Rashid Al Dhaheri claimed his second victory of the 2026 FIA Formula Regional European Championship (FREC) season in an incident-filled Race 2 at Monza. The R-ace GP driver charged forward from the fourth row and took control shortly before the third and final Safety Car period brought the contest to a neutralised conclusion.
Sebastian Wheldon initially crossed the line second for MP Motorsport, ahead of PREMA Racing’s Salim Hanna. However, two five-second penalties dropped Wheldon to 20th in the final classification. As a result, Hanna inherited second place and secured his second podium of the weekend, while Andrea Dupé moved into third for Van Amersfoort Racing.
Popov takes the lead after chaotic start
The reversed-grid format placed Dupé on pole position, but the French driver immediately came under pressure when the lights went out. Contact with MP Motorsport’s Alexander Abkhazava at the first corner disrupted Dupé’s start and allowed Trident Motorsport driver Maksimilian Popov to move into the lead.
However, Popov’s advantage lasted less than two laps. Alex Ninovic struck the Trident driver at the beginning of lap two and sent him into a spin. The incident removed Popov from the lead battle and allowed Dupé to regain first place. The stewards later handed Ninovic a 10-second penalty for causing the collision.
Behind Dupé, Reza Seewooruthun moved into second, while Abkhazava initially held third. Al Dhaheri soon began his recovery from the fourth row and passed Abkhazava on lap three, although he later lost ground as the order continued to change.
Meanwhile, Hanna climbed into second and Wheldon progressed to third. Emanuele Olivieri also joined the battle for fourth, while Al Dhaheri rebuilt his momentum by overtaking Yuki Sano and moving back into fifth.
Abkhazava incident triggers first Safety Car
The first Safety Car period arrived on lap five when Abkhazava became stranded in the gravel. Race control neutralised the contest to allow officials to recover the MP Motorsport car safely, bringing the field back together and erasing the gaps that had developed during the opening laps.
Dupé retained the lead when racing resumed and initially defended from Hanna into the first chicane. However, Hanna maintained the pressure and completed his move shortly afterwards. Wheldon followed the PREMA Racing driver through and moved into second, dropping Dupé to third.
Al Dhaheri also continued his recovery after the restart. The R-ace GP driver overtook Olivieri and climbed into fourth, placing himself directly behind the leading trio as the race approached its halfway stage.
However, the action stopped again shortly afterwards. Andrija Kostić and Alexandre Munoz became involved in an incident at the Ascari chicane, forcing race control to deploy the Safety Car for a second time.
Al Dhaheri charges into the lead
The second restart came with six minutes remaining and created another opportunity for the drivers at the front. Hanna ran wide at the first chicane, allowing Wheldon to draw alongside and move ahead. Al Dhaheri also gained ground and advanced beyond Dupé, while Hanna settled behind the leading battle after his mistake.
Further back, Olivieri lost a position to R-ace GP team-mate Sano. The Japanese driver subsequently recorded the fastest lap of the race with a 1:49.013 on lap three, although a post-race penalty later dropped him well outside the top ten.
Al Dhaheri continued attacking and overtook Wheldon on the following lap to take the lead. The move completed an impressive recovery from the fourth row and placed the R-ace GP driver in control during the closing stages.
Olivieri’s race then ended following a separate incident. Race control deployed the Safety Car for a third time, and the field ultimately took the chequered flag under neutralised conditions.
Penalties transform the podium and top ten
Al Dhaheri crossed the line first and retained the victory after the stewards completed their investigations. The result marked his second win of the season following his maiden FREC triumph at the Red Bull Ring.
Wheldon initially finished just 0.266 seconds behind the winner, while Hanna took the chequered flag in third. Dupé, Reno Francot and Sano followed them across the line, with Zhenrui Chi, Kean Nakamura-Berta, Francisco Macedo and Seewooruthun completing the provisional top ten.
However, the stewards subsequently issued several penalties that significantly reshaped the final order. Wheldon’s two five-second sanctions dropped him from second to 20th, promoting Hanna to second and Dupé to third. Chi consequently moved into fourth, while Nakamura-Berta climbed to fifth. Marcus Sæter advanced to sixth, ahead of Tomass Štolcermanis, Kabir Anurag, Saqer Almaosherji and Gabriel Gomez.
