The FIA Formula Regional European Championship is pleased to announce that the Team Selection process for the 2027 Championship season is now officially open.

Teams interested in applying for participation in the 2027 FIA Formula Regional European Championship are invited to request the relevant Expression of Interest documentation by contacting the Championship Operations office.

The deadline for the submission of applications is 21 August 2026.

For further information or to request the application documents, please contact:

📧 operation@fiafrec.com

Applications will be assessed in accordance with the Team Selection process and timeline established by the Championship and the FIA.

The 2026 FIA Formula Regional European Championship post-season tests have been confirmed, with all ten teams set to return to the track as preparations for the 2027 campaign.

The first two-day test will get underway at Hockenheim, Germany, on 15–16 September, just days after the circuit stages the eighth and final round of the 2026 campaign.

Action will resume at Circuit Paul Ricard in France on 22–23 September, before the final test at Austria's Red Bull Ring on 29–30 September, at the circuit that hosted the opening round of the 2026 season last April.

The three test events will offer teams and drivers an important opportunity to begin preparations for the 2027 season.

The programme will also serve as the final preparation ahead of the FIA Formula Regional World Cup in Macau on 19–22 November, where the championship's new second-generation cars will make their debut on the streets of the legendary Guia Circuit.

Hockenheim, Germany - 15–16 September
Paul Ricard, France - 22–23 September
Red Bull Ring, Austria - 29–30 September

Sebastian Wheldon claimed his first victory since Zandvoort in the second and final race of the FIA Formula Regional European Championship weekend at Paul Ricard. The MP Motorsport driver, who inherited pole position after a post-qualifying penalty was handed to R-ace GP's Emanuele Olivieri, went on to claim victory and score valuable championship points. R-ace GP's Rashid Al Dhaheri, who arrived in France leading the championship, finished sixth.

Thanks to his third-place finish, combined with victory in Saturday's opening race, PREMA Racing's Kean Nakamura-Berta leads the championship with a 13-point advantage over joint second-placed Rashid Al Dhaheri and Sebastian Wheldon. Olivieri once again underlined his consistency by securing his second runner-up finish of the weekend and now sits just seven points behind the pair in the standings.

Having started from the front row, MP Motorsport's Alexander Abkhazava finished third before a five-second time penalty demoted him to fifth.

RACE REPORT

At the start, Abkhazava got the better of polesitter Wheldon to take the lead, while CL Motorsport's Reno Francot, starting from the second row, held onto third ahead of Olivieri and Nakamura-Berta.

During the opening lap, Wheldon reclaimed first place, while Trident Motorsport's Andrija Kostić was forced into retirement following contact with team-mate Kai Daryanani, which left his car with terminal damage to the left-rear suspension and brought out the Safety Car.

Following two laps of neutralisation, racing resumed with Wheldon leading Abkhazava, who immediately came under pressure from Francot. Behind them, Olivieri defended fourth from Nakamura-Berta and Salim Hanna.

On lap four, Francot moved ahead of Abkhazava, but the MP Motorsport driver fought back one lap later to reclaim second. Olivieri capitalised on the battle by overtaking Francot for third, before the Dutch driver also lost out to Nakamura-Berta. Meanwhile, Gómez passed Hanna to move into sixth.

On lap six, Francot spun and dropped to the back of the field. With 11 minutes remaining, Olivieri overtook Abkhazava to move into second and began chasing Wheldon, who had already built an advantage of almost three seconds over the rest of the field. Wheldon crossed the line to seal victory, extending his margin over Olivieri, who finished 6.142 seconds adrift.

Sebastian Wheldon (MP Motorsport, Race 1 winner): "It's great to be back on the top step of the podium. It's been a while since my last win at Zandvoort, and we've had a couple of difficult rounds, so this result is a real boost for everyone. The confidence and the pace are there, and now we'll focus on making the most of the final two rounds and scoring as many points as possible. During the race I could see the battles behind me, so I managed my Race Mode carefully and was able to use it on the final lap to set the fastest lap. Now the goal is simply to keep doing our best and maximise every opportunity until the end of the championship."

