February 23, 2026 – After four weeks of competition, the 2026 Formula Regional Middle East Trophy concluded on February 13 at Lusail International Runner-up title. Let’s look back at this season’s highlights.

Season recap

The 2026 Formula Regional Middle East Trophy kicked off with a major change for the teams: the introduction of the brand-new Tatuus T-326.

Round 1: First podiums in Abu Dhabi

R-ace GP showed strong performances from the championship opener in Abu Dhabi on January 17. The French squad claimed its first pole position and collected its first podiums and victories thanks to Emirati driver Rashid Al Dhaheri, member of the Mercedes-AMG F1 Junior Program.

The team and Al Dhaheri quickly moved to the top of their respective championships.

Round 2: Double pole and double victory for Al Dhaheri

The team kept on building momentum during the second weekend in Abu Dhabi. Rashid Al Dhaheri dominated the field, taking pole position for Races 1 and 3 and converting both into victories.

Round 3: Olivieri joins the line-up and scores a podium

At the end of January, the championship headed to Dubai Autodrome for Round 3, with a new addition to the team: Emanuele Olivieri, 2025 Formula 4 Middle East Champion.

Japanese driver Yuki Sano delivered an excellent qualifying performance for Race 3 (P2), but a crash in Race 2 prevented him from taking the start. Despite this setback, Olivieri secured another podium for the team by finishing third in Race 3.

Round 4: A challenging finale in Qatar

Still leading both championships, R-ace GP faced a tough weekend in Qatar.

Engine reliability issues during pre-event testing, combined with internal operational challenges, affected the team’s preparation, and qualifying results fall short of the level shown earlier in the season.

Although the Vendée-based team managed to address its weaknesses before the races — efforts that paid off with Olivieri setting the fastest lap in Race 2 — the outcome was ultimately already decided.

R-ace GP and Rashid Al Dhaheri finished as Runner-ups in the Teams’ and Drivers’ standings. “This reminds us how high the level of competition is, and that this sport is the ultimate school of humility,” explains Team Principal Thibaut de Mérindol.

Season Review

A Strong Campaign and a Competitive Team

Despite a frustrating finale, the overall results of the Middle East campaign remain highly positive.

“We have been competitive from the start and throughout the first three rounds. Aside from the qualifying preparation issues in Qatar, we delivered strong results and had everything we needed to win,” says Thibaut de Mérindol.

This first competitive outing of the year also allowed the team to further understand the new Formula Regional car. “We hit the ground running and learned a great deal about the new car. Obviously, we haven’t yet explored its full potential and there is more work to be done during the off season”, he adds.

Al Dhaheri, Sano and Olivieri: A promising driver line-up

With four podiums including three victories, Rashid Al Dhaheri delivered a strong Middle East campaign. “We were pleased to see him perform at this level. Rashid is very offensive and shows a great attitude on track,” says de Mérindol.

Joining mid-season, Emanuele Olivieri immediately made an impression by securing a podium on his first appearance in Dubai. “Emanuele showed strong competitiveness and impressive pace straight away. He fully confirmed what we already believed about him,” de Mérindol summarizes.

Yuki Sano, member of the TGR-DC (Toyota Gazoo Racing’s junior development program), demonstrated steady progress throughout the season. “We understand the challenges for drivers coming from Japan, who must adapt to European-style motorsport. But Yuki has already made significant progress and we are very optimistic,” de Mérindol affirms.

All eyes on the European Season

Building on the lessons learned in the Middle East, R-ace GP now turns its focus to the European season with ambition and determination. “Our line-up is very well balanced and we clearly have the potential to fight for podiums — and even wins,” says de Mérindol.

The objective is clear: capitalize on the experience gained, continue developing the car, and turn the potential shown this winter into success on European circuits.

The team will be back in action on April 25 for the opening round of the Formula Regional European Championship in Austria.

Crowned champion in 2024, R-ace GP returned to defend its title in Formula Regional Middle East. After a difficult start that slowed its performance, the team, more determined than ever, bounced back to finish second in the championship and third in the drivers’ standings. 

‘’The first round in Abu Dhabi was a huge disappointment,’’ admits Thibaut de Mérindol, Team Principal of R-ace GP. The reason: the new tyre specifications, which gave the team a hard time and put the brakes on the hoped-for performances.

But by the third round in Dubai, R-ace GP had made an impressive recovery in the rankings. ‘’The reactivity of the team and drivers was exemplary,’’ says the team boss. ‘’It’s not easy to maintain a good state of mind when you get off to a bad start, especially in a short championship with one race following another. However, they were able to find solutions and recreate the momentum.’’ 

Drivers making progress

‘’Ugo [Ugochukwu] played a decisive role in the team,’’ he insists. ‘’He was the one who took on the role of leader and helped us turn the corner. We relied a lot on him.’’ The young American, who will continue his season in Formula 3, finished third in the drivers’ championship.

‘’Enzo [Deligny] has improved this season, but he still has a lot of work to do to reach the expected level and take on the role of leader. He can count on all the teams’s energy to support him and help him progress,’’ says Thibaut de Mérindol.

Jin Nakamura, meanwhile, has shown promising potential. ‘’He still needs to adapt culturally and technically to European motorsport, which is nothing like what he experienced in Japan. Here, he’s discovering a whole new way of working. His driving is still a little instinctive, but he has a real desire to learn and improve.’’

‘’Akshay [Bohra] struggled to bounce back after our difficult first weekend. But we saw his true worth, particularly during our tests last year. We know what he’s capable of once he regains his confidence’’, he concludes.

Lessons for the rest of the season

Despite a rocky start, R-ace GP has shown itself to be adaptable and resilient. While the title may have eluded them this year, the team will be taking away some solid lessons that will enable them to approach the rest of the season with ambition.

The European season kicks off in less than two months’ time, at the start of May. In the meantime, stay tuned on our social media – Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn – to find out more about our line-up in Formula Regional by Alpine (FRECA).

FRMEC season in numbers:

• 12 podium finishes.
• 4 wins.
• 4 second places.
• 4 third places.
• 259 points scored by the team starting from Round 3 (including 159 by Ugo Ugochukwu), making it the team with the most points scored over the last three rounds.
• 14 points difference with the leader of the team ranking.