Thirteen teams have been announced for the first Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine season in 2021, led by single seater powerhouses Prema Powerteam and ART Grand Prix.
The new series is a merger between the Formula Regional European Championship (FREC) and Formula Renault Eurocup, and sixteen teams bid to join the category with thirteen ultimately chosen. Each team is able to field up to three entries, although they can add a fourth if that car is filled by a female driver.
Prema Powerteam, the winners of the past two Formula Regional European Championship titles, are one of the teams confirmed to race, while their FREC rivals Van Amersfoort Racing, KIC Motorsport, DR Formula RP Motorsport and Monolite-AS Motorsport are also on board. The only team from 2020 not racing next year is the Gillian Track Events GTE outfit.
“We are delighted to join the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine field in 2021,” said Angelo Rosin, the Team Principal of Prema Powerteam. “We have always believed in the Formula Regional concept as a valuable way to develop young drivers and bridge the gap between Formula 4 and FIA Formula 3.
“We are excited to enter the new era of the series featuring the Alpine brand which will add even more charm and value to the package, thanks to its historical heritage and the links to a renewed commitment to motorsports and Formula 1 in particular.”
ART Grand Prix only re-joined the Eurocup grid in 2020 but took both the Teams’ and Drivers’ title in 2020, the latter with Frenchman Victor Martins.
The French outfit will be joined on the grid by their on-track rivals Arden Motorsport, R-ace GP, Bhaitech Racing, FA Racing, JD Motorsport, MP Motorsport and M2 Competition as all teams on the Eurocup grid from 2020 continue in the new series for 2021.
Ten Rounds Confirmed for 2021 Season
The calendar for the 2021 Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine season has also been announced, with the year set to get underway at Spa-Francorchamps across the weekend of 23-25 April.
They will then support Formula 1 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on 7-9 May and again at the Circuit de Monaco on 20-23 May.
A week later they race at the Circuit Paul Ricard in the south of France before they go to Circuit Zandvoort (18-20 June) and the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari (23-25 July). They are then set to race at the Nürburgring in Germany on 6-8 August.
After a month’s break, the series returns to racing at the Red Bull Ring in Austria on 10-12 September, before two visits to Italy conclude the year. They race at the Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello on 8-10 October before ending the season at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza on 29-31 October.
There will be three collective test sessions across three consecutive weeks prior to the start of the season, with two day tests at Barcelona (25-26 March), Paul Ricard (30-31 March) and Imola (7-8 April).
Round | Date | Circuit | Country |
1 | 23-25 April | Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps | Belgium |
2 | 7-9 May | Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya | Spain |
3 | 20-23 May | Circuit de Monaco | Monaco |
4 | 28-30 May | Circuit Paul Ricard | France |
5 | 18-20 June | Circuit Zandvoort | Netherlands |
6 | 23-25 July | Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari | Italy |
7 | 6-8 August | Nürburgring | Germany |
8 | 10-12 September | Red Bull Ring | Austria |
9 | 8-10 October | Autodromo Internazionale del Mugello | Italy |
10 | 29-31 October | Autodromo Nazionale Monza | Italy |