Francot, Sano, Macedo and Seewooruthun also lost positions through time penalties. The official final classification, therefore, differed substantially from the order in which the drivers crossed the line.
2026 FREC: Monza Race 2 results
- #71 Rashid Al Dhaheri — R-ace GP
- #88 Salim Hanna — PREMA Racing
- #7 Andrea Dupé — Van Amersfoort Racing
- #28 Zhenrui Chi — MP Motorsport
- #51 Kean Nakamura-Berta — PREMA Racing
- #67 Marcus Sæter — G4 Racing
- #60 Tomass Štolcermanis — PREMA Racing
- #19 Kabir Anurag — ART Grand Prix
- #3 Saqer Almaosherji — G4 Racing
- #78 Gabriel Gomez — Rodin Motorsport
- #8 Jan Przyrowski — RPM
- #42 Kyuho Lee — CL Motorsport
- #33 Maksimilian Popov — Trident Motorsport
- #27 Mattéo Giaccardi — ART Grand Prix
- #99 Giovanni Maschio — RPM
- #23 Rahim Alibhai — G4 Racing
- #55 Dion Gowda — Van Amersfoort Racing
- #4 Reza Seewooruthun — Rodin Motorsport*
- #5 Miguel Costa — RPM*
- #98 Sebastian Wheldon — MP Motorsport*
- #69 Reno Francot — CL Motorsport*
- #12 Yuki Sano — R-ace GP*
- #11 Francisco Macedo — Van Amersfoort Racing*
- #2 Alex Ninovic — Rodin Motorsport*
Retired:
- #73 Emanuele Olivieri — R-ace GP
- #24 Jules Roussel — CL Motorsport*
- #87 Kai Daryanani — Trident Motorsport
- #47 Andrija Kostić — Trident Motorsport
- #95 Alexandre Munoz — ART Grand Prix*
- #15 Alexander Abkhazava — MP Motorsport*
Penalties
- #2 Alex Ninovic received a 10-second time penalty for causing a collision with Maksimilian Popov. He dropped to P24 and also received two penalty points on his licence, bringing his total to six for the season.
- #98 Sebastian Wheldon received two five-second time penalties for overtaking Dion Gowda and Salim Hanna off the track and gaining a lasting advantage. He dropped from P2 to P20, promoting Hanna to P2 and Dupé to P3.
- #12 Yuki Sano received a 10-second time penalty for forcing Kean Nakamura-Berta off the track. He dropped from P6 to P22 and received two penalty points on his licence, his first of the season.
- #69 Reno Francot received a 10-second time penalty for forcing Kean Nakamura-Berta off the track. He dropped from P5 to P21 and received two penalty points on his licence, his first of the season.
- #11 Francisco Macedo received a 10-second time penalty for causing a collision with Emanuele Olivieri. He dropped from P9 to P23 and received two penalty points on his licence, bringing his total to eight for the season.
- #4 Reza Seewooruthun received a five-second time penalty for overtaking Miguel Costa off the track and gaining a lasting advantage. He dropped from P10 to P18.
- #5 Miguel Costa received a five-second time penalty for overtaking Mattéo Giaccardi off the track and gaining a lasting advantage. He dropped to P19.
- #15 Alexander Abkhazava received a 10-second time penalty for causing a collision with Dion Gowda. As he retired from the race, the stewards converted the sanction into a five-place grid penalty for the next race in which he participates. He also received two penalty points on his licence, bringing his total to six for the 2026 season.
- #95 Alexandre Munoz received a 10-second time penalty for forcing Giovanni Maschio off the track. As he retired from the race, the stewards converted the sanction into a five-place grid penalty for the next race in which he participates. He also received two penalty points on his licence, bringing his total to four for the season.
- #24 Jules Roussel received a six-second time penalty for using race mode before officials permitted it. As he retired from the race, the stewards converted the sanction into a three-place grid penalty for the next race in which he participates.
