FREC: Two Podiums But a Mixed Weekend for R-ace GP at Le Castellet

20 Jul 2026

r-ace gp FREC emanuele olivier podium deuxième rookie win paul ricard

20 July 2026 – The sixth round of the FREC championship took place this weekend at the Paul Ricard circuit, in France. A mixed meeting, with some excellent performances from Emanuele Olivieri (double podium and double win in the Rookie category), but more nuanced results for Rashid Al Dhaheri and Yuki Sano.

Free Practice

In FP1, Emanuele Olivieri finished 6th, ahead of Rashid Al Dhaheri in 7th and Yuki Sano in 21st. In FP2, Rashid Al Dhaheri took 3rd place, just ahead of Emanuele Olivieri in 4th, while Yuki Sano finished 17th.

Qualifying and Race 1

In Q1, Rashid Al Dhaheri qualified 4th, ahead of Emanuele Olivieri in 5th and Yuki Sano in 19th.

In the race, contact between Al Dhaheri and Olivieri dropped the Emirati driver to the back of the field. Emanuele Olivieri stepped onto the podium with a strong 2nd place and claimed victory in the Rookie category. Yuki Sano finished 9th, ahead of Rashid Al Dhaheri in 26th.

r-ace gp FREC emanuele olivier podium deuxième rookie win paul ricard 2

Qualifying and Race 2

In Q2, Emanuele Olivieri set pole position with a lap in 1:57.35. Unfortunately, a penalty forced him to start from fourth place. Rashid Al Dhaheri qualified 10th and Yuki Sano 23rd.

In the race, Emanuele Olivieri fought back into the top 3, securing another podium with a 2nd-place finish and a second Rookie category win. Rashid Al Dhaheri finished 6th, ahead of Yuki Sano in 18th.

Mixed results, but the title still within reach

Despite once again showing a strong level of performance, the team was unable to fully convert its potential into points, missing out on some important opportunities in the championship.

As the final rounds of the season approach, the fight for the title is intensifying. Rashid Al Dhaheri remains among the contenders for the drivers’ title, now joined by Emanuele Olivieri following his strong performances this weekend. This confirms the team’s competitiveness and promises an action-packed end to the season.

More determined than ever, the team is now focused on the upcoming rounds at Imola and Hockenheim, with the goal of converting performance into results and finishing the season in the best possible way.

To watch the races, click here.

FREC: R-ace GP Dominates at Monza and the Hungaroring

06 Jul 2026

6 July 2026 – R-ace GP came back stronger than ever over the FREC’s last two rounds, at Monza and then the Hungaroring. In five races, the Vendée-based team added eight more podiums to its tally, including four wins. Here’s a look back at two outstanding rounds.

Round 4: Monza

The weekend gets underway with free practice. Emanuele Olivieri finishes 14th, ahead of Rashid Al Dhaheri (17th) and Yuki Sano (22nd).

In Qualifying 1, Olivieri backs that up by setting the 2nd fastest time, with Al Dhaheri 5th and Sano 14th.

In Race 1, Olivieri crosses the line 2nd overall and takes the Rookie win, while Al Dhaheri finishes 12th. Sano, meanwhile, is forced to retire.

Race 2 goes the way of Al Dhaheri, who claims victory after a superb recovery drive from P8 to P1. Sano finishes 22nd, and Olivieri retires.

Emanuele Olivieri sets the outright fastest time in Qualifying 2, with a lap of 1:45.102, ahead of Sano (14th) and Al Dhaheri (26th).

The Italian goes on to complete the double, winning both overall and in the Rookie classification. Yuki Sano also delivers a fantastic drive, climbing from P14 to P3 to score his first podium in a European championship. Rashid Al Dhaheri finishes 9th.

Round 5: Hungaroring

The team then heads to the Hungaroring for round five of the season. R-ace GP sets the pace from the start of free practice, with Olivieri topping the first session ahead of Sano (4th) and Al Dhaheri (5th). The second session is trickier, with Al Dhaheri 9th, Sano 12th and Olivieri 21st.

