Antonelli extends FREC lead at Monza with fourth win

Photo: Prema

Prema’s Andrea Kimi Antonelli extended his Formula Regional European Championship points lead with victory in race one at Monza.

Antonelli starte fourth behind team-mate Rafael Camara, ART Grand Prix’s Marcus Amand and G4 Racing’s Alessandro Giusti. It was Amand who got into turn one for the first time in the lead, taking benefit of having the inside line.

Camara and Antonelli fought through the rest of the lap, with the latter getting ahead and then passing Amand for the lead at Curva Grande on lap two. Camara meanwhile plumetted down the order, eventually getting to the pits to retire as the safety car came out.

The retirement of Van Amersfoort Racing’s Jesse Carrasquedo had instigated the race’s first safety car period, and a huge turn one crash instigated the second.

Green flag action had only been taking place for a few seconds on lap five before MP Motorsport’s Sami Meguetounif slid across the grass before turn one and crashed sideways into Race Performance Motorsport’s Maceo Capietto who was going side-by-side through the corner with R-ace GP’s Tim Tramnitz.

The initial impact almost sent Meguetounif over the top of Capietto, who was then pushed into Tramnitz whose right wheels went skyward and almost on top of him. The trio then ran into the turn two kerbs and that sent Tramnitz bouncing nose-first into the barriers while Meguetonif and Capietto’s cars tripped over each other again.

The next restart was on lap eight, with G4 Racing’s Michael Belov and Alessandro Giusti now third and fourth while title contender Martinius Stenshorne had got into 10th from 19th on the grid.

Lauren van Hoepen in eighth cut the first chicane on the restart, and Belov tried to pass Amand at the second chicane but spun around the front of him and into the gravel. That caused the third safety car period, and the final restart was on lap 11 of 14.

Giusti avoided contact with his passing attempt on Amand at the della Roggia chicane, but then conceded second at Lesmo 1 and stayed in third for the rest of the race while Antonelli took his fourth win and Amand got only his second points finish by coming home second.

Victor Bernier finished fourth, and Stenshorne’s reduced the damage to his title prospects by finishing fifth having passed Trident’s Nikhil Bohra and Owen Tangavelou late on.

Race results (14 laps)