R-ace GP’s Yuki Sano converted pole position into victory in 2026 FREC Race 1 at the Hungaroring, leading home team-mate Rashid Al Dhaheri after a tense fight at the front.
The Japanese driver kept the lead at lights out and later resisted pressure from Al Dhaheri, who closed to within a tenth of a second during the final stages. Rodin Motorsport’s Reza Seewooruthun completed the podium after holding off R-ace GP’s Emanuele Olivieri, while PREMA Racing’s Tomass Stolcermanis finished fifth.
Sano starts from pole as penalties shape the grid
R-ace GP’s Sano lined up on pole after topping Qualifying 1 with a 1:37.760. Rodin Motorsport’s Seewooruthun joined him on the front row after leading Group B in Qualifying. However, penalties altered the starting order further back. RPM’s Miguel Costa carried a five-place grid penalty from Monza, while MP Motorsport’s Alexander Abkhazava carried a three-place grid penalty from the previous round.
Officials also disqualified CL Motorsport’s Reno Francot from Qualifying 1 for a technical infringement. After they allowed him to race, he started from the back of the grid.
Dupé stalls on formation lap before Sano holds the lead at the race start
As the clock struck 18:20 in Budapest, the field began the formation lap. Van Amersfoort Racing’s Andrea Dupé stalled and triggered yellow flags, although he restarted after a delay and rejoined the pack at the back of the order.
The drivers then completed the formation lap without further drama. Sano took his place on pole, while the rest of the grid lined up behind him.
When the lights went out, Sano launched cleanly and defended the lead as the field fanned out behind him. Al Dhaheri made a stronger start than Seewooruthun and moved into second, while the Rodin Motorsport driver dropped to third ahead of Olivieri.
Behind them, Stolcermanis settled into fifth ahead of G4 Racing’s Marcus Saeter, G4 Racing’s Saqer Almaosherji, MP Motorsport’s Sebastian Wheldon and Rodin Motorsport’s Alex Ninovic.
Track limits trouble the pack as Macedo receives penalty in 2026 FREC Hungaroring Race 1
Saeter ran wide during the opening lap but returned to the circuit without losing his position. Meanwhile, ART Grand Prix’s Kabir Anurag and PREMA Racing’s Kean Nakamura-Berta battled for tenth, with Anurag holding the place.
Further back, Abkhazava passed G4 Racing’s Rahim Alibhai for 13th. Several drivers also dipped into the grass as track limits proved difficult around the Hungaroring.
Race control then noted Van Amersfoort Racing’s Francisco Macedo for a false start. The Portuguese driver later received a five-second time penalty.
At the front, Al Dhaheri set the stronger pace early on, but Sano kept control of the lead. As the race moved towards its second half, Sano stretched his advantage to more than a second.
Wheldon spins after Almaosherji battle
The middle phase brought fewer major changes, although small gaps kept several battles alive across the field. Al Dhaheri remained clear of Seewooruthun, while Seewooruthun tried to keep Olivieri outside attacking range.
Then, Wheldon’s race unravelled during a fight with Almaosherji. The MP Motorsport driver locked up and spun, pitching his car the wrong way round.
Wheldon returned to the track, but he dropped to 29th, ahead only of Trident Motorsport’s Kai Daryanani at that stage. His spin handed Almaosherji seventh and helped Nakamura-Berta move into the top ten.
Al Dhaheri pressures Sano as Seewooruthun defends third
With ten minutes remaining, Al Dhaheri closed rapidly on Sano and cut the gap to around 0.1s. However, Sano responded and rebuilt his margin to roughly four tenths with eight minutes and one lap left.
Meanwhile, Olivieri closed onto Seewooruthun in the fight for third. The R-ace GP driver attacked in Sector 1 and caught Seewooruthun slightly off guard, but the Rodin Motorsport driver defended firmly and kept the final podium place.
Race control also noted an incident between RPM’s Giovanni Maschio and ART Grand Prix’s Mattéo Giaccardi. However, officials decided that the incident required no further investigation.
Almaosherji passes Saeter before Sano wins
Sano continued to lead into the final five minutes, with Al Dhaheri sitting just under a second behind. Meanwhile, Francot retired after an unseen issue.
Then, in the final minute, Saeter locked up and almost collected Stolcermanis, although both drivers avoided contact and continued.
On the final lap, the two G4 Racing drivers went wheel-to-wheel as Saeter defended from Almaosherji. However, Almaosherji completed the move and took sixth place.
Up front, Sano crossed the line first to claim victory. Al Dhaheri followed in second to complete a R-ace GP one-two, while Seewooruthun held third ahead of Olivieri and Stolcermanis. Olivieri claimed the rookie victory.
2026 FREC: Hungaroring Race 1 results
- #12 Yuki Sano – R-ace GP
- #71 Rashid Al Dhaheri – R-ace GP
- #4 Reza Seewooruthun – Rodin Motorsport
- #73 Emanuele Olivieri – R-ace GP
- #60 Tomass Štolcermanis – PREMA Racing
- #3 Saqer Almaosherji – G4 Racing
- #67 Marcus Sæter – G4 Racing
- #2 Alex Ninovic – Rodin Motorsport
- #19 Kabir Anurag – ART Grand Prix
- #51 Kean Nakamura-Berta – PREMA Racing
- #95 Alexandre Muñoz – ART Grand Prix
- #15 Alexander Abkhazava – MP Motorsport
- #88 Salim Hanna – PREMA Racing
- #8 Jan Przyrowski – RPM
- #28 Zhenrui Chi – MP Motorsport
- #14 Noah Lisle – CL Motorsport
- #11 Francisco Macedo – Van Amersfoort Racing
- #24 Jules Roussel – CL Motorsport
- #23 Rahim Alibhai – G4 Racing
- #99 Giovanni Maschio – RPM
- #55 Dion Gowda – Van Amersfoort Racing
- #33 Maksimilian Popov – Trident Motorsport
- #5 Miguel Costa – RPM
- #78 Gabriel Gomez – Rodin Motorsport
- #27 Mattéo Giaccardi – ART Grand Prix
- #98 Sebastian Wheldon – MP Motorsport
- #47 Andrija Kostić – Trident Motorsport
- #7 Andrea Dupé – Van Amersfoort Racing
- #87 Kai Daryanani – Trident Motorsport
DNF: #69 Reno Francot – CL Motorsport
Penalties and notes
- #5 Miguel Costa served a five-place grid penalty carried over from Monza.
- #15 Alexander Abkhazava served a three-place grid penalty carried over from Monza.
- #69 Reno Francot started from the back of the grid after his Qualifying 1 disqualification for a technical infringement.
- #11 Francisco Macedo received a five-second time penalty for a false start.
