2026 | FREC | Spa-Francorchamps | Race 1 | Munoz claims a lights to flag victory at Spa

After securing his maiden pole position on Friday in Qualifying 1, rookie Alexandre Munoz converted it into his first 2026 FIA FREC victory, leading every lap of the rescheduled Race 1 at Spa-Francorchamps.

Munoz lined up on the front row alongside Rashid Al Dhaheri, while Kean Nakamura-Berta and Sebastian Wheldon occupied the second row of the grid. With damp conditions persisting around the circuit, overtaking opportunities were limited, placing an even greater emphasis on track position. The challenging weather conditions also meant the championship’s Push-to-Pass system was disabled for the race.

Several drivers also carried grid penalties into the event. Francisco Macedo received a three-place grid drop following an incident with Dion Gowda during the earlier recon laps for the originally scheduled Race 1 proceedings. Alexander Abkhazava was also penalised for an incident in Practice, while Giovanni Maschio served a five-place grid drop carried over from the previous round at Zandvoort. Saqer Almaosherji faced the biggest setback of all, starting further back after receiving a 10-place grid penalty. With tricky track conditions and several frontrunners looking to fight through the field, the stage was set for an intriguing Race 1 at Spa-Francorchamps.

Race 1 started behind the safety car

There was significant standing water on the start/finish straight of Race 1, prompting Race Control to begin the race behind the Safety Car rather than from a standing start. As the field headed out for the formation lap, conditions were noticeably improved compared to earlier on Saturday morning.

Race 1 marked the first competitive outing for 20 drivers in the field. Munoz led the pack away from pole position, with Al Dhaheri in second and Nakamura-Berta running third.

Further down the order, Nakamura-Berta’s teammate Sano quickly began making progress, moving past Ninovic. At the front, Al Dhaheri briefly challenged Munoz for the lead but ultimately backed out of the move.

Spray initially made visibility difficult throughout the FREC field, but as the sun emerged over Spa-Francorchamps, the circuit gradually began to dry.

Munoz started to edge clear at the front, extending his advantage over Al Dhaheri to 1.3 seconds. Meanwhile, further back, Francot and Popov made contact at Eau Rouge, forcing Francot slightly off track and allowing Hanna to gain a position.

By this stage, the leading trio had opened up a four-second gap over the rest of the field, with Wheldon heading the chasing pack.

Safety car for Gowda

With 17 minutes remaining, the Safety Car was deployed after Gowda stopped at the side of the circuit. His car required recovery, forcing Race Control to neutralise the race.

Green flag racing resumed with 10 minutes left on the clock, and Munoz managed the restart well, quickly pulling clear of the field. Behind him, Al Dhaheri and Nakamura-Berta ran side-by-side through the opening corners as they battled for second place.

Further back, Francot slid into the gravel after running off track. Not long after, Aston Martin Junior Zhenrui Chi became beached in the gravel, ending his race and bringing out a second Safety Car. Francisco Macedo was also forced to retire during the same caution period.

The Safety Car returned to the pits with just one lap remaining, setting up a dramatic dash to the chequered flag. Sano continued his charge through the field by overtaking Wheldon for fourth place.

At the front, Munoz came under immense pressure from Al Dhaheri and Nakamura-Berta. The leading trio ran nose-to-tail, with Sano also beginning to close the gap. Al Dhaheri launched a final attack on Munoz at the last corner, but he held firm to secure victory, fending off both Al Dhaheri and Nakamura-Berta at the flag.

Sano crossed the line in fourth, ahead of Wheldon, Olivieri, Ninovic, Seewooruthun, Gomez and Popov, who completed the points-paying positions.

The victory was a significant milestone for Munoz, who became the first rookie to win a FREC race since 2024, when Evan Giltaire claimed victory.

2026 FREC: Spa-Francorchamps Race 1 results

1. #95 Alexandre Munoz – ART Grand Prix
2. #71 Rashid Al Dhaheri – R-ace GP
3. #51 Kean Nakamura-Berta – PREMA Racing
4. #12 Yuki Sano – R-ace GP
5. #98 Sebastian Wheldon – MP Motorsport
6. #73 Emanuele Olivieri – R-ace GP
7. #2 Alex Ninovic – Rodin Motorsport
8. #4 Reza Seewooruthun – Rodin Motorsport
9. #78 Gabriel Gomez – Rodin Motorsport
10. #33 Maksimilian Popov – Trident Motorsport
11. #87 Kai Daryanani – Trident Motorsport
12. #88 Salim Hanna – PREMA Racing
13. #67 Marcus Sæter – G4 Racing
14. #69 Reno Francot – CL Motorsport
15. #27 Matteo Giaccardi – ART Grand Prix
16. #99 Giovanni Maschio – RPM
17. #60 Tomass Štolcermanis – PREMA Racing
18. #5 Miguel Costa – RPM
19. #47 Andrija Kostić – Trident Motorsport
20. #8 Jan Przyrowski – RPM
21. #19 Kabir Anurag – ART Grand Prix
22. #7 Andrea Dupé – Van Amersfoort Racing
23. #9 Thomas Strauven – CL Motorsport
24. #24 Jules Roussel – CL Motorsport
25. #3 Saqer Almaosherji – G4 Racing
26. #23 Rahim Alibhai – G4 Racing
27. #15 Alexander Abkhazava – MP Motorsport

NC:

• #28 Zhenrui Chi – MP Motorsport
• #55 Dion Gowda – Van Amersfoort Racing
• #11 Francisco Macedo – Van Amersfoort Racing