The second race of the weekend at Hockenheim brought chaos, drama, and strategy in equal measure as Enzo Deligny mastered treacherous changing conditions to take victory for R-ace GP. The 2025 Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA) title battle tightened further, with Matteo De Palo (Trident Motorsport) finishing second and Evan Giltaire (ART Grand Prix) rounding out the podium at Hockenheim.
Following Freddie Slater’s dominant win in Race 1, rain before the start of Race 2 ensured a completely different challenge. A delayed start, two safety cars, and a late red flag saw drivers juggling between slicks and wets on a slippery, uncertain circuit. In the end, Deligny’s poise and confidence secured his first win since early in the season, keeping his championship hopes alive.
Deligny delivers in the chaos
From the moment the lights went out, Deligny was in control. Having earned pole position by topping Group A in qualifying, he made a clean getaway, leading the field through the treacherous opening corners. Behind him, De Palo kept pressure in the early laps, but neither could afford to push too hard as the track switched unpredictably between damp and dry patches.
Reflecting on his race, Deligny said: “It was a challenging race with several unpredictable moments. On the formation lap it started to rain, so the start was delayed by six or seven minutes, which made things even trickier. At the start, being in the lead meant I had to go into every corner first without knowing the grip levels, so I had to be a bit cautious.”
The French-Chinese driver’s caution in the opening phase proved to be the key to his success. As the race settled, Deligny found rhythm and confidence, keeping De Palo at bay even as the Trident driver began to close the gap.
“Luckily, Matteo behind me wasn’t pushing too hard either, so I managed to stay safe and hold the position. We’ve shown all season that we have strong pace in both dry and wet conditions, and now we head to Monza. I think it’s the perfect track for a season finale.”
Deligny expects a close fight to the end
As rain began to intensify once again, the field bunched up under the safety car. With several drivers gambling on wet tyres, race control eventually deployed the red flag for safety reasons. That sealed Deligny’s victory — a reward for composure in adversity and a valuable haul of points in the championship chase.
“Matteo and Freddie are having a bit of a ‘Verstappen-Hamilton’ kind of battle, so I’ll be watching closely in case anything happens. We scored good points here and we’re still in the fight, so we’ll be ready. It’s also a great moment for the team. We’ve had strong performances over the past few rounds and now we’re fully focused on finishing the job in Monza.”
De Palo narrowly misses out, but closes the gap
For Matteo De Palo, Race 2 offered both satisfaction and frustration. Starting alongside Deligny on the front row after topping Group B in qualifying, the Italian looked determined to respond after Slater’s Race 1 victory. Yet, the shifting conditions made any aggressive move a gamble.
The Trident driver kept pace with Deligny throughout the opening stint, matching his rival’s times lap after lap. A safety-car restart briefly gave him a window to attack, but cooler tyre temperatures made it difficult to find grip, forcing him to settle into a rhythm.
“It wasn’t an easy race today, starting already from the pre-grid when the rain began to fall. Starting on slick tyres in those conditions, with such low temperatures, is always tricky. But I think both Enzo and I managed the opening phase really well. We pulled a good gap from the cars behind right from the first corners, and even had a bit of a battle on the opening lap before the safety car was deployed.”
When the race resumed, De Palo struggled to bring his tyres back up to temperature. Despite this, he continued to close in on Deligny in the final laps, ready to make a move for the lead — until worsening rain forced another safety car and ultimately the red flag.
“After a few laps behind the safety car, tyre temperatures dropped again and I struggled a bit on the restart. But then, once the tyres came back in, I was able to pick up the pace and started closing the gap to Enzo. Unfortunately, just as I was getting ready to attack, the safety car came out again and the race was eventually red-flagged.”
A thrilling Monza showdown awaits
The Italian’s disappointment was clear, knowing he had the pace to challenge for victory. Nevertheless, the podium finish narrows his deficit to championship leader Slater to just four points — setting up a thrilling Monza showdown.
“So, I didn’t get the opportunity to go for the win today, which is a shame, because I really think we had the pace to fight for it. Still, I’m happy with the result, and we now head to Monza just four points off the lead. I feel confident in what we can achieve together as a team, and we will give it everything in the final round to fight for the title.”
Giltaire back on the podium
Behind the leading pair, Evan Giltaire delivered one of his strongest weekends of the season. The ART Grand Prix driver followed up his fourth place in Race 1 with a podium in Race 2, capitalising on others’ mistakes and maintaining solid pace throughout the race’s changing conditions.
“I’m really happy to be back on the podium. It’s been quite a while since the last one! After Misano, it’s been a tough season, but we’ve come back strong here at a track I really like. We have great memories with ART in Hockenheim: this is where I took my first victory in FRECA last year.”
The Frenchman’s return to the rostrum marked a much-needed boost for both driver and team after several difficult rounds. Building on consistent performances across the weekend, Giltaire looked increasingly confident behind the wheel, rediscovering the pace that made him a race winner last year.
“Overall, it’s been a solid weekend, P4 yesterday and P3 today, even if I believe we had the potential to do even better. The car felt great, and it’s been a strong recovery after some difficult rounds. Now we head to Monza for the season finale. I want to finish this 2025 campaign on a high. We’ve found some good solutions over the past few weeks, and they’re starting to pay off. Now it’s up to me to maximise everything and aim to close out the year in the best possible way.”
Giltaire’s renewed form at Hockenheim signals momentum at just the right time, setting up ART Grand Prix for a strong finish to the FRECA season at Monza.
Gowda claims another Rookie Win
Once again, Dion Gowda impressed for Van Amersfoort Racing, finishing fifth overall and claiming Best Rookie honours for the second consecutive day. The Indian driver managed the difficult conditions with maturity well beyond his years.
“I’m happy to come away with a good result in such tricky conditions. It was a mix of dry and wet, so not easy at all. The team did a great job all weekend, and we definitely made some good progress. I’m already looking forward to the next round. It was a very unpredictable race. It started dry, then began raining just before the start. Lap one was already 50-50, then it dried again, started raining once more, and eventually the safety car came out. After that, it really got quite wet, so finishing under red flag was definitely the right decision.”
Championship battle heads to Monza
As the paddock prepares for the season finale at Monza, the championship picture remains razor-tight. Slater leads De Palo by just four points, with Deligny not far behind. The iconic Italian circuit will provide the perfect backdrop for the ultimate showdown — one that promises speed, strategy, and high-stakes drama.
