Yuki Sano claimed his maiden pole position in the 2026 FIA Formula Regional European Championship (FREC) after setting the outright fastest time in Qualifying 1 at the Hungaroring.
The R-ace GP driver topped Group A with a 1:37.760, becoming the sixth different polesitter of the 2026 season. Rodin Motorsport’s Reza Seewooruthun will join him on the front row after leading Group B with a 1:37.785, just 0.025s away from Sano’s benchmark.
Sano arrived in Hungary fresh from his maiden podium finish at Monza, where he claimed third place. His pole position continues a strong run of form for the Japanese driver and gives R-ace GP the best starting spot for the opening race of the weekend.
Sano beats Al Dhaheri to Group A top spot
Group A took to the Hungaroring in dry conditions, with the track temperature at 46.1°C and the air temperature at 23.6°C.
Kabir Anurag was the first driver to produce a representative lap time, setting a 1:38.435 for ART Grand Prix. His effort was marginally quicker than the best lap recorded by Saqer Almaosherji during Friday’s second Free Practice session.
R-ace GP’s Rashid Al Dhaheri then became the first driver to break into the 1m37s. The Emirati driver jumped to the top of the timesheets with a 1:37.933, moving more than half a second clear of Anurag.
Reno Francot also improved for CL Motorsport, moving into second with a 1:38.117, while Marcus Saeter and Sebastian Wheldon remained inside the leading group.
With just 30 seconds remaining, Al Dhaheri improved once again. A strong first sector helped him lower the benchmark to a 1:37.779, putting him in position to take the fastest time in Group A.
However, Sano produced the decisive response after the chequered flag. Helped by a standout middle sector, the Japanese driver posted a 1:37.760 to beat his teammate by 0.019s and secure pole position.
Francot initially completed the Group A top three ahead of Saeter and championship leader Wheldon. However, following post-session scrutineering, the Dutch driver was disqualified due to a technical infringement.
Group A results
- #12 Yuki Sano — R-ace GP — 1:37.760
- #71 Rashid Al Dhaheri — R-ace GP — 1:37.779
- #67 Marcus Saeter — G4 Racing — 1:38.199
- #98 Sebastian Wheldon — MP Motorsport — 1:38.272
- #95 Alexandre Munoz — ART Grand Prix — 1:38.374
- #19 Kabir Anurag — ART Grand Prix — 1:38.409
- #23 Rahim Alibhai — G4 Racing — 1:38.547
- #7 Andrea Dupé — Van Amersfoort Racing — 1:38.580
- #11 Francisco Macedo — Van Amersfoort Racing — 1:38.638
- #14 Noah Lisle — CL Motorsport — 1:38.657
- #28 Zhenrui Chi — MP Motorsport — 1:38.706
- #55 Dion Gowda — Van Amersfoort Racing — 1:38.720
- #33 Maksimilian Popov — Trident Motorsport — 1:38.895
- #87 Kai Daryanani — Trident Motorsport — 1:39.155
DSQ: #69 Reno Francot — CL Motorsport
Seewooruthun leads Group B for Rodin Motorsport
Emanuele Olivieri was quick to establish himself at the head of the field in Group B. The R-ace GP driver set a 1:38.323, more than a quarter of a second quicker than Seewooruthun’s opening representative effort.
Jan Przyrowski was among the first drivers to respond. The RPM driver moved into second, just 0.025s behind Olivieri.
Olivieri then improved further, lowering the benchmark to a 1:37.936. Behind him, Alexander Abkhazava briefly moved into second for MP Motorsport before being displaced by PREMA Racing’s Tomass Stolcermanis.
The decisive lap came from Seewooruthun in the closing stages. The Rodin Motorsport driver stopped the clock at 1:37.785, moving 0.151s clear of Olivieri and securing the fastest time in Group B.
Olivieri remained second and fastest Rookie, while Stolcermanis completed the top three. Almaosherji continued his strong weekend by finishing fourth for G4 Racing, with Alex Ninovic rounding out the top five for Rodin Motorsport.
Group B results
- #4 Reza Seewooruthun — Rodin Motorsport — 1:37.785
- #73 Emanuele Olivieri — R-ace GP — 1:37.936
- #60 Tomass Stolcermanis — PREMA Racing — 1:37.985
- #3 Saqer Almaosherji — G4 Racing — 1:38.017
- #2 Alex Ninovic — Rodin Motorsport — 1:38.064
- #15 Alexander Abkhazava — MP Motorsport — 1:38.116
- #51 Kean Nakamura-Berta — PREMA Racing — 1:38.117
- #8 Jan Przyrowski — RPM — 1:38.129
- #88 Salim Hanna — PREMA Racing — 1:38.189
- #78 Gabriel Gomez — Rodin Motorsport — 1:38.348
- #27 Mattéo Giaccardi — ART Grand Prix — 1:38.462
- #99 Giovanni Maschio — RPM — 1:38.506
- #24 Jules Roussel — CL Motorsport — 1:38.618
- #47 Andrija Kostic — Trident Motorsport — 1:38.951
- #5 Miguel Costa — RPM — 1:38.958
Sano becomes the sixth different polesitter of 2026
Sano’s final lap proved decisive in a closely contested Qualifying session at the Hungaroring. Al Dhaheri had looked set to secure the fastest time in Group A, but his R-ace GP teammate found the small margin required to claim outright pole.
Seewooruthun’s Group B performance ensures Rodin Motorsport will also start from the front row, while Olivieri and Stolcermanis showed strong rookie pace inside the top three of their group.
With the top two split by only 0.025s across both groups, Qualifying 1 has set up a competitive opening race at the Hungaroring.
