The 2025 Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA) continued its weekend at the Red Bull Ring with the second qualifying session of Round 7 in Spielberg. The Austrian circuit, nestled in the Styrian hills, offered dry but cool conditions with the track temperature hovering around 16.2°C. With a GT session already completed earlier in the morning, the surface was in prime condition, allowing times to tumble from the opening laps.
The format saw the field split into two groups, with Group B running first and setting the benchmark for the day. This sequence would ultimately prove decisive for the fight over overall pole position.
Group B lays down the marker with Clerot on top
Group B was the first to take to the track, and the battle for supremacy unfolded rapidly as the circuit gripped up. Pedro Clerot of Van Amersfoort Racing quickly established himself as a front-runner, trading fastest times with ART Grand Prix’s Evan Giltaire and Prema Racing’s Rashid Al Dhaheri.
As the clock wound down, the intensity rose. Clerot reclaimed top spot with two minutes remaining, then delivered a final flying lap of 1:25.129 at the chequered flag — a lap that proved good enough for overall pole. The effort underlined not only his outright pace but also his ability to manage pressure in the closing stages.
Al Dhaheri slotted into second in the group, 0.249 seconds off Clerot’s benchmark. Giltaire and Prema’s Jack Beeton fought tooth and nail for third, the Frenchman securing it by a margin of just 0.001s. Behind them, Trident enjoyed a strong showing with Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi in fifth and championship leader Matteo De Palo sixth. Saintéloc Racing’s Nikita Bedrin claimed seventh, with Edu Robinson, Kanato Le and Enea Frey rounding out the top ten.
Clerot pleased with strong qualifying perforance
Clerot reflected on his strong session afterwards: “I’m very happy to finally put a good lap together this weekend. Since we arrived here, I realised we had a lot of pace, and the package was really strong. Yesterday in qualifying I made a mistake that cost the hundredth we needed for pole, and I also made a mistake in the race.“
“Today we bounced back with pole position, a very strong lap, even being in the ‘slower’ group. I just have to thank the team, we’ve done an amazing job all weekend, we were on top of everything we needed to do, and I could deliver in the end. It’s a very high-speed track, with heavy braking zones, and that suits us really well.”
“Like I told the team: when the car is this good, it makes my life a little bit easier. Yesterday I made a small mistake at the start; I learned from that. Matteo had a good start yesterday, so I’m aiming for the same and then to pull away. It won’t be easy, for sure, because everyone has been very quick… let’s see, I’m looking forward to it.”
Group A responds but Deligny misses out on pole
When Group A took to the track, the bar had been set high. Drivers wasted no time in exploiting the rapidly improving conditions. Prema Racing’s Freddie Slater was among the early leaders, pushing hard in an effort to recover the championship lead lost to De Palo after Race 1. However, several of Slater’s fastest laps were deleted due to track limits violations at Turns 9 and 10, disrupting his momentum. RPM’s Ean Eyckmans endured a similar fate after pushing the limits of the Red Bull Ring.
In the final minutes, the R-ace GP duo of Enzo Deligny and Jin Nakamura mounted late charges. Deligny emerged on top, posting a lap of 1:25.142 to secure the group pole. The Frenchman’s effort was just 0.013 seconds shy of Clerot’s overall best, a gap so slender it highlighted how finely balanced the competition has become. Nakamura claimed second in the group, with Slater recovering to third. Reno Francot delivered a strong performance for RPM in fourth, followed by Akshay Bohra in fifth.
Further back, Van Amersfoort Racing placed Hiyu Yamakoshi in sixth and Dion Gowda in seventh. Eyckmans ended up eighth after his earlier deletions, while Giovanni Maschio finished ninth despite a trip through the gravel in the dying moments. ART Grand Prix’s Taito Kato completed the top ten.
A “tricky session” for Deligny
Deligny summed up his feelings after the session: “It was a tricky session. The track was a lot faster than yesterday, and everyone improved. On the last lap I did quite a good lap, so I took pole in the group. Missing overall pole by so little is frustrating, but it’s still a good result. This is a track where it’s easy to make mistakes, especially on the braking. Not making mistakes on the last lap was key, and I was happy with it, we were just missing a tiny bit for pole. For sure I’ll try to win the race. We’ll see with the team what the best strategy is, but this is a track where you can overtake, even if it’s not on lap 1. I have strong race pace, and I’m confident we can move forward.”
A tantalising fight ahead
With Clerot and Deligny separated by just 0.013 seconds across their respective groups, the front row is set for a closely fought contest. Clerot’s determination to redeem mistakes from Saturday contrasts with Deligny’s hunger to convert his near miss into victory. Behind them, Al Dhaheri, Nakamura, and Slater will all be eager to seize any opportunity at the start, while De Palo looks to consolidate his new championship lead.
The Red Bull Ring has already provided drama, and the stage is set for another gripping race.
