Kean Nakamura-Berta secured his fourth pole position of the 2026 season after setting the fastest time in Qualifying 1 for Round 4 of the FIA Formula Regional European Championship at Monza.
The PREMA Racing driver will therefore start from the front of the grid for the first of the weekend’s three races, alongside Emanuele Olivieri, who secured a front-row start on home soil for R-ace GP.
Olivieri topped Group A and also emerged as the fastest Rookie, edging MP Motorsport’s Zhenrui Chi by just six thousandths of a second. In Group B, Nakamura-Berta led the way ahead of teammate Salim Hanna, who continued to impress after showing strong pace during Thursday’s collective tests. Championship leader Rashid Al Dhaheri (R-ace GP) completed the top three in the group.
Group A
With track temperatures exceeding 56°C, it was Sebastian Wheldon who first dipped below the 1m46s barrier, posting a 1:45.880. His benchmark was soon beaten by Olivieri, who set a 1:45.763 before improving to a 1:45.595, a time that remained unbeaten within the group. As the chequered flag fell, Chi produced a late improvement to move ahead of teammate Wheldon and secure second place, finishing just 0.006s adrift of Olivieri. Van Amersfoort Racing's Dion Gowda ended the session fourth, while Maksimilian Popov (Trident Motorsport) rounded out the top five.
Group B
In Group B, Nakamura-Berta immediately laid down a marker with a 1:45.743 before improving further to a commanding 1:45.376. Reza Seewooruthun moved up to second place, but the Rodin Motorsport driver slipped back to fourth in the closing stages, finishing just ahead of teammate Alex Ninovic. Salim Hanna ultimately secured second position, while Al Dhaheri completed the top three.
Kean Nakamura-Berta (PREMA Racing): "It was a mega lap. The car was fantastic, so a big thanks to the team. They've done a fantastic job since the start of the season and we've been competitive in every qualifying session. Free Practice wasn't straightforward for us, but we were confident heading into qualifying and everything came together when it mattered. Monza has probably been one of my strongest tracks statistically and I really enjoy driving here. The results at Spa didn't fully reflect our pace, as we were a bit unlucky on Sunday, but overall it was one of our strongest weekends. The focus now is on doing another good job this weekend, staying calm and seeing what we can achieve in the race."
Emanuele Olivieri (R-ace GP): “I think it was a pretty good lap. Qualifying at Monza is always quite challenging because managing the slipstream can make a big difference. The team did a great job with the positioning on track and that really helped me put the lap together. The car felt good and, after Free Practice, I had a lot of confidence in the package we had. The team gave me everything I needed and we managed to get the job done."
Action resumes tomorrow at 10:30 CEST with the first of the weekend’s three 30-minute-plus-one-lap races. Race 2, featuring a reversed grid for the top 12 drivers from Qualifying 1, will get underway at 16:30 CEST. Sunday begins with Qualifying 2 at 08:30 CEST, which will determine the grid for the final race of the weekend, scheduled to start at 13:00 CEST.
All three races and Qualifying 2 will be broadcast in more than 200 territories worldwide. Among the broadcasters is ACI Sport TV, which will air both qualifying sessions and all three races. In addition, every race will be streamed live on the championship’s official YouTube channel, @fiaformularegionaleu. Where to watch.
