Photo: M2 Competition
Formula Regional European Championship has revealed that 12 teams will contest its third season, with M2 Competition absent after initially being selected to take part.
The Belgo-Kiwi outfit has won multiple titles in New Zealand’s Toyota Racing Series, and ran several drivers earlier this month in the championship – although there were no official team entries. It was one of 13 teams to initially be chosen for FREC.
M2 first ventured into European competition in 2019 when it joined the Formula Renault Eurocup as it switched to Regional Formula 3 regulations.
It claimed a podium on its debut with Kush Maini, and came fourth in the teams standings. Its 2020 programme was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, losing one of its signed drivers pre-season and then only running Mikhael Belov for the first two rounds before departing the series to focus its efforts on 2021.
The Eurocup was brought to an end over winter, with its Renault engines moving across to power the cars in FREC. M2 returned to action for the post-season rookie test, and was then in contact with FREC champion Gianluca Petecof about driving for the upcoming season as it went through change of ownership talks.
Towards the end of last year it also set up shop in Spain to compete in Spanish Formula 4, making its debut in the 2020 season finale ahead of a planned full-time campaign this year.
Formula Scout understands it was M2’s decision to back out of entering FREC for 2021, leaving an adjusted list of 12 teams set to compete. Alongside the eight that have already announced drivers, there are Bhaitech, FA Racing, Monolite Racing and MP Motorsport.
It is yet to be announced which operation will be behind Fernando Alonso’s FA Racing team, although it is expected to be MP after it fulfilled the role in the Eurocup last year.
Bhaitech meanwhile went through an ownership change in 2020 and is linked to competing under another name this year with a TRS graduate, while FREC initially announced Monolite as racing this year with technical support from AS Motorsport but has now not listed the Slovenian Formula 4 team alongside Monolite’s name on the final entry list of 12 teams.