Arden Motorsport stands ready for the opening rounds of the 2021 Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine at Autodromo Imola this weekend [16-18 April].
Following a positive pre-season testing programme in recent weeks at Paul Ricard, Barcelona and the 3.1-mile Imola circuit, Arden’s trio of rising stars – Britain’s Alex Quinn, Finland’s William Alatalo and Italy’s Nicola Marinangeli – are well-prepared for the Banbury team’s first racing action of 2021.
The season curtain-raiser will have added significance this weekend as Europe’s premier single seater category features on the support bill at the Formula 1 ® Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.
Imola proved to be a happy hunting ground for both Quinn and Alatalo in the Formula Renault Eurocup – now merged with Formula Regional – last season, with the pair taking a brace of podium finishes apiece.
Marinangeli, who counts the circuit among one of his favourites and has prior experience in both the Eurocup and Italian F4, will be aiming to add silverware of his own to his record before the weekend is out.
The weekend begins with a brace of practice sessions on Friday at 09:00 and 12:00 respectively, before the both qualifying sessions (08:55/12:40) and the opening race (15:28) on Saturday.
Sunday features the final race of the weekend at 11:18, with live coverage available via the championship’s YouTube channel.
Ben Salter, Arden Formula Regional Team Manager said:
“The whole team is really looking forward with optimism to the opening rounds of the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine this weekend at Imola.
“It’s been a busy winter period, and this weekend gives us the first opportunity to see where we stack up against a very competitive grid.
“It’s one of the circuits our drivers really enjoy, and it’s always great to be on the support package at a Grand Prix, so it should make for an exciting start to the year.”
William Alatalo (#8) said:
“I’ve been waiting a long time for the first race weekend of the season. Imola is one of my favourite tracks, so going back there is really nice.
“In pre-season testing we did a lot of work to prepare for the season ahead, and now we get to show it in Imola.”
Nicola Marinangeli (#14) said:
“I’m happy about the work we did in pre-season testing, and can’t wait to go back racing next week in Imola, which is one of my favourite circuits, and will give us a good opportunity to show our potential.”
Alex Quinn (#21) said:
“It’s been a long wait, so it’ll be great to be at a race weekend again. I believe we have put in a lot of hard work over the winter, so hopefully the results will reflect that.”