The 2025 Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA) reached its midpoint with Round 5 at Circuit Paul Ricard. Heading into the weekend, the championship picture was delicately balanced between Matteo De Palo and Freddie Slater. De Palo, representing Trident Motorsport, held the advantage by four points, sitting on 122 thanks to his measured consistency across the opening rounds. His maiden pole position and second career victory at the Hungaroring had confirmed him as a serious title challenger, built not only on outright pace but also on maturity in race management.
Slater, however, had his own claim to superiority. The British driver had won more races than anyone else in 2025, three in total before arriving in France, and responded decisively in Hungary with a dominant Race 2 performance. He entered Paul Ricard on 118 points, confident of overturning the deficit.
Behind the front pair, the fight remained equally intense. Enzo Deligny was third in the standings on 90 points, though his momentum had been disrupted by a post-race disqualification in Budapest. Pedro Clerot was not far behind on 84, while Evan Giltaire remained within striking distance on 83. The stage was set for another decisive weekend.
Collective Test 1: Deligny delights at home
The opening Collective Test at Paul Ricard unfolded in warm and dry conditions, providing drivers with a valuable opportunity to refine their setups ahead of qualifying. Frenchman Enzo Deligny seized the spotlight by topping the timesheets with a 1:58.862, immediately sending a message that he would be a threat on home soil. His lap came during a session where margins were razor-thin, with 12 drivers separated by less than one second.
Freddie Slater underlined his trademark consistency by clocking the second fastest time, only 0.094 seconds behind Deligny. Meanwhile, Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi produced one of his best performances of the season, taking third for Trident Motorsport and finishing just 0.112 seconds adrift of the leader. The Thai driver’s progress was a key talking point in the paddock.
Nikita Bedrin impressed with fourth for Saintéloc Racing, while ART’s Taito Kato completed the top five. Rashid Al Dhaheri placed sixth for Prema, keeping himself within range of the leading pack. Further back, championship leader Matteo De Palo struggled for rhythm and finished only 12th, a reminder that the margins for error in FRECA are slim. Among the rookies, Belgian newcomer Ean Eyckmans made an impression, finishing 14th overall and leading the rookie classification.
Collective Test 2: Slater takes control
The second Collective Test of the day saw a shift in momentum as Freddie Slater asserted himself. The Prema Racing driver wasted little time in setting the benchmark, recording a lap of 1:57.782. His time was nearly a second faster than the morning benchmark and confirmed that Prema had unlocked the pace required for qualifying.
Matteo De Palo responded well, closing to within 0.361 seconds of Slater. Though not the fastest, his run demonstrated that Trident had the performance to fight at the front. Rashid Al Dhaheri continued to impress, carrying over his form from earlier rounds to secure third with a 1:58.304. His performance reinforced Prema’s depth, showing that the team could rely on multiple drivers to challenge at the sharp end.
Behind them, Evan Giltaire finished fourth for ART Grand Prix, with Enzo Deligny placing fifth in front of his home crowd. Jack Beeton delivered a strong performance in sixth, ahead of ART’s Taito Kato. Rookie Eyckmans once again caught attention with eighth overall, the best of the newcomers and a strong sign of adaptation to the FRECA machinery. Yamakoshi and Pin rounded out the top ten in a session that highlighted the strength in depth across the grid.
Qualifying 1: A tale of two groups
Qualifying for Race 1 was marked by mixed conditions that split the field’s fortunes. Group A was unlucky, as rain arrived just five minutes into their session, forcing drivers to adapt quickly to a slippery circuit. Matteo De Palo initially set the benchmark and, despite a red flag stoppage following an incident for Zachary David, reclaimed the top spot late on with a 1:59.332. His time was enough to head the group ahead of CL Motorsport’s Michael Belov, while ART teammates Taito Kato and Evan Giltaire slotted in behind. R-ace GP’s Jin Nakamura rounded out the top five, narrowly beating his teammate Enzo Deligny.
In Group B, conditions were more stable. Freddie Slater capitalised, delivering a commanding performance with a 1:57.351 to secure his third pole of the season. The Briton’s pace was unmatchable, setting him up perfectly for Race 1. Akshay Bohra impressed with a strong lap that secured him a second-row start, alongside Pedro Clerot. Teammates Yamakoshi and Bedrin followed close behind, with Kanato Le also showing speed. The outcome highlighted the fine margins of FRECA qualifying, where the timing of weather changes can make or break a session.
Race 1: Slater flawless from pole
Race 1 produced a near-perfect display from Freddie Slater. Starting from pole position, he executed a clean launch and quickly built a buffer, controlling the race with authority. At mid-distance, he set the fastest lap, underscoring his dominance. By the chequered flag, he had secured his fourth victory of the season, enough to wrestle back the championship lead by three points.
