Formula Regional European Championship
| Category | Formula Regional |
|---|---|
| Region | Europe |
| Constructors | Tatuus |
| Engine suppliers | Renault |
| Tyre suppliers | Pirelli |
| Drivers' champion | Freddie Slater |
| Teams' champion | R-ace GP |
| Official website | fiafrec |
| Current season | |
The FIA Formula Regional European Championship (formerly known as the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA), or simply FR Europe) 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] And was again rebranded for the 2026 season returning to the Formula Regional European Championship name as Alpine left as engine supplier and sponsor to focus on their Formula One Team.
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] Franco Colapinto was the first driver from the series to make it to Formula One, driving for Williams Racing for the latter part of the 2024 season. 2025 features the next three graduates in the name of Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Gabriel Bortoleto and Isack Hadjar, driving for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team, Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber, and Visa Cash App Racing Bulls Formula One Team respectively starting from the 2025 season.[5][6][7] Many FREC drivers have subsequently competed in the feeder series directly below F1, the FIA Formula 2 Championship.
Car
The 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 an Alfa Romeo 270PS (200 kW) 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
One 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
Races are livestreamed and are available on YouTube at no cost.[10]
Champions
Drivers'
| 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 |
| 2025 | Freddie Slater | Prema Racing | 6 | 8 | 12 | 7 | 313 | 62.600 | Race 19 of 20 | 35 |
Teams'
| 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 17 of 20 | 264 |
| 2025 | R-ace GP | 5 | 5 | 16 | 6 | 455 | Race 20 of 20 | 25 |
Rookie
| 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 | 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 |
| 2025 | Dion Gowda | Van Amersfoort Racing | 0 | 0 (14) | 0 | 0 | 38 | Race 19 of 20 | 36 |
Drivers graduated to FIA Formula 2 Championship
* Season still in progress.
Notes:
- Gold background denotes Formula Regional European champion.
- Bold denotes a driver graduated to Formula One.
Circuits
- Bold denotes a circuit will be used in the 2026 season.
| Number | Circuits | Rounds | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Circuit Paul Ricard | 7 | 2019–present |
| Red Bull Ring | 7 | 2019–present | |
| Imola Circuit | 7 | 2019–present | |
| Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya | 7 | 2019–2025 | |
| Monza Circuit | 7 | 2019–present | |
| 6 | Mugello Circuit | 6 | 2019–2024 |
| 7 | Hungaroring | 5 | 2019, 2022–present |
| Circuit Zandvoort | 5 | 2021–present | |
| Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps | 5 | 2021–present | |
| 10 | Hockenheimring | 3 | 2023–present |
| 11 | Vallelunga Circuit | 2 | 2019–2020 |
| Misano World Circuit | 2 | 2020, 2025 | |
| Circuit de Monaco | 2 | 2021–2022 | |
| 14 | Circuit Ricardo Tormo | 1 | 2021 |
References
- ^ 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.