Formula Regional: Petecof and Leclerc on track at Misano

The Formula Regional championship is good to go. The European series starts this weekend at the Misano Adriatico circuit with the first of eight rounds on the 2020 calendar, which ends at Vallelunga in December. Representing the Ferrari Driver Academy will be Gianluca Petecof and Arthur Leclerc, both making their debut in the series. Last year they raced in Formula 4 and now they tackle a series that is only in its second year.

Gianluca. For 17-year old Petecof from Brazil, this is his third year in single-seaters with the FDA and pre-season testing confirmed that he has got to grips with the Formula Regional car. He trained alongside new FDA signing Leclerc, brother of Charles and he too was soon doing well in the car, setting good times in qualifying simulations and long run tests.

Two front runners. “The signs all point to the possibility of a good season,” confirmed the technical head of the FDA, Marco Matassa. “In pre-season testing Arthur and Gianluca were both front runners, but we should not take it for granted that the same will happen over a race weekend. Everything is in place for them to do well, but they need to get the job done, starting this weekend.”

Tre races per round. Formula Regional events will feature three races per weekend, which is very useful for drivers who are learning to deal with a new category. There are two qualifying sessions on Friday to decide the starting grid, with Races 1 and 2 on Saturday. The busy weekend always ends on Sunday with the third and final race.