Monza‘s first race of the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine delivered a series of twists and turns, both during the race and after the checkered flag. Crossing the finish line first was championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Prema Racing, who showcased his prowess with two impressive overtakes. Antonelli passed his pole-sitting teammate Rafael Camara at the Roggia chicane and later surged past Marcus Amand (ART Grand Prix) while he was leading the race, during the initial stages. However, Antonelli received a 10-second penalty for an early use of the push-to-pass system, dropping him out of the points zone.

Amand, who initially finished the race in second place, was also penalized with the same time penalty. In the final stages the Frenchman had a collision with Michael Belov, resulting in the latter going off track and retiring from the race. Consequently, victory was claimed by another member of the G4 Racing team, Alessandro Giusti, who had originally finished third. This led to Victor Bernier (MP Motorsport) and Martinius Stenshorne (R-ace GP) being awarded the silver and bronze medals, respectively, with Stenshorne collecting crucial points to stay in the title hunt.

Trident Motorsport‘s duo, Nikhil Bora and Owen Tangavelou, delivered strong performances, securing fourth and fifth positions, respectively. Esteban Masson (Saniteloc Racing) clinched sixth place, while the rest of the new top 10 comprised Laurens Van Hoepen (ART Grand Prix), Emerson Fittipaldi Jr (Sainteloc Racing), Maya Weug (KIC Motorsport) and Levente Revesz (Arden Motorsport).

Unfortunately, Camara’s race was marked by a technical issue that forced him to return to the pits shortly after the first safety car period, triggered by the collision between the cars of Jesse Carrasquedo (Van Amersfoort Racing) and Giovanni Maschio (Monolite Racing), a contact that cost the latter a four-position grid relegation in the next race. The second interruption came shortly after the race resumed, following a multiple-car collision that knocked out Sami Meguetounif (MP Motorsport), Tim Tramnitz (R-ace GP), and Maceo Capietto (RPM). This crash has also resulted in a penalty for Meguetounif, who will be demoted by five positions in tomorrow’s race. The final safety car deployment occurred as a result of the incident involving Belov and Amand.

The European series will be back in action tomorrow morning at 8.30 am for the second qualifying session, while Race 2 will start at 2.15 pm, always over a distance of 30′ plus one lap to complete.