The Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine officially returned to action after the summer break this morning at Imola, the circuit hosting the seventh of the season’s ten double-header rounds.
On the nearly 5 km dry track, with an asphalt temperature of 33.2 degrees, the first 50-minute timed session of the weekend took place, with Alessandro Giusti coming out on top. The Williams Academy driver confirmed his excellent form, continuing from his victory at Paul Ricard, which the Frenchman claimed at the end of July. The ART Grand Prix driver clocked the best time of 1’40.333, just 50 thousandths ahead of Ferrari Driver Academy representative Tuukka Taponen (R-ace GP). Right behind the Finnish driver was series leader Rafael Camara (Prema Racing), also under the Ferrari Academy’s guidance, who stopped the clock less than two-tenths behind the fastest time. Another Brazilian driver, Pedro Clerot, showed he was perfectly at ease with the twists and turns of the circuit named after Enzo and Dino Ferrari: at the wheel of a Van Amersfoort Racing car, he posted the fourth-best time and was also the fastest rookie on track.
Strong performances also came from Théophile Naël (Sainteloc Racing) and James Wharton (Prema Racing), who finished the session in fifth and sixth place, respectively. Italian driver Brando Badoer (Van Amersfoort Racing) also attracted attention, leading the session until just a few minutes before the end, when he secured the seventh-fastest time. Rounding out the top 10 were Enzo Peugeot (Sainteloc Racing), his teammate Matteo De Palo, and Evan Giltaire (ART Grand Prix).