Emanuele Olivieri (R-ace GP, 2nd and Rookie winner): "Starting from fourth after the qualifying penalty, my only focus was on myself and on the race. I think we had a really strong pace and I was able to maximise everything we had. Of course, I wanted to win because I believe we had the speed to do it and we deserved it, but I'm still very happy with the weekend. We've always had the pace, even if things haven't always gone our way. Over the last few months I've gained a lot of confidence and worked closely with the team on the areas where I could improve, and it's really satisfying to see that work paying off. The championship is still wide open and I'll keep fighting until the very end."

The series will now take a break of more than a month before returning to action in September for the final two rounds of the season at Imola and Hockenheim.

Sebastian Wheldon will start from pole position for Race 2 of the FIA Formula Regional European Championship at Paul Ricard after Emanuele Olivieri was handed a post-qualifying three-place grid penalty. The MP Motorsport driver inherits the top spot on the grid, with team-mate Alexander Abkhazava joining him on the front row.

The Italian had initially claimed his second pole position of the season with a 1:57.350, beating Freddie Slater's lap record from last year by just one thousandth of a second. However, the R-ace GP driver was demoted three places on the grid after his mechanics worked on the car before it was correctly parked in the pit lane.

Race 1 winner and new championship leader Kean Nakamura-Berta finished third in Group A. In Group B, R-ace GP's Rashid Al Dhaheri was fifth, behind Wheldon, CL Motorsport's Reno Francot, MP Motorsport's Zhenrui Chi and Rodin Motorsport's Gabriel Gomez.

GROUP B

With temperatures slightly lower than earlier on Saturday, Wheldon set the pace with a 1:57.887, just shy of the Qualifying 1 pole time. Gomez slotted into second, 0.089s adrift, before Wheldon improved again to a 1:57.571. Francot then moved up to second, just 0.029s behind, while Gomez dropped to fourth behind Chi.

Wheldon continued to push, setting the fastest first sector before lowering the benchmark to a 1:57.429. Francot also improved to consolidate second with a 1:57.600, while Chi and Gomez remained third and fourth respectively, with Al Dhaheri completing the top five.

GROUP A

PREMA Racing's Salim Hanna was the first to set a competitive benchmark with a 1:57.949, before Olivieri moved to the top of the timesheets with a 1:57.874. Abkhazava then climbed to second, just 0.010s adrift, while Nakamura-Berta improved to third with a 1:57.905 before going quickest on his next lap with a 1:57.680. Abkhazava remained second, 0.078s behind.

With only a few minutes remaining, Olivieri was forced to return to the pits after damaging his front wing in an off-track excursion. The R-ace GP driver rejoined the session and, with just 11 seconds left on the clock, began his final flying lap. After improving in the second sector and setting the fastest third sector, he set the fastest time overall. Abkhazava finished second, more than three tenths adrift, just 0.013s clear of Nakamura-Berta. Hanna and RPM's Jan Przyrowski completed the top five in fourth and fifth respectively.

The final race of the weekend will get underway at 16:25 CEST and will be broadcast in more than 200 territories worldwide, and will be also live streamed on the championship's official YouTube channel, @fiaformularegionaleu.

Full broadcast details are available here.

Kean Nakamura-Berta claimed victory in the opening race of the Paul Ricard weekend to secure his third win of the season, drawing level with Rashid Al Dhaheri and moving to the top of the standings. Having secured his fifth pole position of the year in Qualifying 1, the PREMA Racing driver made the perfect start to the sixth of eight rounds of the FIA Formula Regional European Championship.

Emanuele Olivieri finished second to secure his second consecutive podium. The R-ace GP driver also claimed Rookie honours and scored points for the tenth time this season, moving up to third in the standings behind team-mate Al Dhaheri, whose race unravelled after an unfortunate opening-lap incident. MP Motorsport's Alexander Abkhazava completed the podium in third, while team-mate Sebastian Wheldon, who had briefly taken the lead at the start, eventually finished fifth.

