R-ace GP, Runner-up of the 2026 Formula Regional Middle East Trophy

23 Feb 2026

r-ace gp formula regional middle east vice champion runner up 2026

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.

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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.

r-ace gp formula regional middle east vice champion runner up 2026 rashid al dhaheri

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.

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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.

r-ace gp formula regional middle east vice champion runner up 2026 yuki sano

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.

Duqueine Team and R-ace GP join forces for a new chapter in LMP2

06 Feb 2026

DUQUEINE TEAM ET R-ACE GP S’UNISSENT POUR UN NOUVEAU CHAPITRE EN LMP2.

Press release – Gilles Duqueine, founding president of DUQUEINE Team, has chosen to partner with R-ace GP for the operational management of his LMP2 team. Together, the two structures aim to create an agile, high-performance team aligned with a common vision.

Founded in 2014, DUQUEINE Team has been competing in the ELMS (European Le Mans Series) since 2018 with an ORECA 07 LMP2 and has participated in the 24 Hours of Le Mans six times, clinching a third-place finish in 2023 (N. Jani, R. Binder and N. Pino). Today, the team wishes to continue its commitment and take a new step forward by joining forces with R-ace GP.

Drawing on the expertise of the Vendée-based team, Gilles Duqueine has forged an alliance based on performance and ambition, facing the challenge of building an organisation capable of reconciling sporting excellence with budgetary rigour.

The meeting of two structures with shared values and ambitions

‘We needed a partner capable of meeting ambitious objectives within a controlled framework,’ explains Gilles Duqueine, president of DUQUEINE Team. ‘Thibaut de Mérindol and his team embody this culture of excellence, combining rigour with a constant quest for performance. Their entrepreneurial approach, already successful in single-seaters and LMP3, is a major asset for our LMP2 project. I am convinced that this synergy will enable us to build a structure where every detail will be optimised to achieve our sporting ambitions.’

Founded in 2011 by Thibaut de Mérindol and Cyril Comte, R-ace GP has forged a strong identity over the years through its successes in single-seater racing in Europe (Formula Renault Eurocup, NEC, FRECA and F4) and the Middle East (FR Middle East, F4 Middle East). In 2024, the team created an endurance program and entered the Michelin Le Mans Cup in the LMP3 category. It finished runner-up before winning the title the following year, in 2025. Today, R-ace GP has 10 Team Championship titles, 9 Driver Championship titles and more than 132 victories to its name.

A shared passion for motorsport and its fundamental values

‘At the end of 2023, convinced by Gilles and his teams’ sporting ambitions and technical expertise, we decided to collaborate with Duqueine Automotive to launch our LMP3 program,’ explains Thibaut de Mérindol. “It is clear that we share the same passion for the fundamental values of motorsport: competitiveness, technical expertise and team spirit, so it was only natural that the idea of an association with the aim of creating an ambitious LMP2 program was born. DUQUEINE Team is a fantastic project for R-ace GP, and we are committed to putting all our motor racing expertise at its service, with humility but also with lots of ambition,’concludes Thibaut de Mérindol.

One clear objective for DUQUEINE Team: the highest level of endurance racing

This association marks the beginning of a strategic and innovative collaboration, with the goal of raising DUQUEINE Team to the highest level of endurance racing. The two entities will combine their expertise to maximise results, offer a show that lives up to the expectations of racing enthusiasts and provide the best opportunities for drivers aspiring to a career in endurance racing.

To follow the next steps of the project, visit the Duqueine Team Facebook and Instagram pages.

Le Mans Cup: R-ace GP triumphs at Silverstone and wins the championship

16 Sep 2025

r-ace gp hadrien david hugo schwarze michelin le mans cup champion 2025 duqueiner-ace gp hadrien david hugo schwarze michelin le mans cup champion 2025 duqueine

15 September 2025 – The sixth round of the Michelin Le Mans Cup in Great Britain was dominated by R-ace GP. With the fastest time in free practice, pole position and victory in the race, Hadrien David and Hugo Schwarze gave their rivals no chance. It was a triumphant weekend that saw R-ace GP win its first endurance championship, two years after starting this new adventure.

