Giusti takes unchallenged maiden FREC victory at Paul Ricard

Photo: Diederik van der Laan / DPPA

G4 Racing’s Alessandro Giusti took his maiden Formula Regional European Championship win from pole at Paul Ricard.

The Frenchman was never challenged as he took a comfortable lights-to-flag victory, setting fastest lap in the process.

MP Motorsport’s Sami Meguetounif made an excellent start to edge past championship leader Martinius Stenshorne into the first corner, with the Norwegian coming under pressure from his R-ace GP team-mate Tim Tramnitz.

Tramnitz himself then came under attack from Mercedes-AMG Formula 1 junior Andrea Kimi Antonelli who was forced to take to the escape road at the chicane as he tried to find a way past on lap one.

The safety car was called out briefly on lap two after Monolite Racing’s Enzo Scionti punted Van Amersfoort Racing’s Niels Koolen into a spin, both cars retiring.

At the restart, Tramnitz was immediately on the attack, looking in vain for a way past Stenshorne, while behind them sixth-placed Laurens van Hoepen tried to dive inside Antonelli at the final corner.

MP’s Victor Bernier was enjoying a lonely run in seventh but the race’s main excitement was in the fight for eighth between G4’s Michael Belov and Prema’s Rafael Camara.

As the pair duelled, KIC Motorsport’s Maya Weug had made up two places to latch onto Camara’s tail, even attempting a move on her fellow Ferrari junior into the final corner.

As Giusti put in a couple of fastest laps to extend his advantage out front to over two seconds at the flag, Camara was lining up a final lap challenge on Belov.

Belov defended his position into the chicane allowing Camara to draw alongside before going around the outside through the fast left-hander at Signes, and then holding off Belov through Le Beausset to claim eighth at the finish.

Race results (15 laps)