#96) will race in blue and white this year. The Ukrainian driver, 20, will make a comeback to the European championship for a sophomore season after his first campaign with ART Grand Prix last year saw him score a best result of 20th in race two at Imola.

Rounding out the Saint-Étienne–based squad’s line-up is ex-F3 driver Nikita Bedrin (#10), who contested two partial seasons in FR Europe in 2023 with Monolite and Van Amersfoort and 2024 with MP. In 2023 in F3, he brought home two podiums for Jenzer Motorsport as a rookie, and the year after, he even achieved one win at the Hungaroring for AIX Racing, their first in the series. This past March, the 19-year-old joined forces once more with the Emirati-German team for the season-opening Melbourne F3 round, finishing sixth and fourth in the two races despite having never tested the new F3 car. Bedrin got to know Saintéloc during the winter by participating in the final two FR Middle East rounds, winning once and stepping on the podium a further three times. 

RPM

For the first time since they entered the championship, RPM claimed a title win thanks to Noah Strømsted, who was crowned rookie champion. Spearheaded by the Mercedes junior, the Italian-based, Irish-owned squad climbed to sixth in the teams’ standings with 122 points to their name.

Sticking with RPM for his third campaign in FR Europe is Giovanni Maschio (#99). Over his years in the series, the Italian driver, 18, achieved one top-10 result in race two at Le Castellet last year. This winter, Maschio took part in selected rounds of the FR Middle East, with a best result of 12th to earn an additional point. 

Nineteen-year-old Enzo Peugeot (#74) will make the switch to the Piacenza-based team in 2025. The French racer competed in the series last year with Saintéloc Racing, bringing home 10 point-awarding results. In 2023, Peugeot claimed the runner-up position in French F4 with seven wins and six further podiums.

Lastly, stepping up from F4 will be Enzo Yeh (#21). In 2024, the Taiwanese driver scored six times in F4 UAE with a best finish of third at Yas Marina, but he only bagged one points finish across the Italian F4 and Euro 4. Earlier this year, 18-year-old Yeh made his debut in regional-level racing by participating in the FR Oceania championship, in which he scored points in every race to come 11th in the standings. 

Trident

Despite having a promising line-up, Trident failed to reach their full potential last year and had to settle for seventh place in the teams’ championship and 84 points, the fewest points they have scored in an FR Europe season. This year, the Milan-based squad will hope to bounce back with an all-new line-up. 

Staying in Europe for a second season in blue is Ruiqi Liu (#5). The Chinese driver, who is set to begin studies at New York University later this year, returns to the championship after claiming two top-10 results in his campaign last year. Throughout the winter, Liu competed in the FR Middle East, in which he scored points on two occasions. 

Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi (#7) is the second racer to fill a seat at the Italian outfit. Just like his teammate Liu, the Thai driver will also contest a second campaign in FR Europe. In 2024, the 18-year-old partnered with KIC Motorsport and achieved a best finishing position of 12th.

Rounding out the line-up at Trident is Matteo De Palo (#8). The Rome native kicks off his sophomore season in the championship after bagging six points finishes last year in Saintéloc colours. The 17-year-old Italian also participated in the last two rounds of FR Middle East earlier this year, finishing in the points once. 

G4 Racing

G4 Racing collected only a handful of points last year, all in the final part of the season, thanks to Le. With the 17-year-old now racing for ART, the Swiss-owned, Spanish-based team have opted for a completely renewed line-up.

The first driver announced is Édouard Borgna (#2), who will join the 2025 FR Europe grid as a rookie. The Neuilly-sur-Seine–born driver, 20, competed in the French F4 championship in the last two years, claiming a single point in 2024, and took part in FWS that winter as well.

Joining G4 for the opening round of campaign is Arthur Aegerter (#3). The 17-year-old became involved with the Barcelona-based squad during pre-season testing at Paul Ricard. In 2024, Aegerter competed in the Ultimate Cup Series, taking a class win in FRenault 2.0 class and a best result of fourth in the F3R class. 

Kacper Sztuka (#35) is also set to make a cameo appearance in FR Europe’s first round of 2025. The 2023 Italian F4 champion contested the F3 season last year, collecting points only in the sprint race at Imola. Sztuka, 19, participated in the Eurocup-3 Spanish Winter Championship earlier this year with Campos Racing – claiming one podium and three further points finishes – and will kick off his main campaign in Eurocup-3 in May. 

CL Motorsport

As FR Europe says goodbye to two teams that animated last year’s grid, it welcomes a new one for 2025: CL Motorsport. The Chinese-run, Italian-based squad will take over MP Motorsport’s assets and debut in the series after a three-year-in-the-making preparation.

CL Motorsport originally signed the experienced Zachary David (#20) for his sophomore season in the championship, though there have since been reports that he is not contesting the campaign in full. In 2024, the Filipino racer partnered with R-ace GP and bagged one podium and seven further points finishes. Earlier that year, he also participated in the FR Middle East, in which he achieved four podiums and seven further points finishes to end up fourth in the drivers’ standings.

Stepping in for the 17-year-old for the first round of the FR Europe campaign is Valerio Rinicella (#12). The Rome native, 18, competed in the championship last year with MP Motorsport, claiming two sixth places. He also took part in the 2024 Macau Grand Prix, finishing 11th in the main race. Rinicella continued with MP in the Eurocup-3 Spanish Winter Championship, in which he scored one win and two further podiums, but his more notable achievement over the winter was winning the Asian Le Mans Series’ LMP2 class title in his maiden endurance racing campaign.

Macéo Capietto is expected to join the championship with CL Motorsport for round two at Spa and the last four rounds of the season after participating in pre-season testing with the team. The 19-year-old completed two full campaigns in the series in 2022 and 2023, claiming one podium and 20 total points finishes en route to 22nd and eighth overall respectively. Capietto is also set to compete in the European Le Mans Series in the LMP2 class this year, continuing on a path he embarked on in 2024. 

Akcel GP

As was announced in March, Akcel GP are joining the FR Europe grid in 2025. The UAE-based squad made their debut in the international motorsport landscape earlier this year by participating in FR and F4 Middle East in partnership with PHM Racing.

Akcel GP are fielding Aditya Kulkarni (#15) as their first driver. This winter, the Indian racer joined forces with the team for his Formula Regional Middle East campaign, with two best results of11th. In 2023, Kulkarni raced in GB4, claiming four podiums to come fifth in the standings. Last year, he moved up to GB3 with Hillspeed and ended up 19th in the championship. 

Also joining the series’ newest team is Saqer Al Maousherji (#16). The Kuwaiti driver is set to make his FR debut this weekend after having raced in the 2024 F4 Saudi Arabian championship, in which he finished sixth with four podiums and nine further points scores. 

Header photo credit: Alex Galli