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.

r-ace gp formula regional middle east vice champion runner up 2026 2

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.