Salim Hanna becomes ninth winner of inaugural FIA FREC season at Imola

Salim Hanna put on a commanding display at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari to secure his maiden victory in the FIA Formula Regional European Championship. Operating under the Prema Racing banner, the Colombian driver made full use of his reverse-grid pole position to dictate the pace from the start. He converted the advantage into a clean getaway, holding off the chasing pack and keeping his machine out of trouble across the duration of the contest.

Behind the race winner, rookie contender Oleksandr Bondarev delivered an impressive performance on his category debut for Van Amersfoort Racing. Stepping up to the championship, Bondarev immediately showed competitive speed by securing the second step of the podium while also claiming top rookie honours. The debutant maintained sustained pressure on the leaders throughout the event and successfully completed a notable overtaking maneuver during the race.

Reno Francot rounded out the podium positions by taking third place for CL Motorsport. The result marked a welcome return to the rostrum for the Dutch competitor, representing his first podium appearance since securing a top-three finish at his home event at Zandvoort in May. Further down the order, Sebastian Wheldon brought his MP Motorsport entry home in eighth place, banking a single championship point.

The battle at the top of the overall standings tightened significantly following the Imola encounter. Emanuele Olivieri, racing for R-ace GP, crossed the finish line in ninth position after claiming victory earlier in the day during Race 1. The Italian driver currently leads the provisional standings by a razor-thin margin of just two points over the American challenger Wheldon heading into the final day of track action.

Meanwhile, Prema Racing competitor Kean Nakamura-Berta finished tenth, while R-ace GP representative Rashid Al Dhaheri secured sixth place. Both drivers remain firmly in the hunt for the overall championship crown, occupying the third and fourth positions respectively in the standings as the inaugural season enters its crucial final stages. The championship field utilizes the second-generation Tatuus T 326 machinery equipped with the new Race Mode push-to-pass system.

Reflecting on his breakthrough triumph, Hanna acknowledged the hard work required to reach the top step of the podium. Even though the victory came during a reverse-grid encounter, the Prema driver emphasized that his car felt superior compared to the earlier qualifying session. He noted that despite having room for further improvement in his personal driving style, the team executed their race plan flawlessly and maximized the opportunity presented to them.

Bondarev expressed equal satisfaction with his sudden emergence near the front of the field. Having stepped up to the Formula Regional category with minimal prior experience relative to his established rivals, the rookie admitted he did not anticipate finding competitive pace immediately from practice onwards. The Van Amersfoort driver thanked his mechanics and engineering staff for preparing him thoroughly for the weekend challenge ahead.

The weekend action at Imola concludes with the second qualifying session scheduled for Sunday morning. That will be followed by the thirty-minute Race 3 later in the afternoon, which will determine the final points distribution of the race meeting and potentially reshuffle the championship order at the top of the standings.

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