Next weekend sees start of the new Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine season at Imola. In this article we take a look at the teams and their drivers, the season calendar, the race format of a weekend, the points system and pre-season testing. You'll also find out what my personal predictions are for the drivers and teams championships.
32 drivers from twelve different teams are set to compete for points, podiums and wins in the most competitive race series besides F2 & FIA F3 this year again. The only new team on the grid this season is the French squad of Saintéloc Racing, who have taken over the starting place from FA Racing. Defending champion of the team championship from last season are Prema Racing.
G4 Racing
Alessandro Giusti, TBA, TBA
So far, only one driver has been confirmed for the new season at the G4 Racing team. Potentially, two more drivers could join the team during the year. Alessandro Giusti is contesting his Formula Regional rookie year. The Frenchman has been racing in French Formula 4 in recent years. Last season, he won two races, stood on the podium eleven times and took the title in the drivers championship.
Trident
Roman Bilinski, Owen Tangavelou, Nikhil Bohra
The Italian Trident team enters its second Formula Regional season. Roman Bilinski was already racing with the team last year and finished the championship in 18th place. His highlight was a third place podium finish in the first race at Hungaroring. In the British GB3 Championship, the Pole managed to win three races in 2021. One of his teammates this season is Owen Tangavelou. The Frenchman is also entering his second Formula Regional season. Last year he started the championship with G4 Racing and finished it with the RPM team. His best result was a sixth place at the last race of the season in Mugello. The team is completed by Formula Regional rookie Nikhil Bohra. The American racer with Indian roots, who competes with a racing license from Singapore, was still racing in Formula 4 last year. With US Racing, he finished the Italian F4 Championship in 13th place. At the beginning of this year, he also competed in Formula Regional Middle East, where he won the second race in Dubai.
Arden Motorsport
Tom Lebbon, Joshua Dürksen, Levente Révész
The British Arden Motorsport team has two new and one familiar driver on the grid this year. Tom Lebbon competed in the GB3 championship last year. The Briton was able to win four races, stood on the podium once more and finished the championship in third place. In 2020, he won the Ginetta Junior Championship. Joshua Dürksen enters his second Formula Regional year with the team. The racer from Paraguay finished the championship in 14th place. Four times he finished sixth. In Formula Regional Middle East, he was on pole twice at the start of the year and took a podium finish in Kuwait. Levente Révész is also entering his second year in Formula Regional EU by Alpine. The Hungarian most recently raced with Van Amersfoort Racing and finished the championship in 28th place.
Prema Racing
Lorenzo Fluxá, Rafael Câmara, Andrea Kimi Antonelli
The defending champions from Prema Racing will be competing with a completely new driver lineup. Lorenzo Fluxá enters his second Formula Regional season after finishing last season with R-ace GP in 12th place on the podium. Earlier in the year, he also competed in Formula Regional Middle East, where he finished the championship in fourth place with three podiums. His two teammates are entering their first Formula Regional season. Rafael Câmara finished his Formula 4 Rookie season in third place in the Italian F4 and German ADAC F4. The Brazilian also contested Formula Regional Middle East, which he also finished third earlier in the year. The Ferrari Driver Academy member finished on the podium six times. Andrea Kimi Antonelli is the reigning ADAC F4, Italian F4 and Formula Regional Middle East champion. The Mercedes Junior won three races in the Middle East and finished on the podium a further four times. In addition, he took victory at the FIA Motorsport Games Formula 4 Cup for Italy in 2022.
ART Grand Prix
Charlie Wurz, Laurens van Hoepen, Marcus Amand
The French ART Grand Prix team has signed two new drivers compared to last year. One of them is Charlie Wurz. The son of former F1 driver Alex Wurz, is contesting his first year in Formula Regional. At the beginning of the year he was racing in New Zealand, where he won the Formula Regional Oceania. In the process, he won four races and was on the podium a further three times. In 2022, the Austrian also won a race in Italian F4 and finished the championship in fourth place. Laurens van Hoepen enters his second Formula Regional season with ART Grand Prix. The Dutchman finished the championship in 21st place and finished in the points in four races. Earlier this year he won the New Zealand Grand Prix in Formula Regional Oceania. And he finished the 2021 Ultimate Cup Series in third place overall. Marcus Amand completes the team this year. The Finnish-French dual national competed in Italian Formula 4 last year where he regularly finished in the points. With a podium finish in Misano, the Sauber Junior ended the championship in ninth place.