In qualifying for Race 1, Yuki Sano claims his first-ever FREC pole position with a lap of 1:37.760, ahead of Al Dhaheri (3rd) and Olivieri (4th). The Japanese driver makes it count, converting pole into victory, with Al Dhaheri 2nd and Olivieri 4th — the latter also taking the Rookie win.

FREC R-race GP Hungaroring Rashid Al Dhaheri Yuki Sano

For Race 2, it’s Rashid Al Dhaheri’s turn to take pole, with a lap in 1:37.639, ahead of Sano (3rd) and Olivieri (4th). The Emirati driver turns pole into a race win, with Olivieri adding another podium in 3rd. Sano finishes 19th.

R-ace GP and Rashid Al Dhaheri lead the championship

Rashid Al Dhaheri retakes the lead of the Drivers’ Championship with 151 points, while Emanuele Olivieri climbs to 4th with 116 points. In the Teams’ Championship, R-ace GP holds onto top spot with 322 points.

See you from 17-19 July at Circuit Paul Ricard for round six of the season!

FREC R-race GP Hungaroring Rashid Al Dhaheri Emanuele Olivieri

FREC R-race GP Hungaroring Rashid Al Dhaheri

FREC R-race GP Hungaroring Rashid Al Dhaheri EMANUELE OLIVIERI Yuki Sano

To watch the races, click here.

FREC: Rashid Al Dhaheri Takes the Drivers’ Championship Lead at Spa-Francorchamps

02 Jun 2026

June 2, 2026 – Fresh from Zandvoort, R-ace GP headed straight to Spa-Francorchamps for the third round of the FREC season. Despite challenging weather conditions, the team made the most of the Belgian weekend and continued its upward trajectory. Strong qualifying pace, two more podium finishes and the championship lead for Rashid Al Dhaheri: a highly positive weekend all around.

Friday: Free Practice and Qualifying 1

On Friday morning, Emanuele Olivieri (#73) topped the Free Practice 1 timesheets with a best lap of 2:12.906. Rashid Al Dhaheri (#71) finished 11th, while Yuki Sano (#12) ended the session in 25th place.

Later in the afternoon, the trio delivered an excellent qualifying performance for Race 1. Rashid Al Dhaheri set the fastest time in his group with a lap of 2:14.523, while Yuki Sano secured P3, just ahead of his Italian teammate Emanuele Olivieri.

R-ace gp FREC Spa round 3 Emanuele Olivieri

Saturday: Race 1

Following a violent storm and heavy rainfall at Spa-Francorchamps, Race 1 was moved to the afternoon slot originally allocated to Race 2, which was subsequently cancelled.

Rashid Al Dhaheri, Yuki Sano and Emanuele Olivieri lined up P2, P6 and P8 respectively on the starting grid. When the lights went out, Al Dhaheri held on to second place while Sano moved up to fifth. Behind them, Olivieri dropped to P9 following contact.

With the track still damp, the Safety Car was deployed several times due to incidents and off-track excursions.

Al Dhaheri launched several attacks and even briefly took the lead of the race. However, the battle remained intense and, despite a strong final-lap challenge, the Emirati driver crossed the line in second place. Further back, both Sano and Olivieri enjoyed strong recovery drives to finish P4 and P6 respectively.

R-ace gp FREC Spa round 3 Rashid Al Dhaheri Yuki Sano

Sunday: Qualifying 2 and Race 3

The sun returned to Spa-Francorchamps on Sunday. Rashid Al Dhaheri once again claimed pole position in his qualifying group during the second qualifying session, setting a lap time of 2:13.24. Emanuele Olivieri finished third in the session, while Yuki Sano faced a more difficult outing and ended up P9.

The race got underway early in the afternoon, with Al Dhaheri starting from P2, Olivieri from P6 and Sano from P18. By lap two, both Al Dhaheri and Olivieri had lost one position, while Sano had climbed to 16th.

Al Dhaheri took the chequered flag in third place, scoring enough points to move into the lead of the Drivers’ Championship. Olivieri finished P8, while Sano came home in P16.

The weekend concludes on a positive note, marking another step forward for the team.

