The Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine will be back on the track this weekend for the second round of the season. The second venue of the year will be the home circuit of the Spanish Grand Prix, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
After the first round, a surprising Martinius Stenshorne took the lead obtaining his maiden win in the inaugural race and finishing second (P2) in race 2. The Norwegian rookie, with his amazing feat, managed to bring his team, R-ace GP, to the top of the dedicated standings. Stenshorne accumulated 43 points in round 1 and has an 8-point margin on the closest pursuer, the Dutchman Kas Haverkoort, Van Amersfoort Racing, who claimed a flawless victory in the second race of the year. Currently in third place is PREMA Racing’s Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The driver from Bologna encountered some car troubles in Imola, and despite stepping onto the podium in race 1, he had to withdraw from Sunday’s sessions, including both qualifying and race 2, resulting in a total of 8 points. Barcelona presents an opportunity for Antonelli to make a satisfying comeback. Having already achieved double titles in Italy and Germany’s F.4 in 2022, he also won the Middle East series earlier this year and came into the series of Alpine and ACI sport as one of the most anticipated contenders for the title. Tim Tramnitz, R-ace GP’s German driver, is also expected to perform well at the Spanish venue, as he showcased promising results during the pre-season collective tests held at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in March.
Additionally, the second round of the Championship will feature a new entry, with Kirill Smal joining Monolite Motorsport as the third driver alongside Giovanni Maschio and Enzo Scionti under the leadership of Rudi Mariotto.
With 12 teams ready to compete and over 30 drivers eager to race on the 4675-meter track of one of the most beautiful F1 circuits, which has returned to its original 1991 layout, the stage is set for an exciting weekend of high-speed action and intense competition at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
The weekend’s schedule:
On Friday, May 19th, there will be collective tests consisting of two 50-minute sessions starting at 14:00 and 16:05. These sessions will allow the drivers to familiarize themselves with the track and fine-tune their performance.
Qualifying sessions will take place on Saturday, May 20th. The first session will run from 9:45 to 10:00 for group A, and from 10:05 to 10:20 for group B. This session will determine the starting grid for race 2. The second session will be held from 14:10 to 14:25 for group B, and from 14:30 to 14:45 for group A, establishing the starting grid for race 1.
Race 1 will kick off the weekend’s main events on Saturday evening. It will be a thrilling race lasting 30 minutes plus 1 lap, and it will start at 18:05.
The final race of the Spanish weekend will take place on Sunday, May 21st. Same as race 1, it will be a 30-minute race plus 1 lap, and it will start at 10:13.
The excitement of the qualifying and race sessions will be also available in live streaming on the official Facebook and YouTube pages of the Championship @formularegionaleubyalpine.