Van Amersfoort Racing
Joshua Dufek, Kas Haverkort, Niels Koolen
Van Amersfoort Racing enters the new Formula Regional season with three familiar faces. Joshua Dufek enters his second season with the team in the series. The British-born Austrian-Swiss racing driver of German descent finished last year's championship in ninth place, finishing on the podium three times. He also won a race with the VAR team in Italian Formula 4 in 2021. Kas Haverkort is entering his third season in Formula Regional EU by Alpine and is one of the co-favorites in the fight for the title. The Dutchman won two races last year and was on the podium a further three times. He finished the championship in a strong fifth place. In 2020, he won the Spanish Formula 4 Championship with 13 victories. Frits van Amersfoort's team is completed this year by Formula Regional rookie Niels Koolen. The Dutchman only contested one weekend in Spanish F4 last year and the final two race weekends in Italian F4.
MP Motorsport
Sami Meguetounif, Dilano van't Hoff, Victor Bernier
At MP Motorsport, only one driver was changed compared to last year. Sami Meguetounif enters his second Formula Regional season with the team. Last year, the Frenchman took a podium finish in the first race at Spa-Francorchamps and finished the championship in 16th place. Earlier in the year, he also competed in Formula Regional Middle East, winning a race in Kuwait and finishing on the podium another time in Abu Dhabi. Dilano van't Hoff is his teammate again this year. The Dutchman took third place in Barcelona last year, his best result in the championship so far. In addition, he also stood on the podium in the Formula Regional Middle East in Dubai earlier this year. In 2021 he won the Spanish Formula 4 with 10 race victories. The team is completed this year by Victor Bernier. This will also be the Frenchman's second year in Formula Regional EU by Alpine. With FA Racing by MP, he made it onto the podium in second place in the first race of the season finale at Mugello.
KIC Motorsport
Oleksandr Partyshev, Shannon Lugassy, Maya Weug
The Finnish team from KIC Motorsport is starting the new season with a completely new driver line-up. And all three drivers this year are Formula Regional Rookies. Oleksandr Partyshev contested several Formula 4 races in recent years. The Ukrainian finished 37th in Italian Formula 4 last season. Shannon Lugassy was competing in the Ultimate Cup Series last year. The 16-year-old Swiss finished the single seater championship as runner-up. Rounding out the team is Maya Weug. The Spanish-Dutch-Belgian triple citizen competed in Italian Formula 4 for two years after winning the inaugural "FIA Girls on Track" program. The Ferrari Driver Academy member regularly finished in the points last year and ended the championship in 14th place.
Monolite Racing
Enzo Scionti, Giovanni Maschio, TBA
At the Italian team of Monolite Racing, only two drivers have been officially signed so far. A third driver could therefore be added in the course of the season. One candidate for that seat is Kirill Smal who has been testing with the team pre-season. The Russian driver finished both, the 2021 Italian F4 and 2021 F4 UAE, championships in third place. Enzo Scionti is entering his first Formula Regional season. The year before last, the American competed in his only season in auto racing so far, taking part in the F4 UAE and Euroformula Open 2021. However, without achieving any significant results. His teammate this year is Giovanni Maschio, who raced in Italian Formula 4 last year. With AS Motorsport, the Italian finished the championship in 43rd place.
