2026 | FREC | Hockenheim | Qualifying 2 | Wheldon claims final pole as four-way title fight reaches decider

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Sebastian Wheldon claimed the final pole position of the 2026 FIA Formula Regional European Championship (FREC) season at Hockenheim after setting the fastest time across Sunday morning’s two Qualifying 2 groups.

The MP Motorsport driver produced a 1:34.271 in Group A to secure his fourth pole of the season and his second in succession. PREMA Racing’s Kean Nakamura-Berta topped Group B with a 1:34.403 and will join Wheldon on the front row for the championship-deciding final race. Race 1 winner Jan Przyrowski and championship leader Emanuele Olivieri will start directly behind them.

The result adds another layer to a four-way title fight. Olivieri heads into the finale on 200 points, seven clear of Nakamura-Berta. Wheldon sits third on 184 after collecting two valuable points for pole, while Olivieri’s R-ace GP team-mate Rashid Al Dhaheri remains mathematically involved in fourth on 180.

Olivieri establishes early Group B benchmark

Group B was first onto the Hockenheim circuit for the final qualifying session of the season, with Olivieri quickly establishing himself at the front.

The championship leader recorded a 1:34.651 during the opening stages, placing himself 0.222s ahead of MP Motorsport’s Zhenrui Chi. Yuki Sano occupied third for R-ace GP, more than three tenths away from his team-mate.

With just over four minutes remaining, Olivieri found further time in the second and third sectors. His 1:34.406 lowered the benchmark considerably and temporarily strengthened his position at the top of the order.

Sano improved to a 1:34.543 to move into second, while Nakamura-Berta sat third and 0.297s away from his principal championship rival.

However, the PREMA Racing driver was beginning to find more pace as the session entered its decisive final minutes.

Group B results

Kean Nakamura-Berta — PREMA Racing — 1:34.403
Emanuele Olivieri — R-ace GP — +0.003s
Yuki Sano — R-ace GP — +0.058s
Zhenrui Chi — MP Motorsport — +0.184s
Tomass Stolcermanis — PREMA Racing — +0.184s
Marcus Sæter — G4 Racing — +0.223s
Salim Hanna — PREMA Racing — +0.261s
Gabriel Gomez — Rodin Motorsport — +0.332s
Lewis Wherrell — RPM — +0.352s
Kabir Anurag — ART Grand Prix — +0.362s
Miguel Costa — RPM — +0.419s
Reza Seewooruthun — Rodin Motorsport — +0.496s
Andrea Dupé — Van Amersfoort Racing — +0.556s
Rahim Alibhai — G4 Racing — +0.580s
Reno Francot — CL Motorsport — +0.588s.

Nakamura-Berta beats Olivieri by 0.003s

Nakamura-Berta first reduced the gap dramatically with a 1:34.446, placing himself only 0.040s behind Olivieri and ensuring that the Group B battle would continue until the chequered flag.

The PREMA driver then delivered when it mattered.

On his final flying lap, Nakamura-Berta found another 0.043s to produce a 1:34.403. That was enough to displace Olivieri from the top by only three thousandths of a second.

Olivieri therefore settled for second in the group, while Sano took third with his 1:34.461. Chi and Stolcermanis remarkably recorded identical 1:34.587 laps, with Chi classified fourth ahead of the PREMA driver.

The outcome carried major championship implications. Nakamura-Berta ensured he would start ahead of Olivieri in the finale, but the championship leader remained well placed on the second row.

Attention then turned to Group A and whether anyone could beat Nakamura-Berta’s 1:34.403 for overall pole.

Wheldon immediately sets Group A pace

Wheldon wasted little time establishing himself as the driver to beat when Group A began.

The MP Motorsport driver opened with a 1:34.434, but Przyrowski immediately applied pressure. The Race 1 winner moved into second for RPM, just 0.034s behind.

Alexander Abkhazava then briefly displaced Przyrowski from second with a 1:34.456 before the Polish driver responded with a 1:34.436.

Wheldon meanwhile improved marginally to a 1:34.420, strengthening his position at the top while keeping himself narrowly ahead of both Przyrowski and Abkhazava.

