Racing takes 1-2 finish in memorable Monza Sunday
PREMA Racing had a double-sided weekend at Monza, as the team came from a tough Saturday in round 8 of the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine to bounce back with a stunning 1-2 finish on Sunday's Race 2.
The weekend started well in qualifying 1 with Rafael Camara taking the pole position. Unfortunately, the Brazilian soon had to stop with a sensor issue, but teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli took the lead and carried it to the end. While he crossed the finish line first, the Italian was penalized for a push-to-pass infringement and ended up out of the points zone. Lorenzo Fluxa also had a challenging day as he was involved in contact.
On Sunday morning, conditions were tricky around the Italian temple of speed, but the PREMA Racing trio made the most of the opportunities. Antonelli took pole position, while Camara got a positive P2 in the group and P4 overall. On the other hand, Fluxa got P4 in his group, gaining a good starting spot for a comeback.
At the start, Antonelli quickly took the lead, but Camara was soon in his pursuit in a close battle that lasted for several laps. As soon as Camara got the nod on his teammate, a crash forced the stewards to red-flag the race for good, reverting the classification to the second previous lap.
Still, it was an outstanding 1-2 finish for the team at its home track, with Fluxa delivering an extremely positive recovery in P4 as he fought for the final podium spot. With good vibes in the bag, the team now looks forward to the final doubleheader between Zandvoort and Hockenheim.
#7 LORENZO FLUXÁ
"Race 2 was definitely good. We had a very good pace and made up a few positions after a solid qualifying. It's a bit of a shame for Saturday with a tough qualy and a crash in race 1, but we had a positive Sunday and now we want to carry the momentum into the next doubleheader."
#8 RAFAEL CAMARA
"I think this was a pretty strong weekend from the start. We were always there since FP2. Qualy 1 was mega, and after race 1 where unfortunately we had an issue, we bounced back quite well. We did a really good job on Sunday especially with qualy in tricky conditions, as we ended up in the front two rows. The start was very good and the car was fast. Unluckily there was a red flag at the end, we could have had a great fight with Kimi. Now we just focus on the next event and we will try to be as prepared as possible for the final two-race push. We have to keep working like this."
#12 ANDREA KIMI ANTONELLI
"Overall it was a great weekend, we have been fast all the time. A bit of a shame for race 1, as I got a penalty for a mistake of mine, but today it was good to be back to the top step of the podium even with a bit of luck. We take it, and it's good for the championship because we extended the lead quite massively. Now we go home to relax a bit and get ready for the last two races of the year."