Kean Nakamura-Berta has returned to the top of the 2026 FIA Formula Regional European Championship standings after a highly productive sixth round at Circuit Paul Ricard.
The PREMA Racing driver arrived in France 21 points behind championship leader Rashid Al Dhaheri. However, victory from pole in Race 1 and third place in Race 2 moved Nakamura-Berta onto 172 points and established a 13-point championship advantage.
Sebastian Wheldon also transformed his championship position after leaving the Hungaroring without a point. Fifth in Race 1 preceded victory and the fastest lap in Race 2, moving the MP Motorsport driver level with Al Dhaheri on 159 points. The official standings place Wheldon second ahead of the Emirati on countback, while Emanuele Olivieri sits only seven points behind the pair on 152.
Nakamura-Berta returns to championship lead
Nakamura-Berta entered Paul Ricard second in the championship on 130 points after his Race 2 podium at the Hungaroring. However, he immediately placed himself in a strong position by claiming his fifth pole of the campaign for the opening race.
Although Wheldon briefly moved ahead at the start, Nakamura-Berta regained control and eventually crossed the line more than four seconds clear of Olivieri. The victory delivered his third win of the season and returned him to the championship lead before Sunday’s second race.
Nakamura-Berta then added another important result in Race 2. He started among the leading group and ultimately inherited third after the Stewards added five seconds to Alexander Abkhazava’s race time. Consequently, the PREMA driver collected 42 points across the weekend and moved from 130 to 172.
His 13-point advantage gives him the clearest lead among the championship’s top four, although Paul Ricard also demonstrated how quickly the order can change. Only 20 points now cover Nakamura-Berta, Wheldon, Al Dhaheri and Olivieri with two rounds remaining.
Wheldon rebounds from Hungaroring disappointment
Wheldon produced one of the most important recoveries of the Paul Ricard weekend after his championship challenge suffered heavily at the Hungaroring.
The MP Motorsport driver had arrived in Hungary as the championship leader on 121 points but retired from both races. He therefore started Paul Ricard third, 30 points behind Al Dhaheri and nine behind Nakamura-Berta.
Fifth place in Race 1 gave Wheldon his first points since Monza before Sunday provided a far larger reward. Olivieri originally secured the fastest time in Qualifying 2, but a three-place grid penalty moved Wheldon onto pole.
He converted that opportunity into his third victory of the season, finishing more than six seconds ahead of Olivieri. The result, combined with the pole and fastest-lap bonus points, took Wheldon to 159 points.
Wheldon therefore moves from third to second and sits only 13 behind Nakamura-Berta. More importantly, his Paul Ricard performance immediately restored the momentum he lost through his double retirement in Hungary.
Al Dhaheri loses championship lead
Al Dhaheri endured the most difficult weekend among the leading championship contenders.
The R-ace GP driver arrived at Paul Ricard with 151 points and a 21-point advantage over Nakamura-Berta after winning Race 2 at the Hungaroring. However, his opening Paul Ricard race unravelled almost immediately following an incident with a teammate. He eventually finished 26th and failed to score.
Al Dhaheri recovered to sixth in Race 2 and added eight points, but that proved insufficient to retain the championship lead. He now sits on 159, level with Wheldon but third in the official classification.
The swing underlines the volatility of the 2026 title battle. Al Dhaheri left Hungary 21 points ahead of Nakamura-Berta, but one round later he trails the PREMA driver by 13.
Nevertheless, only 13 points separate him from the championship lead. With four races remaining across Imola and Hockenheim, Al Dhaheri remains firmly in contention.
Olivieri closes to within 20 points of the lead
Olivieri continued his remarkably consistent run and strengthened both his overall championship challenge and Rookie classification advantage.
The R-ace GP driver finished second behind Nakamura-Berta in Race 1 after overtaking Wheldon and Abkhazava during the contest. He then crossed the line second again on Sunday, securing consecutive runner-up finishes for the first time this season.
Those 36 points moved Olivieri from 116 to 152. He now trails Nakamura-Berta by 20 points and sits only seven behind Wheldon and Al Dhaheri.