RACE REPORT

Even before the start, Saqer Almaosherji was forced to pull over with a technical issue, leaving his car stranded at the side of the circuit. Following an additional formation lap, Wheldon made an excellent getaway, diving to the inside into Turn 1 to snatch the lead from polesitter Nakamura-Berta.

Abkhazava retained third place, while Olivieri moved ahead of Al Dhaheri. The two R-ace GP drivers then made contact, forcing Al Dhaheri into the pits and dropping him to the back of the field.

Rodin Motorsport’s Gabriel Gomez consequently inherited fourth place, ahead of Salim Hanna. However, Hanna's race also took a setback after contact with Alex Ninovic sent him into a spin at the exit of the final corner at the end of lap 2, relegating the PREMA Racing driver to the rear of the pack.

Nakamura-Berta reclaimed the lead on lap 3. Shortly afterwards, Abkhazava moved into second. On Lap 7, Olivieri overtook Wheldon as well to take third before closing in on Abkhazava. The pair engaged in a fierce battle for second place, with the Italian finally completing the move with just over two minutes remaining on the clock. At the same moment, Gomez also overtook Wheldon to move into fourth.

Nakamura-Berta eventually crossed the finish line more than four seconds clear of Olivieri, with Abkhazava completing the podium. Gomez finished fourth ahead of Wheldon, while Ninovic took sixth. MP Motorsport's Zhenrui Chi finished seventh, ahead of PREMA Racing's Tomass Stolcermanis and R-ace GP's Yuki Sano, with CL Motorsport's Reno Francot completing the top 10.

Kean Nakamura-Berta (PREMA Racing, Race 1 winner): "It's been an incredibly hot weekend. The race was really demanding because we didn't have any Safety Car interruptions, so we were pushing flat out all the way to the finish. We even had an extra formation lap, which made it even tougher. The conditions were challenging for everyone, not just the drivers but also the tyres and the car, so there was a lot to manage throughout the race. I was pushing hard right to the final laps, which probably took a bit more out of me both mentally and physically, so I'm definitely feeling it now. But I'm really happy with the result."

Emanuele Olivieri (R-ace GP, 2nd and Rookie winner):"I knew I had to fight for the overall result. Starting from a good position here at Paul Ricard gave us a great opportunity, and the team provided me with a really competitive car. Our pace was strong throughout the race. It was a tough race with some contact and a few good overtakes, but I really enjoyed it. I'm delighted to finish P2 and score another podium."

Alexander Abkhazava (MP Motorsport, 3rd): "It was a tough race. I managed to overtake my team-mate at the start and then spent a few laps chasing Kean. After that I had a good battle with Olivieri, but I lost second place towards the end. The beginning of the season was quite difficult, but I feel I'm in a much better place now. The MP Motorsport car has been really competitive and I'm happy to be back on the podium."

Action resumes tomorrow with Qualifying 2 at 09:05 CEST, followed by the final race of the weekend at 16:20 CEST.

Both Qualifying 2 and Race 2 will be streamed live on the championship's official YouTube channel, @fiaformularegionaleu. Race 2 will also be broadcast in more than 200 territories worldwide. Full broadcast details are available here.

***

The results of Race 1 have been revised following a series of post-race penalties.

Alex Ninovic received a 10-second penalty for causing a collision with Salim Hanna. The Rodin Motorsport Australian, who had originally finished fifth, dropped to tenth.

R-ace GP's Yuki Sano was also handed a three-place grid penalty after gaining an advantage over Reno Francot by leaving the track and rejoining, falling from ninth to 12th.

PREMA Racing's Tomass Stolcermanis was penalised for a collision with Ninovic. Having crossed the line in eighth, he was demoted to 15th.

