24 April 2026 – The opening round of the FIA FREC (Formula Regional European Championship) took place this weekend at the Red Bull Ring circuit. It was a mixed first meeting for R-ace GP. Despite a superb first victory, podium finishes, and strong sporting potential, operational mistakes proved costly for the Vendée-based team.
Friday: Free Practice and Qualifying 1
The weekend began with the free practice sessions. Emanuele Olivieri, rookie in the championship (#73), finished 7th fastest. His teammate Rashid Al Dhaheri (#71), Formula Regional Middle East vice-champion, ended the session in P10, while Yuki Sano (#12), competing for the first time in a European championship, finished P16.
Qualifying for Race 1 took place in the afternoon. Rashid Al Dhaheri secured pole position in his group and the 2nd fastest overall time. Emanuele Olivieri set the 3rd fastest time in his group. The session was more difficult for Yuki Sano.
Saturday: Race 1 and Race 2
In Race 1, Rashid Al Dhaheri delivered a solid 2nd place finish thanks to a controlled race and intelligent management. Starting from P24 after a difficult qualifying session, Yuki Sano made an impressive comeback to P10 to score his first points in Europe. Unfortunately, a stall on the grid compromised Emanuele Olivieri’s race.
The highlight of the weekend came during Race 2. Starting from P11*, Emirati driver Rashid Al Dhaheri did an outstanding performance, fighting his way through the entire field to claim his first victory of the season. Emanuele Olivieri finished 6th and won in the Rookie category, while Yuki Sano finished 11th.
Sunday: Qualifying 2 and Race 3
In the morning, two technical errors heavily impacted the results of the second qualifying session: Rashid Al Dhaheri qualified P15 and Yuki Sano was disqualified. Two unintentional mistakes, but ones from which the team will draw the necessary lessons. Emanuele Olivieri secured 12th place on the starting grid.
In Race 3, another compromised start for Emanuele Olivieri led to unintended contact with Yuki Sano. Both drivers were forced to retire. Rashid Al Dhaheri once again delivered an excellent recovery drive, climbing from P15 to P5 thanks to outstanding race pace.
The Summary
Despite mixed results and costly mistakes for the team, the opening round of the FREC ended with important points, a superb victory for Rashid Al Dhaheri, and confirmation of the strong potential of both cars and drivers.
The team will return to action on May 22 at Zandvoort for the second round of the championship!
To watch the races, click here.