The Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA) officially launched its seventh round of the 2025 season at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg. Nearly 30 drivers returned to the Styrian circuit for two collective tests, fine-tuning their cars ahead of a crucial weekend in the title battle. Enzo Deligny of R-ace GP dominated the morning, while Tim Gerhards of Saintéloc Racing stole the headlines in the afternoon. Both sessions delivered tight margins and constant changes at the top, confirming the Red Bull Ring’s reputation as one of the most competitive stops on the calendar.
Deligny strikes first in Collective Test 1
Drivers opened the day under cooler morning conditions after Thursday’s warm and sunny pre-event running. The forecast rain loomed for later in the afternoon, but the track remained dry for the first 50-minute session. From the outset, drivers traded fastest laps, with gaps often measured in thousandths of a second.
The closing minutes produced the sharpest improvements, as the field pushed for clear laps. Enzo Deligny once again proved decisive, stopping the clock at 1:25.837. The Frenchman, who had already topped the pre-event test, extended his form by leading both sessions held so far in Austria.
Pedro Clerot (Van Amersfoort Racing) pressed hard and briefly held first place before Deligny edged him by 0.121 seconds. Matteo De Palo (Trident Motorsport) slotted into third, just 0.137 off the benchmark, with championship leader Freddie Slater (Prema Racing) in fourth, 0.158 down.
Behind them, Evan Giltaire (ART Grand Prix) took fifth at 0.410, narrowly ahead of Jin Nakamura (R-ace GP), only six thousandths slower. Rashid Al Dhaheri (Prema Racing) posted seventh at 0.440, while ART’s Taito Kato finished eighth, 0.456 off the top. Nikita Bedrin (Saintéloc Racing) placed ninth, and Giovanni Maschio (RPM) closed the top ten at half a second behind Deligny.
Gerhards leads the way in Collective Test 2
Rain clouds threatened as the field returned for the afternoon’s second test. The 50-minute session mirrored the morning’s unpredictability, with the lead changing hands repeatedly before the chequered flag fell.
Tim Gerhards seized the moment for Saintéloc Racing, setting the pace at 1:27.100. The Dutchman secured the session by the narrowest of margins, underlining the remarkable competitiveness of the field.
Evan Giltaire again featured near the front, taking second only 0.031 seconds behind. Giovanni Maschio impressed with third for RPM at 0.078 off, while his debutant team-mate Reno Francot continued to shine by finishing fourth, just 0.128 adrift.
Freddie Slater posted fifth for Prema, 0.163 from the top, demonstrating consistency even if he could not match his morning form. Team-mate Alex Powell, making his FRECA debut and representing the Mercedes-AMG F1 Team Junior Programme, adapted rapidly to the Tatuus car and finished sixth, 0.250 away.
ART’s Taito Kato claimed seventh at 0.252, while Akshay Bohra (R-ace GP), Hiyu Yamakoshi (VAR), and Ean Eyckmans (RPM) completed the top ten. Incredibly, all three shared the same gap of 0.273 seconds to Gerhards.
Just outside the top ten, Deligny finished eleventh at 0.274, only a thousandth slower than the trio ahead. Despite missing the top ten in the afternoon, he remained the outright fastest driver of the day thanks to his morning benchmark.
Overall picture from Day 1
The combined picture from the two sessions reinforced just how finely balanced the field remains. Deligny demonstrated pace and consistency by topping both Thursday’s pre-event test and Friday morning’s running. Clerot, De Palo, and Slater all confirmed their speed at the sharp end, keeping the title fight alive.
Gerhards’ performance in the afternoon highlighted Saintéloc Racing’s potential, while Maschio and Francot ensured RPM featured prominently. Powell adapted quickly to FRECA machinery, signalling his ability to challenge established names after just a handful of laps.
With gaps consistently under two-tenths among the leading group and the top ten within half a second, the Red Bull Ring looks set to host another fiercely contested weekend.
