Marcus Amand gets his first Pole Position in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine at Zandvoort + Live stream Race 2
The Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine ignited its engines this morning for the second qualifying session at Zandvoort. The Dutch circuit severely challenged the young drivers in the continental series, as they had to contend with strong gusts of wind combined with heavy rain that characterized both official sessions.
The first session, starting on slick tires, saw Marcus Amand take command of operations while behind the wheel of an ART Grand Prix car, setting the best time of 1m42.205s. Shortly after, a heavy downpour hit the track situated in front of the North Sea, forcing the drivers to return to the pit lane to switch to wet tires. After returning to the track, the first red flag was displayed following Niels Koolen‘s (Van Amersfoort Racing) excursion off the track. At the restart, Maya Weug (KIC Motorsport) suffered a similar fate, bringing an end to the session with a second red flag. Amand thus found the doors open to his first pole position of the year. Behind him, his teammate Laurens Van Hoepen, who finished third in yesterday’s race, closed the session second. Rafael Camara (Prema Racing) secured the third position, while the top 5 of group B was completed by Alessandro Giusti (G4 Racing) and Martinius Stenshorne (R-ace GP).
The second session also took place on a wet track, with yesterday’s race one winner, Kas Haverkort (Van Amersfoort Racing), coming out on top. The Dutchman will start on the front row alongside Amand. Nikita Bedrin (Monolite Racing), who made an impressive debut in the series yesterday with a ninth-place finish, continued to impress today, securing the second-best time behind Haverkort. In the third row, there will be Tim Tramnitz (R-ace GP) alongside Camara. Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Prema Racing), who could potentially clinch the championship today in Race 2, will start from the eighth spot on the grid, with his direct rival Stenshorne in ninth. Next to the Norwegian driver in the fifth row will be Maceo Capietto (RPM), who demonstrated excellent pace throughout the weekend.
The second session also concluded with a red flag after Ivan Klymenko (KIC Motorsport) went off at Turn 5.
Marcus Amand:
“I am very pleased with this result. We noticed that the sky was getting darker behind us, and we pushed hard to set a good time. Starting at the front here in Zandvoort is very important because it’s not easy to overtake on this track. In any case, being on the front row, both in dry and wet conditions, gives us a good chance to do well. In the second part of the season, we have significantly improved our pace, and it would be nice to finish the season with a victory here or at Hockenheim.”
Race 2 (15.45pm) will be live-streamed.