The Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine ignited its engines this morning for the first qualifying session at Zandvoort, the venue for the penultimate act of the season.
On the 4.259 km circuit winding through the sand dunes facing the North Sea, a thrilling battle for the pole position for the first Dutch round unfolded. The fastest on the track was Martinius Stenshorne (R-ace GP), clocking the best time of 1:31.740. However, the Norwegian couldn’t celebrate what would have been his fourth pole of the year, due to a penalty he must serve since the Monza round for a race contact. As a result, the pole position fell into the hands of Kas Haverkort, who, in turn, was the fastest driver in the first group at the wheel of a Van Amersfoort Racing single-seater. Alongside Haverkort on the front row will be compatriot Laurens Van Hoepen (ART Grand Prix), painting the first row with the Dutch flag.
Starting from the third position on the grid will be the current series leader, Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Prema Racing), narrowly edged out in the final moments of the first official session by Haverkort. The Trident Motorsport representative, Roman Bilinski, confirmed his comfort on the Dutch curves, securing the fourth position just ahead of Stenshorne, who finds himself starting from fifth alongside another series standout, Tim Tramnitz (R-ace GP), recently joining the Red Bull Junior Team.
In the fourth row, ready to put on a show, are Rafael Camara (Prema Racing) and Maceo Capietto (RPM), also among the fastest on the track this weekend. The top ten positions are completed by Sami Meguetounif (MP Motorsport) and Lorenzo Fluxa, racing the third car under the Prema Racing banner. Alessandro Giusti (G4 Racing) and newcomer Nikita Bedrin (Monolite Racing) also had strong showings, finishing eleventh and twelfth, respectively.
Kas Haverkort:
“It’s a great feeling to start from pole position at my home circuit. It’s shaping up to be an exciting weekend in the prestigious backdrop of the GT World, with a substantial crowd in attendance and strong support, which is truly heartwarming. We’ll be fighting for victory, aiming for a good start. We know from last year that we have a good pace on this track, and we hope to perform well and please our supporters.”
The first race of the weekend is scheduled at 3.35pm (30’+ 1lap).