Free practice

The #85 Duqueine D09 (Hadrien David and Hugo Schwarze) set the tone from the first session on Friday morning, topping the timesheets with a lap of 1:54.002. The #86 (Edgar Pierre and Antoine Doquin) finished 14th. In PRO/AM, the #88 (Romano Ricci and Ewan Thomas) came 15th.

It was the same story at the end of the day for the #85, which dominated free practice 2 standings with a lap of 1:54.623. The #86 and #88 improved their times and finished 7th in their respective categories.

Qualifying: second pole position in a row for Hadrien David

For the second time this season, Hadrien David in the #85 took pole position on Saturday morning. The Frenchman set the fastest lap in 1:53.023. Antoine Doquin in the #86 qualified in 8th position, as did Romano Ricci in the #88 in the PRO/AM category.

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Race: #85 wins and clinches the championship title

Hugo Schwarze started in the #85 and maintained his lead over his rivals. Behind him, Edgar Pierre in #86 moved up the rankings to close in on the top five. The same holds true in the PRO/AM class with Romano Ricci at the wheel of the #88.

The race was punctuated by several incidents, but the #85 remained firmly in the lead. Shortly before mid-race, Romano Ricci was involved in a collision and spun out. He managed to bring the #88 back to the pits, but the car remained stopped for several minutes for repairs and dropped down the rankings. It then rejoined the race with Ewan Thomas at the wheel.

At the front, the #85, now in the hands of Hadrien David, continued to lead the way. The gap narrowed and the pressure intensified lap after lap. However, David resisted the attacks and brilliantly defended his position. After an intense battle, the #85 crossed the finish line as winner, securing a second consecutive victory after Spa in August. The #86 finished in 11th place, while the #88 ranked 10th in its category.

As well as securing another victory, this result enabled R-ace GP to clinch the Michelin Le Mans Cup title in the LMP3 category! After a difficult start to the season, the Vendée-based team bounced back brilliantly and today marks a major milestone in its ambitious endurance programme.

See you on 18 October for the championship final in Portimao. This will be R-ace GP’s last chance to shine in the Michelin Le Mans Cup.

Click here to watch the race.

To follow our performances over the season, follow our Facebook and Instagram pages!

FRECA: First podium for Akshay Bohra in Zandvoort

09 Jun 2025

r-ace gp zandvoort round 3 freca akshay bohra podium third place 2025

The third meeting of the 2025 FRECA (Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine) season was held this weekend at the demanding Zandvoort circuit in the Netherlands. R-ace GP once again shone with its excellent qualifying performances, a third-place finish in Race 1 and a top-10 finish for its three drivers in Race 2.

In collective practice 1, Jin Nakamura (#11) set a good pace with the 4th fastest time, while Enzo Deligny (#23) set the 8th fastest time. Akshay Bohra (#31) finished P22. In the second session, Enzo Deligny went up a gear with a 2nd place. Jin Nakamura confirmed his consistency (P4), and Akshay Bohra made clear progress with 12th place.

Qualifying and Race 1: Bohra strikes hard

On Saturday, Akshay Bohra and Enzo Deligny put in an excellent performance in Group A’s qualifying. Bohra took pole position with a time of 1:37.391, ahead of his team-mate Deligny, who was also in fine form. In Group B, Jin Nakamura finished 5th.

In the race, Akshay Bohra kept up the pace and took a fine 3rd place at the finish. This podium is a first for him in FRECA, but also in any competition in Formula Regional. Enzo Deligny finished a solid 5th, while Jin Nakamura finished in P13.

Qualifying and race 2: another demonstration by the trio

Another strong performance in qualifying 2, on Sunday. Deligny and Bohra finished P2 and P3 respectively in their group, while Nakamura was P3 in his. This put the three young guns at the front of the field for Sunday’s race.

At the end of a heated race, the three drivers managed to finish in the top 6. Enzo Deligny took 4th place, followed by Jin Nakamura in 5th and Akshay Bohra in 6th. However, Akshay Bohra was penalised for a jump start and dropped back to 9th in the final rankings.

With qualifying increasingly under control and a consistency showing in the race, R-ace GP leaves Zandvoort with new points in its pocket and encouraging momentum. The championship will resume on July 5 in Budapest.

To rewatch this weekend’s races, go to FRECA Youtube channel.

To follow our performances throughout the season, check out our Facebook and Instagram pages!