Formula Regional: Beganovic on the podium at last!

The Swedish FDA driver finished second in the second race at Mugello. It was a great comeback after an unlucky Race-1.

Dino Beganovic secured his first Formula Regional podium finish, coming second in the last race of the Mugello weekend. In the penultimate round of the season, the Ferrari Driver Academy student was always a front runner right from when he qualified second fastest. That meant he could aim for his first podium finish in the category.

Race-1. When the lights went out, Beganovic immediately went for the inside line, losing a place to Michael Belov, but putting himself in the right position to get the outside line going into the San Donato corner, which should have seen him get the power down early and retake second. However, going into the corner, Beganovic was hit by Mari Boya and ended up in the gravel trap. He stepped out of the cockpit, his race over after just a few hundred metres.

Race-2. Putting aside their disappointment, the team set about preparing for the second race. Dino concentrated on the job in hand, qualifying third. The first lap of the race was the key moment, as Beganovic managed to pass champion-elect Gregoire Saucy to move up to second place. Dino then set about managing his race at a strong pace and without taking any undue risks, running behind his team-mate Paul Aron. 

Podium. “Finally!” commented Beganovic as he stepped out of the car. “It’s fantastic to get on the podium and especially after everything that happened this weekend. After Race-1 I was heartbroken and I have to say, at that moment I was grateful for all the support from those around me. I didn’t really take any part in Race-1 and so in the second one, I had fewer reference points than the other drivers. But the car was almost perfect and I am super happy to have turned the weekend around with a first podium and first place in the rookies’ classification.”

Monza. “The Mugello podium is a great boost for the final round of the season,” added Dino. “And having sprayed the champagne I can’t wait to get back on track to try and do it again!” The final round of the 2021 Formula Regional series takes place at Monza from 29 to 31 October.