Already hailed as a future British F1 star, Freddie Slater has further cemented his reputation as one of the sport’s hottest young prospects by winning the 2025 Formula Regional European Championship (FREC).

The Motorsport UK Academy graduate adds his name to a prestigious list of past FREC champions that includes Kimi Antonelli (2023) and newly crowned FIA Formula 3 Champion Rafael Camara (2025).

The 17-year-old sensation wrapped up the title with one race remaining on the calendar, taking his seventh win of the season in the opener at Monza.

Slater arrived in Italy with a slender four-point advantage over his season-long rival, Matteo De Palo. The Italian’s hopes, however, were dashed after a kerfuffle at the first chicane on the opening lap of the first race. Suffering accident damage, he was forced to make a pit stop to replace his front wing, dropping him down to finish in a lowly 11th place.

Seizing his chance, Slater stalked the race leader for several laps before pulling off an audacious move to take the victory – and the title. For good measure, he went on to win the second showdown in Italy with an impressive lights-to-flag triumph.

“It’s an incredible feeling. This season has had so many ups and downs, so to come back and win the title like this is just amazing,” said Slater, whose championship campaign included victories at Spa-Francorchamps, Zandvoort, Paul Ricard, Hungaroring, and Monza.

“Coming into the penultimate race, I knew there was only a slim chance we could take it, so the goal was to score strong points. But when the opportunity came, I took it. I stayed patient and made the move at the right moment – that was the championship-winning move!”

Having now won both this year’s FREC and last year’s Italian F4 Championship with PREMA Racing, the teenager is set to switch to front-running TRIDENT to contest next year’s FIA Formula 3 Championship – the same team that guided Camara to the 2025 title.

“It’s been a special journey with PREMA. They’ve made me feel like part of the family since the very beginning – through F4 and now FRECA – and we’ve won multiple titles together. But it’s really exciting to start a new chapter with a new team,” said Slater.

“TRIDENT has enjoyed a lot of success in recent years, and I’m really grateful for the opportunity. Hopefully, we’ll have a great season together.”

TRIDENT Team Manager Giacomo Ricci echoed the excitement of signing the young Briton. “We are very pleased to announce our agreement with Freddie,” he said.

“He is an exceptionally talented driver who has consistently proven himself among the very best in every category he has raced – from karting to single-seaters. It’s a great source of pride to welcome him into the team, and we are convinced that a driver of his calibre will bring significant value to the entire organisation.”

It was a standout weekend for Motorsport UK Academy graduates as alongside Slater’s success, Lando Norris regained the lead in the FIA F1 World Championship with victory in Mexico while both Arvid Lindblad and current Team UK member Luke Browning impressed when given F1 rookie outings by Red Bull Racing and Williams in Free Practice 1 ahead of Sunday’s Mexican Grand Prix.