The next stop is Monza on June 20–21 for Round 4 of the championship.

To watch the races, click here.

R-ace GP on All Fronts Between Zandvoort (FREC) and Vallelunga (Italian F4)

25 May 2026

round 2 frec zandvoort r-ace gp yuki sano

25 May 2026 – It was a busy weekend for the Vendée-based team, competing simultaneously at Zandvoort for the second round of the Formula Regional European Championship (FREC) and at Vallelunga for the second round of the Italian F4 Championship. Here’s a look back at both events.

FREC: A Weekend of Progress Rewarded with a Podium at Zandvoort

Friday: Free Practice

The weekend got off to a cautious start for the team. Rashid Al Dhaheri (#71) finished P15, ahead of teammate Emanuele Olivieri (#73), while Yuki Sano (#12) ended the opening session in P22.

In the afternoon, Al Dhaheri improved his pace and moved closer to the top ten. Olivieri and Sano finished P18 and P23 respectively.

round 2 frec zandvoort r-ace gp rashid al dhaheri

Saturday: Qualifying and Race 1

The team’s overnight improvements paid off immediately in qualifying, with all three cars securing places inside the top ten. Emanuele Olivieri qualified fifth, Rashid Al Dhaheri eighth and Yuki Sano tenth.

In the afternoon race, Emanuele Olivieri claimed his first FREC podium. The Italian finished third overall and took victory in the Rookie class. Rashid Al Dhaheri narrowly missed out on the podium with fifth place, while Yuki Sano crossed the line in P18.

round 2 frec zandvoort r-ace gp emanuele olivieri

Sunday: Qualifying and Race 2

On Sunday morning, the team continued to build on its performance in Qualifying 2. Rashid Al Dhaheri and Emanuele Olivieri qualified fourth and fifth respectively. It was a more difficult session for Yuki Sano, who posted the 20th fastest time.

Race 2 ended with a fourth-place finish for Rashid Al Dhaheri. Emanuele Olivieri crossed the line in sixth place, while Yuki Sano finished 16th

Weekend Summary

After a challenging start, the team successfully identified its weaknesses and improved throughout the weekend. Although Zandvoort’s demanding and technical layout prevented the team from converting its pace into a pole position or victory, valuable championship points were secured.

The next round takes place at Monza on 20–21 June.

To watch the races, click here.

Italian F4: Strong Recovery Drives at Vallelunga

Qualifying

In Group 1, Kenzo Craigie (#34) qualified ninth while Tomika Gender (#33) finished 19th. In Group 2, Andy Consani (#30) delivered a strong performance to set the third-fastest time, while Emily Cotty (#42) ended the session in 18th

Race 1

On the opening lap, Kenzo Craigie, running 12th at the time, spun after contact with another driver. The Brit was forced to pit for a puncture. A few laps later, Andy Consani lost his front wing and also had to make an unscheduled pit stop.

Emily Cotty crossed the finish line in P19, followed by Kenzo Craigie, Andy Consani and Tomika Gender.

Race 2

Starting sixth on the grid, Andy Consani made an excellent getaway and quickly moved into second place. He held the position all the way to the chequered flag, but a post-race penalty dropped him to P21. Tomika Gender finished P14, while Emily Cotty took P16.

F4 italy Vallelunga round 2 R-ace gp kenzo craigie tomika gender

Race 3

Starting from 12th on the grid, Kenzo Craigie produced an impressive recovery drive to finish fifth. He also claimed victory in the Rookie category and set the fastest lap of the race.

Final Race

Another strong performance followed from Craigie. Starting 15th, he charged through the field to finish eighth overall. He also secured second place in the Rookie classification. Tomika Gender and Emily Cotty finished P26 and P30 respectively.

F4 italy Vallelunga round 2 R-ace gp kenzo craigie

Weekend Summary

As in the opening round at Misano, the team showed strong pace in both qualifying and race conditions. However, race incidents and circumstances prevented that performance from being fully reflected in the final results.

The next round takes place at Monza on 20–21 June.

To watch the races again, click HERE.