R-ace GP
Martinius Stenshorne, Tim Tramnitz, Matías Zagazeta
The French team from R-ace GP is entering the 2023 Formula Regional EU by Alpine season with three new drivers. Martinius Stenshorne is contesting his first year in the championship. Last year, the Norwegian competed with VAR in Italian F4, where he finished on the podium twice in third place and ended the championship in seventh. Tim Tramnitz is entering his second Formula Regional season after racing for Trident last year. The German took fourth in the second race at the Hungaroring, his best result to date, and finished the championship in 15th place. In 2021 he was runner-up in both the ADAC F4 and the Italian F4. The team is completed by Matías Zagazeta. The Peruvian competed in his first Formula Regional season last year with G4 Racing, but failed to score any points. In 2021, he won four races in the British F4, taking the title as runner-up.
Saintéloc Racing
Nicolás Baptiste, Emerson Fittipaldi Jr., TBA
The French group of Saintéloc Racing has so far only announced two drivers for the season. A third driver can therefore join the team at any time. One candidate for this seat is Lucas Medina. The Colombian competed with the team in the pre-season tests at Monza. He has been racing in the Mexican F4 NACAM in recent years. His Colombian compatriot Nicolás Baptiste already has his grid spot secured and is entering his second season in Formula Regional EU by Alpine. Last year he raced with FA Racing by MP, Saintéloc's predecessor team. His teammate is Emerson Fittipaldi Jr. The son of two-time F1 world champion Emerson Fittipaldi is contesting his first year in Formula Regional. Last season, he competed with VAR in Italian F4 and managed to finish in the points three times.
RPM
Santiago Ramos, Adam Fitzgerald, Macéo Capietto
The Italian Race Performance Motorsport team is contesting only its second season in Formula Regional EU by Alpine. Santiago Ramos joined the team for last year's season finale. The Mexican is contesting his second season in the championship after racing primarily with KIC Motorsport last year. During his Formula 4 days from 2019 to 2021, he made it into the points more often than not. Adam Fitzgerald enters his first Formula Regional season. Last year, he finished 14th in British F4. Earlier this year, the Irishman also competed in Formula Regional Oceania. Their teammate for this season is Macéo Capietto. The Frenchman is contesting his second year in Formula Regional EU by Alpine. With Monolite Racing, he recorded his best result to date as seventh in Mugello and finished the championship in 22nd place. In 2021 he finished third in the French F4 Championship.
As in previous seasons, 20 races spread over 10 weekends will take place in 2023 again. The season opener will be held at the Imola Circuit. The only new circuit on the calendar is the Hockenheimring, which replaces last season's support round at the Monaco Grand Prix. Therefore, the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine will no longer be on the support bill of a Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Round 1: Imola Circuit, Italy (22-23 April)
Round 2: Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Spain (20-21 May)
Round 3: Hungaroring, Hungary (17-18 June)
Round 4: Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium (30 June - 1 July)
Round 5: Mugello Circuit, Italy (8-9 July)
Round 6: Circuit Paul Ricard, France (22-23 July)
Round 7: Red Bull Ring, Austria (9-10 September)
Round 8: Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Italy (16-17 September)
Round 9: Circuit Zandvoort, Netherlands (14-15 October)
Round 10: Hockenheimring, Germany (21-22 October)
On every race weekend of the Formula Regional EU Championship by Alpine there will be two races of 30 minutes (+1 lap) duration each. The positions for the start formation will be determined for both races by two separate qualifying sessions. Due to the large starting grid, the qualifying sessions are divided into two groups each. Each group is on the road for 15 minutes. In addition, two practice sessions of 50 minutes each will be held on Friday.
Each Formula Regional EU by Alpine race will award points to the top ten classified drivers with 25, 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 and 1 points. Furthermore there are no extra points for pole positions or fastest race laps.
This year, the teams and drivers of Formula Regional EU by Alpine have already been able to test on three different tracks. In Barcelona, Paul Ricard and Monza they were on the road for two days each.
BARCELONA:
On the first day of testing at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, ART Grand Prix driver Laurens van Hoepen was fastest, closely followed by Giusti and Tramnitz. On the second day, the circuit gave significantly faster times. Tim Tramnitz set the best lap time ahead of Macéo Capietto and Roman Bilinski. By far the busiest driver over the two days was Oleksandr Partyshev with a total of 170 laps.
