FRECA | 2025 Round 9 | Hockenheim | Collective Test 2 | De Palo strikes back; Slater P3 - Motorsport

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Matteo De Palo asserted himself in the second 2025 FRECA Collective Test at Hockenheim by taking the top spot in the classification with a 1:34.516. The Trident driver, who remains locked in a close championship battle with Freddie Slater, delivered a strong and consistent performance to outpace his rivals. Consequently, De Palo gained early momentum heading into the decisive stages of the weekend.

Clerot and Slater maintain pressure with Liu and Giltaire in pursuit

Directly behind De Palo, Pedro Clerot (1:34.770) of Van Amersfoort Racing continued his impressive showing by securing second place. His lap time once again underlined the pace of the Dutch outfit. Meanwhile, Freddie Slater (1:34.859) placed third for Prema Racing. Although he did not match his earlier pace from the opening session, Slater remained within striking distance. As a result, the title fight between Slater and De Palo stayed finely balanced.

Ruiqi Liu of Trident (1:34.897) produced one of his strongest showings of the season to claim fourth position, ensuring Trident placed two cars inside the top five. In addition, Evan Giltaire (1:34.924) of ART Grand Prix followed in fifth, confirming his ability to remain competitive at the sharp end of the grid. Therefore, both Liu and Giltaire highlighted their readiness to challenge the established front-runners.

Midfield competitors show strength

The midfield once again delivered close lap times and frequent position changes. Hiyu Yamakoshi (1:34.930) impressed for Van Amersfoort Racing in sixth, while Jin Nakamura (1:35.011) of R-ace GP followed in seventh. Taito Kato (1:35.021) secured eighth for ART Grand Prix, maintaining the team’s strong representation. Moreover, Nandhavud Bhirombhakdi (1:35.075) ensured Trident remained visible inside the top ten with ninth place.

Further back, Enzo Deligny (1:35.235) of R-ace GP took tenth, ahead of Kanato Le (1:35.267) and Rashid Al Dhaheri (1:35.290) in eleventh and twelfth, respectively. Akshay Bohra (1:35.323) claimed thirteenth, followed closely by James Egozi (1:35.338) in fourteenth and Jack Beeton (1:35.480) in fifteenth. Consequently, the midfield remained tightly packed, with minimal gaps separating each competitor.

Tight pack through the order

Nikita Bedrin placed sixteenth, with rookie Dion Gowda classified seventeenth. The lower half of the field remained competitive, as Yuanpu Cui finished eighteenth and Edu Robinson followed in nineteenth. In twentieth, Michael Belov made his mark as an experienced driver among emerging talent.

Continuing through the order, Giovanni Maschio secured twenty-first, while Kacper Sztuka placed twenty-second. Behind them, Saqer Al Maosherji and Tim Gerhards filled twenty-third and twenty-fourth. Zhenrui Chi followed in twenty-fifth, just ahead of Édouard Borgna in twenty-sixth. Finally, Yaroslav Vaselaho and Enea Frey rounded out the field in twenty-seventh and twenty-eighth respectively.

A balanced field ahead of qualifying

In conclusion, the second Collective Test at Hockenheim reaffirmed the extraordinary competitiveness of the 2025 FRECA grid. De Palo’s performance placed him ahead of Clerot and Slater, but the narrow gaps throughout the order emphasised that no driver could afford mistakes. With both experienced racers and promising rookies delivering strong showings, the stage is now set for an unpredictable and thrilling qualifying session.