The margins remained extremely small as the session approached its conclusion, and Przyrowski still had enough pace to challenge the championship contender.

Group A results

Sebastian Wheldon — MP Motorsport — 1:34.271
Jan Przyrowski — RPM — +0.085s
Alexander Abkhazava — MP Motorsport — +0.185s
Alex Ninovic — Rodin Motorsport — +0.360s
Alexandre Munoz — ART Grand Prix — +0.362s
Maksimilian Popov — Trident Motorsport — +0.394s
Rashid Al Dhaheri — R-ace GP — +0.428s
Saqer Almaosherji — G4 Racing — +0.505s
Oleksandr Bondarev — Van Amersfoort Racing — +0.515s
Mattéo Giaccardi — ART Grand Prix — +0.621s
Jules Roussel — CL Motorsport — +0.639s
Ary Bansal — CL Motorsport — +0.666s
Dion Gowda — Van Amersfoort Racing — +0.703s
Kai Daryanani — Trident Motorsport — +0.784s
Andrija Kostić — Trident Motorsport — +1.226s.

Przyrowski briefly takes over before Wheldon strikes back

As the clock ran down, Przyrowski produced the lap that finally removed Wheldon from the top.

The RPM driver recorded a 1:34.356, beating Nakamura-Berta’s Group B benchmark in the process and moving onto provisional overall pole.

For a moment, it appeared the Race 1 winner could add pole position to what had already been a successful Hockenheim weekend.

Wheldon still had one final opportunity.

The American delivered a 1:34.271 on his last flying lap, finding 0.085s over Przyrowski and reclaiming first place when it mattered most.

The lap also comfortably surpassed Nakamura-Berta’s Group B time by 0.132s, securing Wheldon the final pole position of the season and two potentially crucial championship points.

It was Wheldon’s fourth pole of the 2026 campaign and his second consecutive pole following the previous round.

Przyrowski remained an impressive second in Group A and will start third overall, while Abkhazava secured third in the group. Alex Ninovic took fourth, only 0.002s ahead of ART Grand Prix rookie Alexandre Munoz.

Al Dhaheri left with work to do in four-way title fight

While Wheldon and Nakamura-Berta secured places on the front row, the other two championship contenders experienced contrasting fortunes.

Olivieri’s second place in Group B puts him fourth on the provisional grid, directly behind title rival Nakamura-Berta and alongside Przyrowski.

Al Dhaheri faces a significantly more difficult task.

The R-ace GP driver could manage only seventh in Group A with a 1:34.699, 0.428s behind Wheldon. Under the championship’s alternating-group grid format, that leaves him provisionally 13th for the season finale.

Nevertheless, all four contenders remain in the title battle heading into the final race.

Olivieri retains the advantage on 200 points, while Nakamura-Berta is seven behind on 193. Wheldon’s pole moves him to 184, with Al Dhaheri another four points back on 180.

Wheldon puts himself at the front for 2026 FREC title decider

Wheldon could hardly have asked for a better starting position for his final opportunity to overturn the championship deficit.

The MP Motorsport driver will lead the field away, while the two drivers ahead of him in the standings occupy the next three positions. Nakamura-Berta starts second, Przyrowski separates the PREMA driver from championship leader Olivieri in third, and the R-ace GP driver begins fourth.

Abkhazava and Sano are provisionally fifth and sixth, with Ninovic and Chi on the fourth row.

For Nakamura-Berta, beating Olivieri by just 0.003s in Group B could prove particularly important. The PREMA driver will begin two positions ahead of the championship leader as he attempts to erase a seven-point deficit.

Olivieri, however, remains the driver with control of the standings. He enters the final race with the largest points total and a second-row starting position from which to manage his championship advantage.

Wheldon has more ground to make up in points but starts from the strongest possible position after producing the fastest lap of the entire qualifying session.

Al Dhaheri, meanwhile, must recover from further down the grid if he is to turn his outside championship chance into a title.

After a season-long battle, FREC’s four remaining championship contenders will therefore head into the final race separated by 20 points — with Wheldon at the front of the grid and the 2026 title still undecided.