Penalties were also issued to Trident Motorsport drivers Andrija Kostić and Kai Daryanani, who finished 23rd and 24th respectively, as well as CL Motorsport's Noah Lisle, who ended 25th.

A super-fast Kean Nakamura-Berta claimed top honours in Qualifying 1 at Paul Ricard, securing his fifth pole position of the FIA Formula Regional European Championship season. The PREMA Racing driver will line up on pole for Saturday's opening race after setting a best lap of 1:57.824.

Joining him on the front row will be MP Motorsport's Sebastian Wheldon, who bounced back from a difficult Hungaroring weekend, where he failed to score points, by topping Group B ahead of championship leader Rashid Al Dhaheri (R-ace GP).

GROUP A

With just over two minutes remaining, Nakamura-Berta became the first driver to dip close to the 1m58s barrier, posting a 1:58.076. R-ace GP's Emanuele Olivieri slotted into second, two tenths adrift, while MP Motorsport's Alexander Abkhazava was third, a little further back.

In the closing moments, Nakamura-Berta embarked on his final flying lap, setting the fastest first and third sectors before stopping the clocks at 1:57.824. Olivieri also improved, initially retaining second with a 1:57.912, before being edged out by Abkhazava, who finished just five thousandths of a second shy of Nakamura-Berta's benchmark.

Marcus Saeter secured an encouraging fourth place, although the G4 Racing driver narrowly missed out on breaking the 1m58s barrier. Behind him was the second PREMA Racing driver, Salim Hanna.

It proved to be a difficult qualifying session for Yuki Sano, who had claimed his maiden victory of the season at the Hungaroring. The R-ace GP Japanese driver could manage only tenth in his group, behind the three ART Grand Prix drivers Kabir Anurag, Mattéo Giaccardi and Alexandre Munoz, as well as RPM's Jan Przyrowski.

GROUP B

CL Motorsport's Reno Francot was the first to post a representative lap with a 1:57.960, but Sebastian Wheldon immediately went three thousandths quicker. The MP Motorsport driver then improved again to a 1:57.832, while Gabriel Gomez climbed to second with a 1:57.898, 21 thousandths ahead of his Rodin Motorsport team-mate Alex Ninovic. Behind them, Al Dhaheri moved into fourth with a 1:57.945, dropping Francot to fifth.

As the chequered flag approached, Al Dhaheri produced the fastest opening sector of the session with a 32.226, backed up by another strong final sector, to climb into second with a 1:57.854. Wheldon was unable to improve but comfortably held on to the fastest time in the group. Gomez completed the top three ahead of Ninovic, with Francot rounding out the top five.

Kean Nakamura-Berta (PREMA Racing): "It was really close in the end, especially watching Group B from the pit wall. I think we did a really good job in our group. We looked consistently quick throughout the whole session and managed to come away with pole, which wasn't something we necessarily expected. It's a great way to start the weekend and now we'll see what we can do in the race. The team did an incredible job with the car, as always. Hungary was a bit of a difficult weekend for us, but we've bounced back strongly. The team has done an excellent job and we've felt competitive around Paul Ricard ever since pre-season testing. We knew this circuit could suit us, and I think we've shown exactly that."

Sebastian Wheldon (MP Motorsport): "Overall, it was a positive session, especially after what happened in Hungary, which was a real disaster for us. It was good to bounce back. I'm a little disappointed because I knew I had the pace to take the overall fastest time, but a small mistake on my final lap cost me that. Still, we're in a strong position, so now the focus shifts to the race. I'm not thinking about the championship at this stage. It's still too early for that. Right now, my only focus is on doing the best job possible and maximising every opportunity."

The first of the weekend's two races will get underway at 12:55 CEST and will be broadcast in more than 200 territories worldwide, with live streaming also available on the championship's official YouTube channel, @fiaformularegionaleu.

Full broadcast details are available here.

