Emanuele Olivieri praised R-ace GP after claiming his first pole position of the 2026 FIA Formula Regional European Championship (FREC) season at Monza.
The Italian Rookie topped Group A with a 1:45.102, setting the fastest lap of the weekend and securing the leading grid position for the final race. His result came less than a day after an incident ended his second race and left his team with extensive repair work.
Championship leader Kean Nakamura-Berta topped Group B for PREMA Racing with a 1:45.511. Although he could not match Olivieri’s overall benchmark, the Race 1 winner secured the other front-row position and maintained his strong Monza form.
Olivieri rewards R-ace GP after overnight rebuild
Olivieri entered Sunday morning’s session following a difficult end to Race 2. His team worked through the night to repair the car and prepare it for the final day of the Monza weekend. The R-ace GP driver responded by producing the strongest qualifying performance of his FREC career. He initially moved ahead with a 1:45.134 before improving by another 0.032 seconds on his final lap.
That effort placed him 0.197 seconds ahead of Group A runner-up Jules Roussel and more than four-tenths clear of Nakamura-Berta’s Group B benchmark.
“It feels great to be starting from pole position at my home track. I’m really looking forward to the race. I can’t thank the team enough because, after the crash yesterday [in the second race], they rebuilt the car overnight. I’m incredibly grateful for all their hard work and I’m happy to have been able to repay them with this pole position.
“Honestly, I’m really pleased with how we executed the session and I’m excited for what’s to come. We’ve worked really well together all season. Even though the start of the year wasn’t what we expected, the team has always supported me and helped me in every way possible. I’m very happy to finally deliver a result like this for them.”
Olivieri placed the achievement within the context of the work that R-ace GP had completed throughout the season. Although the opening rounds had not delivered the results that the driver and team expected, they continued to work together and maintain confidence in their potential.
The home pole, therefore, represented more than a strong lap. It rewarded the mechanics who rebuilt the car, reflected the team’s continued support and gave Olivieri an opportunity to challenge for his maiden championship victory.
A breakthrough result after a challenging start
Olivieri had already demonstrated his pace during the opening race at Monza. He finished second behind Nakamura-Berta and claimed the Rookie victory after applying sustained pressure to the PREMA Racing driver. However, Race 2 ended early after Olivieri became involved in an incident. The retirement placed additional importance on Qualifying 2 as he attempted to recover and finish his home weekend with another competitive result.
R-ace GP gave him a car capable of fighting at the front, and Olivieri delivered when the track reached its quickest point. His final improvement made him the fifth different pole-sitter of the season and confirmed the pace he had displayed throughout the event.
Furthermore, the result strengthened his confidence before the final race. Instead of allowing Saturday’s retirement to affect his approach, he converted the team’s repair work into his first FREC pole.
Nakamura-Berta overcomes difficult track positioning
Nakamura-Berta faced a different challenge in Group B. As the first group on track, its drivers encountered less favourable circuit conditions than the competitors who followed them in Group A.
The PREMA Racing driver also struggled to find ideal track position as the session approached its conclusion. Traffic and dirty air limited his options, forcing him to extract more from both himself and the car. Nevertheless, he responded during the decisive final sequence. Gabriel Gomez briefly moved ahead with a 1:45.528, but Nakamura-Berta completed a 1:45.511 moments later and reclaimed first place by 0.017 seconds.
“I think we did a good job, to be honest. It wasn’t as straightforward a qualifying session as it had been on Friday afternoon. We didn’t really find the perfect track positioning, so it was a bit more difficult. I don’t think I had the best position on track and, because of that, I had to get a bit more out of the car – and probably out of myself as well – than I expected.
“In the end, though, we managed to pull it off. The car was obviously very good to drive, but I had expected to spend a bit more time in dirty air. Anyway, it was still a really good result.
“Starting on the front row is something to be happy about. We always knew it was going to be difficult to take pole position, especially being the first car on track, but I’m really, really pleased with the outcome.”
Nakamura-Berta acknowledged that the session required more effort than Friday’s qualifying contest. However, he still converted PREMA Racing’s pace into a Group B victory and secured an important front-row position. His result also limited the potential damage from competing in the earlier group.
Front-row rivals prepare for final Monza race
Olivieri and Nakamura-Berta entered the final race with different motivations but a shared opportunity at the front of the grid.
For Olivieri, pole offered the chance to complete a rapid recovery from his Race 2 retirement and claim a breakthrough victory on home soil. The Italian also wanted to reward the team members whose overnight work made his qualifying result possible.
Meanwhile, Nakamura-Berta aimed to add another major result after winning Race 1 and moving into the championship lead. Although he missed overall pole, his late Group B lap ensured that he remained Olivieri’s closest rival at the start.
The front row also renewed the battle that had defined Race 1. Olivieri had pushed Nakamura-Berta throughout that contest and briefly moved ahead before the PREMA Racing driver reclaimed the lead.
Qualifying 2 reversed their starting order. However, with Olivieri carrying the confidence of his first pole and Nakamura-Berta bringing proven race-winning pace, the final Monza contest promised another close fight between the pair.