Matteo De Palo kept his rival honest, holding second throughout the race. Though he lacked the outright pace to challenge Slater directly, his ability to secure valuable points showed the resilience of his title bid. The final step of the podium went to Taito Kato, who impressed with a well-managed drive from fourth on the grid, climbing steadily to third.
Akshay Bohra delivered another consistent showing in fourth, underlining his development this season. Behind him, Pedro Clerot fended off his VAR teammate Hiyu Yamakoshi to secure fifth.
French rivals Enzo Deligny and Evan Giltaire fought hard but finished only seventh and ninth respectively, with Nakamura splitting them in eighth. Beeton took tenth, while Dion Gowda once again proved himself the class of the rookies, collecting another Rookie Trophy to extend his dominance in that classification.
Qualifying 2: Fine margins decide
Qualifying 2 saw dry and stable conditions, producing a fascinating head-to-head battle between Slater, De Palo, and Al Dhaheri.
In Group B, Slater was untouchable once again, stopping the clock at 1:57.440. His lap was clean, aggressive, and ultimately decisive, giving him provisional pole. Pedro Clerot ran him closest, missing out by just 0.173 seconds, while Akshay Bohra confirmed his rising form with third in the group. Kanato Le and Yamakoshi also impressed, both firmly in the top five.
Group A provided a dramatic conclusion, as Rashid Al Dhaheri narrowly edged Matteo De Palo by 0.018 seconds. His 1:57.494 represented his strongest performance of the season to date and put him alongside Slater on the front row for Race 2. Deligny, Giltaire, and Nakamura followed in close succession, ensuring another French presence in the leading positions. Rookie Ean Eyckmans delivered another promising run, finishing eighth in the group.
Slater’s time, however, remained the fastest overall, granting him a fourth pole of 2025 and his second of the weekend. The result underlined his growing control of the championship narrative.
Race 2: Double triumph for Slater
Slater completed a perfect weekend at Paul Ricard with a commanding victory in Race 2. Leading from lights out to the flag, he controlled the pace with clinical precision and never looked threatened. It was his second win of the weekend, fifth overall, and a clear statement of intent in the championship.
Prema enjoyed a dream result as Rashid Al Dhaheri backed up his qualifying speed with second place, sealing a one-two finish for the team. Akshay Bohra added further variety to the podium, climbing from fifth on the grid to third after making decisive moves early in the race.
Behind them, Pedro Clerot finished fourth, though his race was clouded by contact with Enzo Deligny that forced the Frenchman to fall down the order. Another incident, involving Doriane Pin and Giovanni Maschio, brought out the red flag, though both drivers escaped unharmed.
De Palo endured a mixed afternoon. After slipping back in the early laps, he recovered to battle Evan Giltaire, though both were penalised post-race for overtakes completed outside track limits. The shuffle promoted Nakamura to fifth, with De Palo sixth and Giltaire seventh. Bedrin, Bhirombhakdi, and Deligny completed the top ten.
Looking ahead to Imola
The series now heads to Imola on 2–3 August for Round 6, one of the most historic and demanding circuits on the calendar. The Italian venue, famous for hosting Formula 1, will once again test the mettle of the drivers with its flowing corners, elevation changes, and unforgiving kerbs.
For Slater, the challenge will be to maintain momentum and further extend his lead, while De Palo will look to strike back on home soil in front of his supporters. Clerot, Deligny, and Giltaire remain well positioned to capitalise should either title contender falter, while rookies such as Eyckmans and Gowda continue to grow in confidence.
As the season enters its second half, every session will count, and the championship battle promises to intensify further.
Drivers’ standings after Round 5 (Paul Ricard) of the 2025 FRECA
- Freddie Slater – 178 points
- Matteo De Palo – 148 points
- Pedro Clerot – 106 points
- Enzo Deligny – 97 points
- Evan Giltaire – 91 points
- Hiyu Yamakoshi – 78 points
- Rashid Al Dhaheri – 75 points
- Akshay Bohra – 68 points
- Taito Kato – 47 points
- Jin Nakamura – 31 points
- Jack Beeton – 22 points
- Kanato Le – 22 points
- Nikita Bedrin – 21 points
- Dion Gowda – 18 points
- Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi – 8 points
- Michael Belov – 6 points
- Giovanni Maschio – 4 points
Teams’ standings after Round 5 (Paul Ricard) of the 2025 FRECA
- Prema Racing – 259 points
- Van Amersfoort Racing – 194 points
- R-ace GP – 189 points
- ART Grand Prix – 157 points
- Trident – 156 points
- Saintéloc Racing – 21 points
- CL Motorsport – 6 points
- RPM – 4 points