Sebastian Wheldon emerged as the fastest driver overall across the two Free Practice sessions that opened the sixth round of the FIA Formula Regional European Championship at Paul Ricard. The MP Motorsport driver set the quickest lap of the day in the afternoon session with a 1:58.588, improving on the morning's benchmark of 1:59.187 posted by PREMA Racing's Kean Nakamura-Berta.

Maksimilian Popov ended the second session just 0.079s adrift of Wheldon, securing second place for Trident Motorsport. Championship leader Rashid Al Dhaheri completed the top three, a little over one tenth off the pace, ahead of his R-ace GP team-mate Emanuele Olivieri, who was the fastest Rookie. MP Motorsport duo Zhenrui Chi and Alexander Abkhazava finished fifth and sixth respectively, while CL Motorsport’s Reno Francot once again featured among the frontrunners. Nakamura-Berta, who had topped the opening session ahead of PREMA Racing team-mate Salim Hanna, was eighth in FP2. Rodin Motorsport’s Gabriel Gomez claimed ninth, while home favourites Jules Roussel (CL Motorsport) and Alexandre Munoz (ART Grand Prix) completed the top 11 on French soil.

The opening stages of the afternoon session saw the R-ace GP pair of Olivieri and Al Dhaheri establish themselves at the top of the order. With exactly 30 minutes remaining, the Italian set the provisional benchmark of 1:59.432, having been quickest in both the first and third sectors, finishing more than two tenths clear of his team-mate. Francot was also among the early pace-setters, while he and Popov became the first drivers to break the two-minute barrier.

As the session entered its closing stages, Popov moved to the top with a 1:59.338. Olivieri then reclaimed first place with a 1:59.040 before MP Motorsport’s Alexander Abkhazava delivered a 1:58.922 to take over at the top. Al Dhaheri responded with a 1:58.711, but Popov closed to within 0.032s of the Emirati thanks to an impressive final sector. Wheldon also moved into contention, climbing to third only 0.013s behind Popov and less than one tenth ahead of Olivieri. The American driver then produced the fastest lap of the day, a 1:58.588, to secure the top spot, with Popov ultimately finishing second, 0.079s adrift.

The opening Free Practice session saw Al Dhaheri become the first driver to dip below the two-minute barrier, posting a 1:59.995 with just under 30 minutes remaining to edge Rodin Motorsport’s Gabriel Gomez by 0.074s. His benchmark was soon eclipsed by Van Amersfoort Racing’s Francisco Macedo, who recorded a 1:59.843 to move to the top of the timesheets. Wheldon then climbed to second with a 1:59.925 before improving to a 1:59.767 on his next attempt to briefly take over at the summit.

With seven minutes left on the clock, Nakamura-Berta delivered a 1:59.353 to move back into first place. PREMA Racing team-mates Hanna and Tomass Stolcermanis also made strong progress, with Hanna moving into second, just 0.160s off the pace, while Stolcermanis secured third with a 1:59.592.

In the closing minutes, Nakamura-Berta found even more performance, lowering the benchmark to a session-best 1:59.187. Wheldon, who had already crossed the finish line, eventually dropped to tenth, while a late improvement from Rodin Motorsport’s Alex Ninovic elevated him to third, relegating Stolcermanis to fourth by the chequered flag.

Track action continues tomorrow with the first Qualifying session scheduled for 09:00 CEST, followed by Race 1 at 12:55 CEST. On Sunday, Qualifying 2 will get underway at 09:05 CEST before the second race of the weekend, which is set to start at 16:20 CEST.

Both qualifying sessions and races will be streamed live on the championship’s official YouTube channel, @fiaformularegionaleu.

Kean Nakamura-Berta topped Friday's Free Practice 1 at Paul Ricard with a best lap of 1:59.187 in an uninterrupted session. The PREMA Racing driver finished more than three tenths clear of team-mate Salim Hanna. Rodin Motorsport's Alex Ninovic climbed to third with a late improvement after the chequered flag had fallen, edging out PREMA Racing's Tomass Stolcermanis, who ended the session as the leading Rookie.