Day 1 & 2 Combined - Overall Results:
P1: Tim Tramnitz - R-ace GP / 1m35.613s
P2: Macéo Capietto - RPM / +0.072s
P3: Roman Bilinski - Trident / +0.111s
P4: Kas Haverkort - VAR / +0.118s
P5: Sami Meguetounif - MP Motorsport / +0.155s
P6: Andrea Kimi Antonelli - Prema / +0.278s
P7: Santiago Ramos - RPM / +0.284s
P8: Alessandro Giusti - G4 Racing / +0.290s
P9: Joshua Dufek - VAR / +0.311s
P10: Owen Tangavelou - Trident / +0.315s
LE CASTELLET:
In the second test at Circuit Paul Ricard, Macéo Capietto was the fastest driver of the first day. Behind him were the two Prema drivers Antonelli and Câmara. On the second day, Rafael Câmara then managed to burn an even faster time into the French asphalt. Antonelli and Tramnitz followed in second and third place. Martinius Stenshorne spent the most time on track, completing a total of 131 laps over two days.
Day 1 & 2 Combined - Overall Results:
P1: Rafael Câmara - Prema / 1m57.899s
P2: Macéo Capietto - RPM / +0.122s
P3: Andrea Kimi Antonelli - Prema / +0.143s
P4: Tim Tramnitz - R-ace GP / +0.250s
P5: Kas Haverkort - VAR / +0.256s
P6: Kirill Smal - Monolite Racing / +0.355s
P7: Martinius Stenshorne - R-ace GP / +0.360s
P8: Roman Bilinski - Trident / +0.395s
P9: Santiago Ramos - RPM / +0.398s
P10: Lorenzo Fluxá - Prema / +0.561s
MONZA:
Rafael Câmara already set the pace on monday in Monza. He finished the first day as fastest ahead of Tramnitz and Antonelli. On the second day he even improved his time. Only a wafer-thin +0.003s behind him was Andrea Kimi Antonelli in second place. Once again, Oleksandr Partyshev was the busiest driver over the two days, completing 136 laps.
Day 1 & 2 Combined - Overall Results:
P1: Rafael Câmara - Prema / 1m46.118s
P2: Andrea Kimi Antonelli - Prema / +0.003s
P3: Tim Tramnitz - R-ace GP / +0.275s
P4: Lorenzo Fluxá - Prema / +0.299s
P5: Kas Haverkort - VAR / +0.325s
P6: Macéo Capietto - RPM / +0.329s
P7: Kirill Smal - Monolite Racing / +0.366s
P8: Laurens van Hoepen - ART GP / +0.436s
P9: Santiago Ramos - RPM / +0.441s
P10: Roman Bilinski - Trident / +0.453s
Once again this season, I'm giving my personal prediction for the drivers and teams championships in Formula Regional EU by Alpine.
Drivers Championship
P1: Andrea Kimi Antonelli
P2: Rafael Câmara
P3: Kas Haverkort
P4: Tim Tramnitz
P5: Macéo Capietto
In the battle for the drivers championship, there are only two logical favorites. The Prema drivers Antonelli and Câmara will most likely decide the title between themselves. And I guess not only for me, Andrea Kimi Antonelli will be ahead in the end. Behind them I see drivers like Kas Haverkort, Tim Tramnitz, Macéo Capietto, Lorenzo Fluxá, Joshua Dürksen, Roman Bilinski, Joshua Dufek or Laurens van Hoepen competing for race wins and podium places. I am also looking forward to the performances of the rookies Alessandro Giusti, Tom Lebbon and Martinius Stenshorne. All three have already demonstrated their skills in recent years.
Teams Championship
P1: Prema Racing
P2: Van Amersfoort Racing
P3: R-ace GP
In the fight for team championship, I don't see any team that could pose a threat to Prema Racing this year. Behind them, however, the battle for the other places will be very interesting. Van Amersfoort Racing and R-ace GP will be battling it out for second and third place in my opinion. After that, there will be an exciting battle between teams like RPM, ART Grand Prix, Trident or MP Motorsport for the other places.
written by Claudio Graf / 12th April 2023