Italian talent Matteo De Palo stamped his authority on the 2025 Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA) at the Red Bull Ring, cruising to a dominant Race 1 victory as Round 7 continued in Spielberg. Having secured pole in the morning qualifying, the Trident driver converted his starting advantage into a flawless lights-to-flag win. Even a mid-race Safety Car, triggered by a multi-car collision, failed to unsettle his rhythm.
The incident involved Zhenrui Chi and Enea Frey of CL Motorsport, who both retired, while Giovanni Maschio (RPM), Al Maosherji (G4 Racing) and Jack Beeton (Prema) managed to continue. De Palo judged the restart to perfection and immediately rebuilt his advantage.
By the flag, the Italian’s gap was unchallenged, and the victory proved decisive in the title race. With championship leader Freddie Slater finishing outside the points, De Palo vaulted back into first place in the standings, now sitting on 195 points, nine clear of the Briton’s 186.
Speaking after the race, De Palo explained his approach: “We had really good pace. Starting from the front row, it was all about keeping the position. The start went very well, I managed a good launch with little wheelspin. It’s kind of easy for that to occur here, because there isn’t much rubber on the track. I built an advantage and then it was just about managing my pace, which was strong, and in the end we won with a good gap. We’re back in the lead now, and for sure it’s a big motivation for me. Tomorrow we need to try to do the same, to build a bigger gap from second in the championship.”
Bedrin holds off Deligny to claim P2
The most thrilling contest of the afternoon unfolded in the battle for second place. Akshay Bohra (R-ace GP) and Pedro Clerot (Van Amersfoort Racing) featured early, but the decisive duel was between Nikita Bedrin of Saintéloc Racing and Enzo Deligny of R-ace GP.
Bedrin launched aggressively, climbing two spots on the opening lap. He then seized his chance after the restart and defended brilliantly against Deligny’s late charge. The Russian secured P2, building on his Imola podium, while Deligny crossed the line third to further strengthen his third place in the championship.
Bedrin reflected on his performance after the race, saying, “I had a pretty good start and a really strong first lap, managing to gain two places. That was great, then after the Safety Car restart I saw an opportunity and went for it. I think we optimized everything we could in qualifying and in the race, and we got the best result possible today. I’m really happy with that. I defended well at the end and kept my P2. I couldn’t be happier with the race.”
Deligny, in P3, acknowledged the fight, saying, “It was a good race. This track is nice because overtaking is possible, it’s more open than some others. My start was not good, I dropped to fifth, but then I made two good passes to climb back to third. The pace was strong. I tried to pass Nikita, but he defended well. In the end, third place is still a good result.”
Clerot, Bohra and a charge from the Back
Pedro Clerot reclaimed fourth place in the closing laps, demoting Akshay Bohra to fifth. Behind them, Hiyu Yamakoshi (VAR) and Rashid Al Dhaheri (Prema) ran strongly to secure sixth and seventh.
The star of the midfield was Jin Nakamura of R-ace GP. Denied the chance to qualify, the Japanese driver started from the back and thrilled spectators with an overtaking masterclass. He climbed 20 places to finish eighth, securing a haul of points against all odds.
Evan Giltaire (ART) claimed ninth, while Ean Eyckmans (RPM) rounded out the top ten. The Belgian rookie impressed once more and earned the best rookie accolade of the race.
Championship picture
While the outcome of Race 1 remains provisional due to technical checks on Bedrin’s car, the overall narrative is clear: De Palo has seized back the initiative in the title race. With Slater struggling and Deligny continuing to score consistently, the momentum has shifted firmly towards Trident.
Race 2 will offer another opportunity for twists, but De Palo’s dominance at Spielberg has already reshaped the championship battle.