Championship leader Rashid Al Dhaheri finished seventh, behind R-ace GP team-mate Emanuele Olivieri. Miguel Costa (RPM), Reza Seewooruthun (Rodin Motorsport) and Sebastian Wheldon (MP Motorsport) rounded out the top ten.

Al Dhaheri was the first driver to break the two-minute barrier in the early stages, posting a 1:59.995 with just under 30 minutes remaining to move 0.074s ahead of Rodin Motorsport’s Gabriel Gomez.

The benchmark was soon lowered by Van Amersfoort Racing’s Francisco Macedo, who set a 1:59.843 to move to the top of the timesheets. Wheldon then moved into second with a 1:59.925, before improving on his next lap to a 1:59.767, which put him at the head of the field.

With seven minutes remaining, Nakamura-Berta produced a 1:59.353 to move into first place. PREMA Racing team-mates Hanna and Stolcermanis followed him up the order, the former just 0.160s adrift, while Stolcermanis posted a 1:59.592 to go third.

In the closing moments, Nakamura-Berta improved once more to a session-best 1:59.187. Wheldon, one of the first drivers to take the chequered flag, slipped to ninth, while Ninovic delivered a late improvement to secure third place, relegating Stolcermanis to fourth by the end of the session.

The second 50-minute Free Practice session gets underway at 16:46 CEST this afternoon.

The FIA Formula Regional European Championship heads to Le Castellet this weekend (17-19 July) for the sixth of its eight scheduled rounds, which also marks the final event before the summer break.

With an impressive tally of eight different race winners and seven different pole-sitters so far this season, the championship arrives at a circuit where reigning champion Freddie Slater – now one of the front-runners in the FIA Formula 3 Championship – completed a clean sweep of both races last year, and where current FIA Formula One World Championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli claimed the third of his five victories in the category in 2023.

At Circuit Paul Ricard, the series featuring the second-generation Tatuus T-326 cars enters a crucial stage of the season, with the top four drivers covered by just 35 points and Rashid Al Dhaheri leading the standings after securing his third victory of the year at the Hungaroring two weeks ago.

The Emirati R-ace GP driver and Mercedes-AMG F1 Team Junior Programme member holds a 21-point advantage over PREMA Racing's Kean Nakamura-Berta and a 30-point lead over MP Motorsport's Sebastian Wheldon, both of whom have claimed two victories apiece this season. Just behind them is R-ace GP team-mate Emanuele Olivieri, who claimed victory on home soil at Monza and has emerged as one of the championship's most consistent performers, while also leading the Rookie standings.

Still firmly in the title fight is Reno Francot, who trails Olivieri by 32 points. The Dutch CL Motorsport driver claimed victory in the opening round at the Red Bull Ring but has failed to reach the podium in each of the last three events. Behind him is the other PREMA Racing driver, Salim Hanna, who followed up an impressive Monza weekend, where he finished third and second, with a difficult trip to Budapest that yielded no points from either race.

Also building momentum is R-ace GP's Yuki Sano, who claimed pole position and victory in Race 1 at the Hungaroring. Trident Motorsport's Maksimilian Popov and ART Grand Prix Rookie Alexandre Munoz also celebrated one victory apiece, having shared the wins in the two Spa races.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE

Action at Circuit Paul Ricard gets underway on Friday with two 50-minute Free Practice sessions, scheduled at 11:38 and 16:46 CEST. Qualifying 1 begins on Saturday at 09:00 CEST, with the drivers split into Group A and Group B. Race 1, run over 30 minutes plus one lap, is scheduled to start at 12:55 CEST. Sunday’s programme opens with Qualifying 2 at 09:05 CEST ahead of Race 2, which is due to get underway at 16:20 CEST.

WHERE TO WATCH

The two FIA Formula Regional European Championship races from Le Castellet will be broadcast across more than 200 territories and will be available via live streaming on the championship’s official YouTube channel, @fiaformularegionaleu.