The Italian Monza Circuit is the home to the opening round of the 2022 Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine season. The entry list featured 37 cars, including three fielded by G4 Racing, with the returning Axel Gnos paired by rookies Matias Zagazeta and Owen Tangavelou, coming from Formula 4.
The large number of entries forced the organizers to divide the drivers into two groups for qualifying. Tangavelou went on track in Group A, followed a few minutes later by Gnos and Zagazeta. The latter emerged as the fastest driver of the G4 Racing bunch, securing seventh place in his segment with a lap of 1m47.761. He also classified fifth among the rookies. It was an unlucky session for Tangavelou and Gnos, who were deprived of a last the chance to improve by a late red flag.
An hour before the start of the race, rain began to fall at Monza, changing the variables. The drivers had to deal with limited visibility conditions, due to the water raised by the cars in front of them. In such a tough situation Gnos was impressive, recovering from the back of the grid and gaining 12 positions in the first seven laps. During the eighth lap, however, he put his left rear on a wet kerb, losing grip and ending up spinning against the wall. Zagazeta and Tangavelou completed the race, crossing the finish line in P20 and P22 respectively.
The second qualifying session and the second race of the season are scheduled for tomorrow to sign off the action at the Italian circuit.