Jan Przyrowski praised RPM’s strong Hockenheim pace after claiming his maiden FIA Formula Regional European Championship (FREC) victory in Race 1, while Kean Nakamura-Berta and Rashid Al Dhaheri capitalised on a difficult afternoon for championship leader Emanuele Olivieri and Sebastian Wheldon.
Przyrowski converted a second-row start into victory after an opening-lap incident between polesitter Wheldon and Olivieri reshuffled the order. The Polish driver took control following the early exchanges and remained ahead for the rest of the race, eventually finishing more than two seconds clear of Nakamura-Berta.
Nakamura-Berta’s second place moved him to within seven points of Olivieri ahead of the final race, while Al Dhaheri’s third-place finish kept his own outside championship hopes alive. Oleksandr Bondarev also produced one of the strongest recoveries of the race, climbing from 19th to eighth to finish as the highest-placed Rookie.
Przyrowski pleased with RPM’s strong Hockenheim pace
Przyrowski had demonstrated his pace from the beginning of the weekend, topping the overall timesheets during Friday’s Free Practice sessions before qualifying second in his group on Saturday morning.
Although he felt there had been more available during qualifying, the RPM driver made the most of his starting position during Race 1. After the incident involving Wheldon and Olivieri at Turn 1, Przyrowski worked his way to the front and retained the lead through the Safety Car restart before beginning to pull away from Nakamura-Berta.
He also set the fastest lap while controlling the race, underlining the strength of RPM’s package around Hockenheim. Przyrowski believes that performance leaves him with an opportunity to challenge for another pole position and victory in the final race of the season.
“The team and I have shown really strong pace throughout the weekend. We have been at the sharp end since the start of the weekend, so I think we found something that worked particularly well here. I didn’t manage to put everything together in qualifying as I would have liked, but fighting for pole position for Race 2 is definitely possible. There are still a few things we need to work out, but our race pace was amazing.”
Przyrowski’s victory made him the 11th different winner of the 2026 FREC season. More importantly for RPM, it confirmed that the pace shown throughout the weekend could be converted into a race-winning result, giving the team another opportunity to challenge at the front in Sunday’s finale.
Nakamura-Berta maximises opportunity in chaotic Race 1
Nakamura-Berta was one of the main beneficiaries of an unpredictable opening lap. The PREMA Racing driver started further back than title rivals Wheldon and Olivieri but avoided the trouble ahead and quickly moved himself into contention for a podium.
After the initial incident, Nakamura-Berta used the slipstream effectively to continue making progress. Once the order settled following the Safety Car period, he established himself in second behind Przyrowski and remained there to the chequered flag.
The result became especially significant because neither Olivieri nor Wheldon scored. Olivieri retired following the Turn 1 contact, while Wheldon recovered from the rear of the field but could only finish 22nd after receiving two separate penalties.
Nakamura-Berta therefore reduced his championship deficit dramatically. Having entered the race further behind Olivieri, he will begin the season finale only seven points away from the R-ace GP driver and with a genuine opportunity to take the championship.
“It was a pretty chaotic race. There was an incident ahead of me at the start, which helped me move through, and that put me in a good position. I was then able to use the slipstream to pass a few cars. Securing second place puts us in a strong position for tomorrow’s championship decider. The possibility of rain later in the day could make things even more interesting. We maximised our result today and will try to do the same tomorrow. We’ll give it everything and see what happens.”
Rather than dwelling on the circumstances that moved him forward, Nakamura-Berta focused on how effectively PREMA maximised the opportunity. With qualifying points still available before the final race and uncertain weather potentially adding another variable, the championship picture remains open.
Al Dhaheri keeps unlikely title opportunity alive
Al Dhaheri also took advantage of the difficult race for the championship’s leading pair. The R-ace GP driver arrived at Hockenheim facing a substantial points deficit and endured a challenging start to the weekend, leaving him with considerable ground to recover in Race 1.
He initially ran fifth before gaining positions as the race developed. Alexandre Munoz dropped back during the early stages, while a late problem for Tomass Stolcermanis promoted Al Dhaheri into third and gave him a place on the podium.
