In contrast to his father Albano Frassineti, a former rally driver, the 19‑year‑old Andrea lives his life on the track. Starting karting at the age of four and making the jump to the Italian F4 Championship in 2022 before switching to GT racing two years later, it didn’t take long for the young Italian to grab his first championship win in 2025, claiming the Italian GT Championship Sprint Cup with VSR (Vincenzo Sospiri Racing).
For this year he made the switch to Tresor Attempto Racing and sits behind the wheel of the Audi R8 LMS GT3, competing in the GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS and the Italian GT Championship. After scoring a front‑row start in Misano in a car that is described as difficult to achieve those kinds of results with, the future looks bright for the former Italian GT champion.
Rally Roots to GT Racing Advantages: “It Makes You Go Faster Compared to Others”
With his dad knowing the risks of rally driving and how everything works on and off the track from that side of racing, the decision to hit the track on the safer asphalt instead of outside it was quickly made. “We decided to start with karting; when he saw that I was always on the limit there, he said, OK, maybe it’s better to go on the track, that it’s safer and to be tough there.”
But the interest in rally driving never fades away. “I always follow the various championships. And maybe I’d like to do one rally one day.”
In 2024, the Italian took part in one race of the FIA European Crosscar Championship, where you compete in a buggy on dirt, fighting for the win against others. The passion for this side of racing is still there as he also drove in January, this year, on the snow in a Subaru STI.
Despite it being a completely different way of driving, there are plenty of things he takes with him and applies to his skillset today. “I think it helps a lot. The confidence that it gives me helps a lot on the track. It’s a good thing to learn, and it always brings something new to the driver’s side. It’s something that maybe some drivers don’t have, and you can improve a lot with this.”
Going deeper into what it brings him as a bonus compared to others, he tells GT REPORT: “I think it helps me to immediately find the limit on the track, and by having that asset, it makes you go faster compared to others.”
High Costs, Hard Choices
Having started karting at a young age and competing since 2015 until 2021 in various karting teams, one of which was called the same name as his father, he made the jump to single‑seaters the year after, racing in the Italian F4 Championship against current Formula 1 drivers Arvid Lindblad and Kimi Antonelli.
Looking back on those times, he takes plenty of learnings with him. “We were always fighting, always trying to go side by side and trying not to touch each other. In Formula racing you learn a lot of these things, which was not easy. But I think the most important thing is the speed. Because the speed, the track is so big compared to karting, so the speed you bring into the corner is different.”
The worries about losing speed, going from Formula racing to GT racing, weren’t on his mind. “Coming from F4, you can be really fast in GT.”
In his second year of Italian F4 he only drove 8 of the 22 races; the high costs were the main reason for that. “I was always doing it with a low budget and racing with my own car. I also had a big crash in Imola; that didn’t help for sure. Besides those aspects, the things that you need to race in F4… you have to have the best engine, but with the budget that we had, it was quite impossible. We realized it was better to move to GT.”
On the question of whether it feels like a dream not coming true, he says: “Yeah, for sure. I really like Formula racing; I’d like to do it more. But what I’m doing now, I really like as well, and I want to keep it like this in GT; keep my driving style like this.”
Temerario Project, Trust in Audi: From VSR to Tresor
In 2024 he made that change as he joined VSR, sitting behind the wheel of the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 and competing in both the Lamborghini Super Trofeo and the Italian GT Sprint Cup. Adapting to a new way of driving was easier than expected. “Honestly, I adapted really fast. I think the simulator helped a lot as well; I did a lot of it during COVID. I was always in the simulator, so I think it helped a lot. And for me, it was really good to drive a GT. I was immediately going fast, not immediately in the first lap, but I really liked it, so it was easy to go.”
Success arrived in his second year with the team when the Lamborghini Junior driver won the Italian GT Sprint Cup while also competing in the GTWCE Silver Endurance Cup. In contrast to success in one championship, in the other he only finished 38th. For this year he made the move to Tresor Attempto Racing, driving the Audi R8 LMS GT3.
Reflecting on how last season went, he sums up the reason for making the switch: “Tresor gave me a good opportunity. To come here and do this championship.”
The Audi driver currently competes in Italian GT both Sprint and Endurance and in the GTWCE Silver Sprint Cup in the #66 and in the Gold Endurance Cup in the #99 car.
“I know that VSR is really fast in the Italian championship, but in GTWCE they were missing something. So I decided to… Tresor gave me a big opportunity. They tested me, they wanted me to come to them. Also last year, I was in the middle of a championship, so why not? The car is fast, we were fast, and it was a big opportunity for me.”
Despite knowing about the development of the Lamborghini Temerario, he still believes in the path he is currently on. “Audi seems like it’s coming back, and I’d like to stay. It would be a good opportunity if they come back. And I knew that the Temerario was coming, but I also knew that the first year would be… difficult for them to develop, because it’s a different car from the Huracán. The Huracán was really fast, and matching it won’t be easy for Lamborghini. They’re trying to make it better for sure, but I still know that I made the right choice.”
Making the switch from an Italian to a German‑based team was something he had to get used to. “It was not easy because everyone at VSR was Italian. It was my first time going to a non‑Italian team; every nationality has a different culture. So you have to immediately understand their culture. Not too difficult, but never easy. But now I’m doing well with them. I’m really liking it.”
Elaborating further on the switch machinery‑wise, he says: “It’s quite similar. The only thing that really changed was the aero package. The Lambo suffered a lot in the slipstream, also because of the airscoop on the top. But the Audi; nothing. In the slipstream it’s really fast. Mechanically it’s similar: the dampers are the same, the engine is the same, the gearbox is the same. So for me, it was quite easy.”
Learning Fast, Staying Ice‑Cold
With several races under his belt with the team, one of them being the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, he adapts quickly, and despite not finishing the challenging race, he takes plenty of knowledge with him going forward. “Doing the race in the Gold class is different for me. Because I did it last year in Silver class, but I also didn’t finish there. I didn’t race at all, and I didn’t race this year either. But in Gold class you have to be perfect. You can’t miss anything or make mistakes at all. For the future I will bring a lot of experience, because qualifying was different this year; three drivers in qualifying was another thing.”
Another highlight was recently scoring second place in the first qualifying session and lining up alongside home hero Valentino Rossi at Misano World Circuit for the first race of the second Sprint Cup round of GTWCE. Pressure didn’t get to him at all, as the 19‑year‑old stayed ice‑cold. “Pressure is always there, but I try to manage it. I know that if you don’t feel pressure, you don’t care about the race. I think this time I managed the pressure quite well.”
For the rest of the season in both GTWCE and Italian GT, the targets are clear. “For this season, for sure the championships are still open, but not so much as it was at the beginning. Now I think the most open championship is the Italian Sprint, so we will try to give our maximum and maybe take enough points to fight for the championship.”
On a personal level he knows what to do for the rest of the season to grow even faster as a young driver and get the best out of himself. “Adapt to different driving styles, every lap. Adapt, adapt, adapt. And I think it’s something I’m bringing here as well.”
