The penultimate event of the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine season kicked off today in Zandvoort with the first round of pre-collective testing conducted under rainy conditions.

Tim Tramnitz (R-ace GP) emerged as the fastest during the 90-minute timed session, clocking the best time of 1:43.564 in the closing moments, surpassing the current championship leader, Andrea Kimi Antonelli (Prema Racing), who had led for a significant portion of the session. Behind the Italian driver, Maceo Capietto (RPM) secured the third spot, edging out Rafael Camara (Prema Racing), who had clinched the second position in the previous race at Monza last month.

Impressive performances were also put in by two rookies, Martinius Stenshorne (R-ace GP) and Alessandro Giusti (G4 Racing), who demonstrated their comfort on the Dutch circuit’s curves by securing the fifth and sixth positions, respectively. Rounding out the top 10 in order were Lorenzo Fluxa (Prema Racing), Roman Bilinski (Trident Motorsport), Joshua Duerksen (Arden Motorsport), and Victor Bernier (MP Motorsport).

This weekend brings the addition of six new drivers to the championship, including Evan Giltaire, the newly crowned Formula 4 French champion, who will participate in the final two rounds of the international series with ART Grand Prix. Spanish racer Javier Sagrera joins the MP Motorsport team, while Nikita Bedrin, hailing from the F4, makes his FRECA debut with Monolite Racing.

Likewise, Argentine Francisco Soldavini makes his debut with the G4 Racing team, and Portuguese driver Ivan Domingues represents the local Van Amersfoort Racing team. French driver Pierre Louis Chovet (Sainteloc Racing) makes his return to the championship, having secured two third-place finishes at the Red Bull Ring and Barcelona last year.