2026 | FREC | Monza | Qualifying 2 | Olivieri claims maiden pole on home soil

Emanuele Olivieri claimed his first pole position of the 2026 FIA Formula Regional European Championship (FREC) season after topping Qualifying 2 at Monza. The R-ace GP Rookie produced a 1:45.102 during the closing stages of Group A, setting the fastest lap of the weekend in front of his home crowd.

Championship leader and Race 1 winner Kean Nakamura-Berta topped Group B with a 1:45.511 for PREMA Racing. Consequently, he will start alongside Olivieri on the front row for the final race of Round 4.

2026 FREC: Monza: Qualifying 2: Group B: Nakamura-Berta prevails in four-driver fight

Group B opened Sunday’s qualifying action in dry conditions, with a 27°C air temperature and a 33°C track temperature. The drivers steadily lowered the benchmark as they built confidence around the 5.793-kilometre Monza circuit.

Alexandre Munoz became the first driver to break the 1:46 barrier after setting a 1:45.979 for ART Grand Prix. Jan Przyrowski then improved to a 1:45.928 before Nakamura-Berta moved ahead with less than a minute remaining. The PREMA Racing driver initially recorded a 1:45.743, placing himself 0.185 seconds clear of Przyrowski. However, the order continued to change as the final laps came in after the chequered flag.

Kabir Anurag briefly moved to the top with a 1:45.541, only for Przyrowski to beat him by one thousandth of a second. Gabriel Gomez then delivered a 1:45.528 to take provisional first place for Rodin Motorsport. Nevertheless, Nakamura-Berta responded on his final attempt. The championship leader crossed the line in 1:45.511 and reclaimed the top spot by just 0.017 seconds.

Gomez retained second and finished as the fastest Rookie in Group B. Przyrowski took third, 0.029 seconds behind Nakamura-Berta, while Anurag followed in fourth after missing third place by only 0.001 seconds.

Munoz improved from his earlier benchmark but slipped to fifth as the late laps reshaped the order. Alex Ninovic secured sixth ahead of Salim Hanna, while Alexander Abkhazava, Mattéo Giaccardi and Marcus Sæter completed the top ten.

Meanwhile, Race 2 winner Rashid Al Dhaheri endured a difficult session for R-ace GP. He finished 13th with a 1:46.232, leaving him 0.721 seconds behind the Group B benchmark.

Group B results

1. #51 Kean Nakamura-Berta — PREMA Racing — 1:45.511
2. #78 Gabriel Gomez — Rodin Motorsport — 1:45.528
3. #8 Jan Przyrowski — RPM — 1:45.540
4. #19 Kabir Anurag — ART Grand Prix — 1:45.541
5. #95 Alexandre Munoz — ART Grand Prix — 1:45.576
6. #2 Alex Ninovic — Rodin Motorsport — 1:45.583
7. #88 Salim Hanna — PREMA Racing — 1:45.594
8. #15 Alexander Abkhazava — MP Motorsport — 1:45.784
9. #27 Mattéo Giaccardi — ART Grand Prix — 1:45.845
10. #67 Marcus Sæter — G4 Racing — 1:45.959
11. #11 Francisco Macedo — Van Amersfoort Racing — 1:46.001
12. #4 Reza Seewooruthun — Rodin Motorsport — 1:46.063
13. #71 Rashid Al Dhaheri — R-ace GP — 1:46.232
14. #47 Andrija Kostić — Trident Motorsport — 1:46.311
15. #23 Rahim Alibhai — G4 Racing — 1:46.956

2026 FREC: Monza: Qualifying 2: Group A: Olivieri delivers decisive home pole

Group A entered the circuit shortly afterwards as the air temperature climbed to 28°C and the track reached 35°C. The drivers immediately targeted Nakamura-Berta’s Group B benchmark, knowing they needed to beat 1:45.511 to claim overall pole.

Saqer Almaosherji set the early pace before Zhenrui Chi, Giovanni Maschio and Andrea Dupé began lowering the leading time. Jules Roussel then became the first driver in the group to enter the 1:45s with a 1:45.876.

Sebastian Wheldon produced the first major breakthrough. The MP Motorsport driver recorded a 1:45.350, beating Nakamura-Berta’s time by 0.161 seconds and placing himself in contention for pole. The lap provided an immediate response to Wheldon’s difficult conclusion to Race 2. Although he had crossed the line second on Saturday, two five-second penalties for off-track overtakes dropped him to 20th in the final classification.

However, Olivieri soon displaced him at the top. The Italian initially completed a 1:45.134 before finding another 0.032 seconds on his final lap and lowering the benchmark to 1:45.102.

Roussel also improved late in the session and moved into second with a 1:45.299. The CL Motorsport driver finished 0.197 seconds behind Olivieri but narrowly denied Maksimilian Popov a place on the second row of the group order. Popov secured third with a 1:45.325, only 0.026 seconds behind Roussel. Wheldon consequently slipped to fourth, while Chi completed the top five with a 1:45.387.

Reno Francot finished sixth despite losing a 1:45.969 lap for exceeding track limits at Turn 2. However, his valid 1:45.541 remained considerably faster and secured his position ahead of Kyuho Lee.

Yuki Sano claimed eighth, while Dion Gowda and Kai Daryanani completed the top ten. Dupé, who inherited his maiden FREC podium after Wheldon’s Race 2 penalties, finished 11th.

Olivieri’s 1:45.102 placed him 0.409 seconds ahead of Nakamura-Berta’s Group B time. As a result, the Italian became the fifth different pole-sitter of the season and secured the leading grid position for the final race at Monza.

Group A results

1. #73 Emanuele Olivieri — R-ace GP — 1:45.102
2. #24 Jules Roussel — CL Motorsport — 1:45.299
3. #33 Maksimilian Popov — Trident Motorsport — 1:45.325
4. #98 Sebastian Wheldon — MP Motorsport — 1:45.350
5. #28 Zhenrui Chi — MP Motorsport — 1:45.387
6. #69 Reno Francot — CL Motorsport — 1:45.541
7. #42 Kyuho Lee — CL Motorsport — 1:45.612
8. #12 Yuki Sano — R-ace GP — 1:45.636
9. #55 Dion Gowda — Van Amersfoort Racing — 1:45.639
10. #87 Kai Daryanani — Trident Motorsport — 1:45.692
11. #7 Andrea Dupé — Van Amersfoort Racing — 1:45.700
12. #60 Tomass Štolcermanis — PREMA Racing — 1:45.757
13. #5 Miguel Costa — RPM — 1:45.811
14. #3 Saqer Almaosherji — G4 Racing — 1:46.090
15. #99 Giovanni Maschio — RPM — 1:46.177

Olivieri earns home pole as title leader secures front-row start

Olivieri’s pole completed a significant turnaround after his Race 2 retirement and gave R-ace GP the leading grid position for the final contest of the Monza weekend. Moreover, he topped the Rookie order and produced the fastest qualifying lap across both Saturday and Sunday.

Nakamura-Berta could not match the Italian’s outright time, but his Group B victory secured the other front-row position. The championship leader will therefore begin the race alongside Olivieri as he attempts to add another strong result to his Race 1 victory.

Meanwhile, Roussel and Gomez emerged as the closest challengers within their respective groups. With both qualifying sessions decided during the final seconds, the leading drivers will enter the final race with little separating them around one of the championship’s fastest circuits.