The Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA) is a FIA-certified regional European Formula 3 racing series. On 12 October 2018, it was announced that the Italian autosport regulator Automobile Club d'Italia (ACI) and karting promoter WSK would organize the inaugural year of the championship in 2019.[1] Their bid was chosen over Renault Sport's bid with the same chassis, who attracted fewer votes from Single-Seater Commission members.[1] Following the 2020 season, the Formula Renault Eurocup merged with the Formula Regional European Championship to become the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine.[2]
 | |
| Category | Formula Regional |
|---|---|
| Region | Europe |
| Constructors | Tatuus |
| Engine suppliers | Renault |
| Tyre suppliers | Pirelli |
| Drivers' champion |  Rafael Câmara |
| Teams' champion |  Prema Racing |
| Official website | Official Website |
 Current season | |
The championship's first season featured eight rounds on the circuits across Europe with half of them in Italy.[3] Like other Formula Regional championships, it serves as a development series as part of the FIA Global Pathway, and is primarily contested by young drivers seeking a professional racing career. The driver champions receive FIA Super License points. The series is intended to be a stepping stone between Formula 4 and the international FIA Formula 3 Championship.[4] Until 2024, while no Formula Regional Europe driver had yet reached Formula One, many FRECA drivers had subsequently competed in its direct feeder series, the FIA Formula 2 Championship. Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Gabriel Bortoleto will be the first drivers from the series to make it into Formula One, scheduled to drive for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team and for Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber respectively starting from the 2025 Formula One season.[5][6][7]
Car
editThe championship features Tatuus-designed and built cars. The cars will be constructed out of carbon fibre and feature a monocoque chassis which feature a number of enhanced safety features including the new Halo device and improved side impact protection, and will have a six-speed paddle-shift sequential gearbox.[1] In the 2019 and 2020 seasons, the car was powered by a Alfa Romeo 270PS (200kW) turbo engine tuned by Autotecnica.[1] After the merge with Formula Renault Eurocup for the 2021 season the championship uses Renault engines. From 2022, the cars feature a push-to-pass system. When pressed, the engine temporarily produces extra power for a period of 15 seconds. Push-to-pass can be used five times during a race. Unlike DRS in Formula One, the push-to-pass system can be used at any time during a race. [8]
Costs
editOne 2024 estimate puts the cost of competing in a front-running car at around €1,000,000 per season. The minimum for "back-marker" cars was around €350,000. These costs are typically met by either the competitors' families or personal sponsors. [9]
Media
editRaces are livestreamed and are available on YouTube at no cost.[10]
Champions
edit
Drivers'
edit| Season | Driver | Team | Poles | Wins | Podiums | Fastest laps | Points | % points achievable | Clinched | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 |  Frederik Vesti
|
Prema Powerteam
|
10 | 13 | 20 | 9 | 467 | 77.833 | Race 21 of 24 | 131 |
| 2020 | Gianluca Petecof
|
Prema Powerteam
|
5 | 4 | 14 | 7 | 359 | 62.435 | Race 24 of 24 | 16 |
| 2021 |  Grégoire Saucy
|
 ART Grand Prix
|
7 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 277 | 55.400 | Race 17 of 20 | 68 |
| 2022 |  Dino Beganovic
|
Prema Racing
|
4 | 4 | 14 | 2 | 300 | 60.000 | Race 19 of 20 | 26 |
| 2023 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli
|
Prema Racing
|
3 | 5 | 11 | 5 | 300 | 60.000 | Race 18 of 20 | 39 |
| 2024 | Rafael Câmara
