FRECA | 2025 Round 10 | Monza | Qualifying 2 | Slater edges out De Palo to secure his sixth pole position - Motorsport

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Freddie Slater topped Group A in the 2025 FRECA Monza Qualifying 2 session, with Matteo De Palo leading Group B. The result secured Slater’s sixth pole of the season and set the two rivals on the front row for Race 2, marking the 100th race in FRECA history.

In Saturday’s FRECA Race 1, the Championship was sealed for Prema Racing’s Freddie Slater, after his closest rival, Trident’s Matteo De Palo, struggled to move up the order and only managed P7 following a front-wing change after damaging it in the opening stages. With Sunday’s Monza Qualifying 2 session still to come, and Race 2 later this afternoon, there are still points on the table for the drivers to wrap up the 2025 FRECA season. Dion Gowda was also confirmed as the rookie champion of the 2025 FRECA season.

Today also marks the 100th race in FRECA history, ahead of the series moving to a new car specification next year.

De Palo dominates Group B

The first seven minutes of Group B’s session were spent with drivers trying to get heat into their tyres, mirroring Group A’s approach yesterday.

Dion Gowda was the first to set off on a flying lap, only to be quickly displaced by yesterday’s pole sitter, Evan Giltaire. With 3.5 minutes remaining, Matteo De Palo went fastest with a 1:44.683. Drivers continued pushing lap after lap as the track temperature rose, with no room for error, running wide meant not only losing a lap but also compromising the tyres’ temperature and condition.

Rookie Jan Przyrowski impressed in the session, sitting P3 for Group B with just one minute left on the clock. In the closing stages, the battle for the top spot boiled down to Giltaire and De Palo, with De Palo ultimately crossing the line fastest, bouncing back after a difficult performance yesterday.

Results for Group B in Qualifying 2

Matteo De Palo (1:44.407)
Evan Giltaire
Jan Przyrowski
Dion Gowda
Pedro Clerot
Jin Nakamura
Hiyu Yamakoshi
Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi
Ruiqi Liu
Kanato Le
James Egozi
Édouard Borgna
Yaroslav Vaselaho

Slater tops Group A and claims pole

Group A struggled to get heat into their tyres, reflecting the tricky conditions seen throughout Monza Qualifying this weekend. It wasn’t until less than seven minutes remained that drivers began putting competitive laps on the board.

Enzo Deligny was first to set off, followed closely by Slater, though Deligny crossed the line just a second behind Slater. Kato, Belov, and Bohra slotted in between the two. As drivers pushed, Slater went wide with a front-right lockup and became airborne over two kerbs, miraculously keeping his Prema Racing car intact and back on track.

Jack Beeton then improved on Slater’s previous time to move to P1, pushing Slater down to P6 as the session progressed. Deligny, Beeton, and Al Dhaheri will be investigated for failing to follow the race director’s instructions.

When the chequered flag fell, Slater surged back to the top, claiming overall pole position for the session, his sixth of the season.

Results for Group A in Qualifying 2

Freddie Slater (1:44.334)
James Beeton
Nikita Bedrin
Rashid Al Dhaheri
Edu Robinson
Taito Kato
Michael Belov
Akshay Bohra
Enzo Deligny
Giovanni Maschio
Tomass Štolcermanis
Enea Frey
Saqer Al Maosherji

Looking ahead to Race 2

Slater will line up alongside future teammate De Palo for Race 2. With Slater having already secured the 2025 FRECA Championship, De Palo will aim to win the race, or finish as close to Slater as possible, to claim the runner-up spot for the season. With Deligny starting further down the grid, De Palo will hope his main rival struggles to make his way through the field.