The result reduced his deficit to Olivieri to 20 points with 28 still available through Qualifying 2 and the final race. While his championship prospects remain dependent on results elsewhere, Al Dhaheri acknowledged that simply remaining mathematically involved represented a significant improvement on the position he had faced before Race 1.
“I’m very happy because luck was on our side today. Considering the position we were in after free practice and qualifying, finishing on the podium is a great result. We were fortunate to come away from Race 1 with another opportunity to fight for the championship tomorrow. It will still be very difficult, but the possibility is now greater than it was before today’s race. I’m extremely proud of the team. They have done an excellent job and helped me continue to perform despite a few difficult races.
“Congratulations to everyone at R-ace GP on winning the Teams’ Championship; they worked incredibly hard and thoroughly deserved it. It is difficult to set expectations for tomorrow because nobody expected us to still have this opportunity, particularly considering where we started today and the deficit we faced after Imola. My priority is to focus on myself and on the areas I want to improve for my development as a driver. The final outcome of the Championship is not entirely under my control, so I will concentrate on doing the best job possible.”
Al Dhaheri’s podium also contributed to a successful Saturday for R-ace GP despite Olivieri’s retirement. The result mathematically confirmed the Teams’ Championship for the French squad before the final race of the year.
For Al Dhaheri, however, the Drivers’ title remains a considerably more complicated proposition. With Olivieri, Nakamura-Berta and Wheldon all ahead of him in the standings, the Emirati driver will need to maximise his own result while relying on circumstances elsewhere to bring the championship within reach.
Bondarev recovers from 19th to take Rookie honours
Bondarev faced a very different challenge after a difficult qualifying session left the Van Amersfoort Racing driver 19th on the grid. The Williams Driver Academy member explained that balance problems combined with an error on his own flying lap proved particularly costly in a field separated by fine margins.
His race demonstrated considerably stronger pace. Bondarev steadily progressed through the field and eventually crossed the line eighth overall, gaining 11 positions and finishing as the leading Rookie.
The recovery provided a positive response to the frustration of qualifying and offered further evidence of the pace Bondarev has demonstrated since making his FREC debut late in the season.
“To be honest, qualifying did not go particularly well this morning. We struggled slightly with the balance and I also made a mistake on my lap. With the field so closely matched, it proved very costly and left us around 10 positions further back on the grid. However, the pace was there and I think I managed the race slightly better than some of the drivers ahead of me. I recovered from 19th to eighth, so it was a very strong comeback and a really good race. We managed everything well and the car felt very competitive. It gives us a solid starting point to build on, and hopefully we can have an even better day tomorrow.”
Having already impressed during his opening FREC appearances, Bondarev’s recovery provided another encouraging result as he continued adapting to the championship. His focus now turns towards converting the pace shown in Race 1 into a stronger qualifying position for the season finale.
Four-way FREC title fight continues into season finale
The opening Hockenheim race transformed the championship picture without eliminating any of the four remaining contenders. Olivieri retained the lead despite failing to score, but Nakamura-Berta closed to within seven points after maximising the opportunity with second place.
Wheldon’s difficult afternoon dropped him behind Nakamura-Berta to third in the standings, while Al Dhaheri’s podium kept the R-ace GP driver mathematically involved despite remaining 20 points behind his teammate.
Qualifying 2 will therefore take on additional importance, with two championship points available for each group pole before the final race. For Nakamura-Berta, another strong session could further reduce his deficit before the lights go out, while Wheldon and Al Dhaheri need to regain ground if they are to increase the pressure on Olivieri.
Przyrowski enters Sunday without the championship calculations faced by those around him but with arguably some of the strongest outright pace of the weekend. After turning that speed into his maiden FREC victory on Saturday, the RPM driver believes another challenge at the front is possible.
The championship contenders, meanwhile, head into the final day knowing the 2026 Drivers’ title remains undecided, with Hockenheim set to determine which of the four will leave Germany as champion.