|
Prema Racing
|
7 | 7 | 12 | 7 | 309 | 61.800 | Race 18 of 20 | 73 |
Teams'
edit| Season | Team | Poles | Wins | Podiums | Fastest laps | Points | Clinched | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Prema Powerteam
|
13 | 16 | 40 | 14 | 870 | Race 23 of 24 | 390 |
| 2020 | Prema Powerteam
|
18 | 16 | 43 | 12 | 842 | Race 22 of 24 | 347 |
| 2021 | R-ace GP
|
3 | 5 | 21 | 6 | 481 | Race 20 of 20 | 59 |
| 2022 | Prema Racing
|
11 | 10 | 21 | 6 | 531 | Race 18 of 20 | 110 |
| 2023 | Prema Racing
|
7 | 7 | 18 | 6 | 512 | Race 20 of 20 | 2 |
| 2024 | Prema Racing
|
13 | 12 | 25 | 9 | 575 | Race XX of 20 | 264 |
Rookie
edit| Season | Driver | Team | Poles | Wins (rookie) | Podiums | Fastest laps | Points (rookie) | Clinched | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Frederik Vesti
|
Prema Powerteam
|
10 | 13 (14) | 20 | 9 | 467 (506) | Race 21 of 24 | 125 |
| 2020 | Gianluca Petecof
|
Prema Powerteam
|
5 | 4 (7) | 14 | 7 | 359 (430) | Race 24 of 24 | 43 |
| 2021 | Isack Hadjar
|
R-ace GP
|
1 | 2 (8) | 5 | 3 | 166 | Race 20 of 20 | 44 |
| 2022 | Leonardo Fornaroli
|
Trident Racing
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 83 | Race 20 of 20 | 4 |
| 2023 |  Martinius Stenshorne
|
R-ace GP
|
3 | 5 (13) | 11 | 3 | 261 | Race 18 of 20 | 150 |
| 2024 | Noah Strømsted
|
RPM
|
1 | 0 (7) | 4 | 3 | 121 | Race 20 of 20 | 24 |
Drivers graduated to FIA Formula 2/3 Championship
edit
* Season still in progress.
Notes:
- Gold background denotes Formula Regional European champion.
Circuits
edit- Bold denotes a circuit will be used in the 2024 season.
| Number | Circuits | Rounds | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Circuit Paul Ricard
|
6 | 2019–present |
 Red Bull Ring
|
6 | 2019–present | |
| Imola Circuit
|
6 | 2019–present | |
 Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
|
6 | 2019–present | |
| Mugello Circuit
|
6 | 2019–present | |
| Monza Circuit
|
6 | 2019–present | |
| 7 |  Hungaroring
|
4 | 2019, 2022–present |
 Circuit Zandvoort
|
4 | 2021–present | |
 Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
|
4 | 2021–present | |
| 10 | Vallelunga Circuit
|
2 | 2019–2020 |
 Circuit de Monaco
|
2 | 2021–2022 | |
 Hockenheimring
|
2 | 2023–present | |
| 13 | Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
|
1 | 2020 |
| Circuit Ricardo Tormo
|
1 | 2021 |
References
edit- ^ a b c d Wood, Elliot (12 October 2018). "Italian bid beats Renault to run European regional F3 series". formulascout.com. Formula Scout. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
- ^ Smith, Luke (31 October 2020). "Formula Regional Europe merges with Renault Eurocup for 2021". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
- ^ Allen, Peter (2 November 2018). "Prema commits to Italian-promoted European Regional F3 championship". formulascout.com. Formula Scout. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
- ^ "The Championship". Formula Regional by Alpine. 2 February 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
- ^ Osten, Phillip van (31 August 2024). "Mercedes confirm Antonelli for 2025 F1 seat alongside Russell". F1i.com. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ^ Iversen, Patrick (31 August 2024). "Mercedes F1 promotes Andrea Kimi Antonelli to replace Lewis Hamilton in 2025". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ^ "Kick Sauber confirm rookie Bortoleto as second driver for 2025". 6 November 2024.
- ^ Wood, Ida (30 March 2022). "FRegional Europe lays out rules of new push-to-pass system". Formula Scout. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
- ^ Series, Feeder (5 April 2024). "A year in, where does Eurocup-3 stand among its rival series?". Feeder Series. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
- ^ "Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine". YouTube. Retrieved 18 July 2024.