The Italian has therefore moved firmly into the outright championship fight while simultaneously dominating the Rookie standings. His recent consistency has also proved crucial to R-ace GP’s continued control of the Teams’ Championship.
Abkhazava and Chi climb as MP Motorsport strengthens
Reno Francot remains fifth in the Drivers’ Championship on 90 points. The CL Motorsport driver scored in Race 1 but endured a difficult second contest, spinning from the leading group before eventually retiring.
Behind him, Abkhazava has climbed considerably after his strongest weekend of the season. The MP Motorsport driver completed the Race 1 podium in third before initially crossing the line third again in Race 2. However, a five-second penalty for a false start dropped him to fifth.
Nevertheless, the 25-point haul moves Abkhazava to sixth on 69 points.
Alex Ninovic follows on 64 after scoring in both races, while another productive weekend moves Zhenrui Chi to eighth on 61. The MP Motorsport driver finished sixth and seventh, helping his team significantly reduce R-ace GP’s advantage.
Salim Hanna remains ninth on 59 after a scoreless weekend, while Yuki Sano completes the top 10 on 55.
Gomez makes major progress with double fourth place
Gabriel Gomez produced one of the strongest Paul Ricard rounds outside the championship-leading group.
The Rodin Motorsport Rookie finished fourth in both races, collecting 24 points and doubling his season total from 24 to 48. He consequently climbs to 11th overall and strengthens second place in the Rookie standings.
Maksimilian Popov follows on 41, with Alexandre Muñoz on 37 and Jan Przyrowski on 31. Reza Seewooruthun completes the leading 15 with 30 points.
2026 FREC Drivers’ Standings after Round 6 at Paul Ricard
The official standings place Wheldon second ahead of Al Dhaheri despite both holding 159 points.
- Kean Nakamura-Berta — PREMA Racing — 172 points
- Sebastian Wheldon — MP Motorsport — 159 points
- Rashid Al Dhaheri — R-ace GP — 159 points
- Emanuele Olivieri — R-ace GP — 152 points
- Reno Francot — CL Motorsport — 90 points
- Alexander Abkhazava — MP Motorsport — 69 points
- Alex Ninovic — Rodin Motorsport — 64 points
- Zhenrui Chi — MP Motorsport — 61 points
- Salim Hanna — PREMA Racing — 59 points
- Yuki Sano — R-ace GP — 55 points
- Gabriel Gomez — Rodin Motorsport — 48 points
- Maksimilian Popov — Trident Motorsport — 41 points
- Alexandre Muñoz — ART Grand Prix — 37 points
- Jan Przyrowski — RPM — 31 points
- Reza Seewooruthun — Rodin Motorsport — 30 points
- Marcus Sæter — G4 Racing — 27 points
- Tomass Štolcermanis — PREMA Racing — 21 points
- Dion Gowda — Van Amersfoort Racing — 19 points
- Saqer Almaosherji — G4 Racing — 15 points
- Francisco Macedo — Van Amersfoort Racing — 10 points
- Kai Daryanani — Trident Motorsport — 10 points
- Jules Roussel — CL Motorsport — 9 points
- Andrea Dupé — Van Amersfoort Racing — 8 points
- Kabir Anurag — ART Grand Prix — 6 points
- Miguel Costa — RPM — 4 points
- Andrija Kostić — Trident Motorsport — 0 points
- Kyuho Lee — CL Motorsport — 0 points
- Mattéo Giaccardi — ART Grand Prix — 0 points
- Rahim Alibhai — G4 Racing — 0 points
- Giovanni Maschio — RPM — 0 points
- Noah Lisle — CL Motorsport — 0 points
- Thomas Strauven — CL Motorsport — 0 points
- Enea Frey — CL Motorsport — 0 points
Nakamura-Berta leads Wheldon and Al Dhaheri by 13 points, while Olivieri sits another seven behind. Meanwhile, only 20 points cover the championship’s leading four drivers with four races remaining.
Olivieri extends Rookie Championship advantage
Olivieri’s two runner-up finishes also strengthened an already commanding Rookie Championship lead.
