US Racing’s David Schumacher won the opening Formula Regional European Championship race at Vallelunga, ending Prema’s stronghold on the top step of the podium.
Schumacher started the race from pole, after qualifying dominator Kart In Club Motorsport’s driver Isac Blomqvist was penalise for a crash in free practice. The German made a exemplary start, putting himself over a second ahead by the end of the first lap, while Blomqvist fell to the back after an awful one.
After passing Schumacher?s new team-mate Marcos Siebert at the start, Prema’s Enzo Fittipaldi saved his tyres before closing down on the leader in the second half of the race.
He only made one stab at the lead, before returning to Schumacher?s wake for the rest of the race.
Siebert, a winner in Euroformula Open, quickly fell away from the lead battle in his first race in the championship, and finished h behind.
The battle for fourth was the most exciting of the race, with Van Amersfoort Racing’s debuting Joey Mawson staging a race-long defence against Prema’s Frederik Vesti. On multiple occasions the Dane tried going around the outside of Mawson at the Cimini and Campagno righthanders, but was unable to find a way past.
As a result, Fittipaldi now leads his team-mate by one point in the standings, with winner Schumacher now in third.
Finishing the race in sixth was Raul Guzman, who shadowed the Mawson/Vesti battle in front and at one point lost the piece of bodywork that covers the front suspension.
His DR Formula by RP Motorsport team-mate Igor Fraga was seventh, just holding of Olli Caldwell and Sophia Floersch.
Matteo Nannini – another making his series debut with Corbetta – rounded out the points in 10th, while qualifying pacesetter Blomqvist recovered to finish 11th.
Race results (21 laps)
| Pos | Name | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Schumacher | US Racing | 31m43.376s |
| 2 | Enzo Fittipaldi | Prema | +0.614s |
| 3 | Marcos Siebert | US Racing | +7.182s |
| 4 | Joey Mawson | Van Amersfoort Racing | +9.924s |
| 5 | Frederik Vesti | Prema | +10.441s |
| 6 | Raul Guzman | DR Formula by RP Motorsport | +10.777s |
| 7 | Igor Fraga | DR Formula by RP Motorsport | +17.240s |
| 8 | Olli Caldwell | Prema | +17.661s |
| 9 | Sophia Floersch | Van Amersfoort Racing | +17.998s |
| 10 | Matteo Nannini | Scuderia DF Corse by Corbetta | +20.112s |
| 11 | Isac Blomqvist | KIC Motorsport | +27.571s |
| 12 | Konsta Lappalainen | KIC Motorsport | +31.427s |
| 13 | Alexandre Bardinon | Mas du Clos Racing | +48.484s |
| 14 | Sharon Scolari | ScoRace Team | +1m27.629s |
| Championship Standings 1?Fittipaldi 79? ?2 Vesti 78? ?3 Schumacher 52? ?4 Fraga 42? ?5 Guzman 34? ?6 Caldwell 28? ?7 Blomqvist 18? ?8 Floersch 18? ?9 Lappalainen 12? ?10 Scolari 11 |
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