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.

ELMS: Strong Pace but a Frustrating Result for R-ace GP at Paul Ricard

04 May 2026

ELMS european le mans series paul ricard le castellet round 2 pierre-alexandre provost fabien michal hugo schwarze r-ace gp

May 4, 2026 – This weekend marked the second round of the European Le Mans Series at Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet. Despite strong pace and solid qualifying performances, the race brought several challenges for the team, which was unable to convert the potential of the Duqueine D09 #85 into a victory.

Free Practice

On Friday morning, the #85 finished P9 in Free Practice 1. In the afternoon, Fabien Michal secured 4th place in the collective test session dedicated to bronze drivers. The following day, the Michal/Provost/Schwarze trio improved their pace and topped the Free Practice 2 timesheets with a best lap of 2:00.441.

Qualifying

Luxembourg driver Pierre-Alexandre Provost took the wheel of the #85 for qualifying and finished second in the session.

Race

The race got underway on Sunday at midday. Bronze driver Fabien Michal comfortably maintained second place at the start. Following contact between three competitors, the safety car was deployed for around twenty minutes. At the restart, Fabien Michal was hit from behind but managed to stay on track. He temporarily dropped to third place before reclaiming his original position.

Shortly before the halfway point, Pierre-Alexandre Provost took over the #85 and completed an excellent stint, climbing from 7th to 3rd place. The safety car returned, and the #85 pitted for its final driver change, with Hugo Schwarze taking over from Pierre-Alexandre Provost.

The German driver took the race lead with 30 minutes remaining before the chequered flag. Unfortunately, a stop-and-go penalty ended the #85’s hopes of victory. Hugo Schwarze rejoined the race in P5 and managed to cross the finish line in fourth position.

Another penalty was applied after the race, ultimately dropping the #85 to sixth place in the final classification.

“A lot of frustration, once again… Several factors went against us during this race and, just like after Barcelona, we have regrets because we were the fastest car on track.” Fabien Lavergne, Team Manager.

ELMS european le mans series paul ricard le castellet round 2 pierre-alexandre provost fabien michal hugo schwarze r-ace gp 3

“As a team, we win and lose together. Human error can happen, and we will all learn from this weekend to come back even stronger together. It was not our best weekend, but we did a very good job with the car’s performance. I’m very confident for the rest of the season.” Pierre-Alexandre Provost, Driver.

The next ELMS round will take place on July 3rd in Italy, at Imola!

To rewatch the 4 Hours of Le Castellet, click here.

Photo credit: Jules Beaumont

Pole Position and Podium on ELMS Debut for R-ace GP!

23 Apr 2026

r-ace gp podium elms barcelone pierre-alexandre provost fabien michal hugo schwarze

April 13, 2026 – This past weekend, R-ace GP kicked off its European endurance season in Barcelona and made its debut in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS). Despite its rookie status, the Vendée-based team immediately showed its potential by claiming pole position and finishing second in the 4 Hours of Barcelona. A look back at a highly successful start.

After several weeks of preparation, R-ace GP returned to the track for the opening round of the 2026 ELMS and Michelin Le Mans Cup seasons.

For its first-ever ELMS campaign, the team is fielding the Duqueine D09 #85, driven by Germany’s Hugo Schwarze (reigning Michelin Le Mans Cup champion with R-ace GP), Luxembourg’s Pierre-Alexandre Provost, and French Bronze driver Fabien Michal (2024 Michelin Le Mans Cup vice-champion with R-ace GP).

Prologue

Ahead of the official race weekend, teams and drivers took part in the traditional pre-season official tests, held over two days with two sessions per day.

The #85 finished P6 and P1 on the first day, then P4 and P1 on the second—very encouraging results for a rookie team.

Free Practice

On Friday, the #85 made a strong start by finishing second in FP1. In the afternoon, Fabien Michal finished P6 in the Bronze drivers’ collective test session. On Saturday morning, results were more moderate, with the crew finishing P7.

Qualifying

On Saturday afternoon, Hugo Schwarze, reigning Michelin Le Mans Cup Champion, delivered an outstanding performance and clinched pole position. The young German set the fastest lap in the LMP3 category with a lap in 1:36.524.

“The team worked extremely hard during testing, and I’m happy to reward that effort with this pole position—especially with a half-second margin over the rest of the field.” Hugo Schwarze.

Race

The start of the race was given at midday on Sunday. Several incidents occurred, but despite the chaotic conditions, Fabien Michal managed to pick his way through and retain the lead in the LMP3 category. After a 30-minute red flag period, the race resumed.

At mid-race, after a flawless stint, Fabien Michal pitted for the driver change. At the same time, two competitors collided on track, triggering a yellow flag followed by a Virtual Safety Car (VSC). Pierre-Alexandre Provost rejoined in second position.

“I spent my entire stint behind the leader—it was very frustrating. We had great pace, but it’s very difficult to overtake in dirty air. We know it’s often an issue at this circuit.” Pierre-Alexandre Provost.

Hugo Schwarze took over the #85 in the final hour. The German managed to close the gap to the leader by around fifteen seconds, but despite his efforts, the #85 crossed the finish line in second place.

“We’re obviously a bit disappointed with second place, as we had the pace to win the race. We were unlucky with the VSC, which was deployed just as we exited the pits and cost us a lot of time. But overall, the weekend remains very positive. Our drivers were highly competitive and we’ve secured valuable championship points. It’s a very strong ELMS debut for the team.” Fabien Lavergne, Team Manager.

r-ace gp podium elms barcelone pole position

The team will return in a few weeks’ time for the second round of the ELMS at Circuit Paul Ricard in Le Castellet.

To rewatch the 4 Hours of Barcelona, click here.

Photo credit: Jules Beaumont

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.

r-ace gp formula regional middle east vice champion runner up 2026 4

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.