The R-ace GP driver now holds 152 points, more than three times the total of his nearest rival. Gomez’s excellent Paul Ricard weekend moves him to 48 and consolidates second, while Muñoz remains third on 37.
Sæter follows with 27 points ahead of Štolcermanis on 21. Kyuho Lee and Rahim Alibhai remain scoreless.
With Olivieri simultaneously sitting fourth in the overall standings, the Rookie leader has increasingly established himself as one of the principal contenders for outright victories as well as class honours.
2026 FREC Rookie Standings after Round 6 at Paul Ricard
- Emanuele Olivieri — R-ace GP — 152 points
- Gabriel Gomez — Rodin Motorsport — 48 points
- Alexandre Muñoz — ART Grand Prix — 37 points
- Marcus Sæter — G4 Racing — 27 points
- Tomass Štolcermanis — PREMA Racing — 21 points
- Kyuho Lee — CL Motorsport — 0 points
- Rahim Alibhai — G4 Racing — 0 points
Olivieri therefore holds a 104-point advantage over Gomez with two rounds remaining.
R-ace GP retains Teams’ Championship lead
R-ace GP remains firmly ahead in the Teams’ Championship despite a more difficult round than it enjoyed at the Hungaroring.
Olivieri supplied the majority of the team’s Paul Ricard points through his two second-place finishes, while Al Dhaheri added sixth in Race 2. The team moves to 366 points and retains first place.
However, MP Motorsport significantly reduced the deficit. Wheldon scored in both races and won the finale, while Abkhazava collected two strong finishes and Chi scored in both contests.
MP therefore moves to 289 points and sits 77 behind R-ace GP. At the end of Round 5, that gap stood at 110 points, meaning Paul Ricard allowed MP to cut 33 points from its deficit.
PREMA remains third despite Nakamura-Berta success
PREMA Racing remains third in the Teams’ Championship despite Nakamura-Berta producing the strongest individual points haul of the round.
His victory, pole and Race 2 podium take PREMA to 252 points. However, Hanna and Štolcermanis failed to add championship points, limiting the team’s opportunity to close further on MP Motorsport.
PREMA now sits 37 points behind MP and 114 behind R-ace GP.
Rodin Motorsport remains fourth but has moved onto 141 following Gomez’s two fourth-place finishes and Ninovic’s double points haul.
CL Motorsport holds fifth on 98, while Trident remains sixth with 51. ART Grand Prix follows on 43, only one ahead of G4 Racing, while Van Amersfoort Racing and RPM complete the order.
2026 FREC Teams’ Standings after Round 6 at Paul Ricard
- R-ace GP — 366 points
- MP Motorsport — 289 points
- PREMA Racing — 252 points
- Rodin Motorsport — 141 points
- CL Motorsport — 98 points
- Trident Motorsport — 51 points
- ART Grand Prix — 43 points
- G4 Racing — 42 points
- Van Amersfoort Racing — 37 points
- RPM — 36 points
R-ace GP retains a substantial 77-point advantage, but MP Motorsport’s Paul Ricard performance has brought the Dutch team considerably closer than it stood after the Hungaroring. PREMA also remains within reach of second with a 37-point deficit.
Paul Ricard tightens the title fight
Round 6 has again changed the complexion of a championship that has repeatedly shifted between its leading contenders.
Al Dhaheri arrived at Paul Ricard with a 21-point lead, but Nakamura-Berta leaves France 13 points clear after combining his third victory of the season with another podium. Wheldon has also immediately recovered from his Hungaroring double retirement and now shares second place on points with Al Dhaheri.
Olivieri remains equally important to the title picture. Two further runner-up finishes leave him only 20 points from first and seven behind the drivers tied for second, while his 104-point Rookie advantage gives him commanding control of that classification.
R-ace GP continues to lead the Teams’ Championship, although MP Motorsport’s strong Paul Ricard weekend reduced the gap from 110 to 77 points. PREMA remains third, with Nakamura-Berta carrying its strongest challenge into the final two events.
FREC returns at Imola from September 4–6 before the season concludes at Hockenheim one week later. With only 20 points separating the championship’s leading four drivers, the title battle remains wide open heading into the penultimate round.
