The FIA Formula Regional European Championship (FREC) travels to Zandvoort this weekend for the second round of the 2026 campaign following an action-packed season opener at the Red Bull Ring.
Reno Francot arrives at his home circuit full of confidence after securing his maiden championship victory in Austria. The CL Motorsport driver also collected a third-place finish during the opening weekend, which allowed him to take an early lead in the standings. Furthermore, Francot now heads to the Netherlands with momentum firmly on his side as the championship enters a crucial phase before next week’s visit to Spa-Francorchamps.
New era delivers early drama
The opening round in Austria launched a new chapter for the championship under full FIA control, and the racing immediately delivered excitement. PREMA Racing’s Kean Nakamura-Berta made history by claiming the first victory of the new era. In addition, he secured two pole positions to underline his pace across the weekend.
Meanwhile, Rashid Al Dhaheri emerged as another standout performer. The R-ace GP driver won the reverse-grid contest and added a second-place finish, leaving him only five points behind Francot in the standings. Nakamura-Berta currently sits third, just four points further back.
As a result, the title fight already looks fiercely competitive heading into the Dutch round.
Rookie battle intensifies
The Rookie standings also produced plenty of intrigue during the Austrian opener. Rodin Motorsport’s Gabriel Gomez currently leads the classification after a consistent first weekend of the season. However, Emanuele Olivieri of R-ace GP and ART Grand Prix driver Alexandre Munoz remain firmly in contention, with both drivers sitting only two points adrift.
Consequently, the fight among the championship’s newest talents promises to remain close throughout the Zandvoort weekend.
Gowda and Sano impress despite setbacks
Several drivers also caught attention despite missing out on victory. Van Amersfoort Racing’s Dion Gowda showed impressive speed by leading more laps than any other driver across the weekend. Although he crossed the finish line first in Race 2, officials later handed him a penalty for a jump start.
At the same time, Yuki Sano delivered one of the most remarkable recovery drives of the event. The R-ace GP driver gained a total of 26 positions across the weekend, more than anyone else on the grid.
Elsewhere, six different drivers celebrated podium finishes at the Red Bull Ring, including Sebastian Wheldon for MP Motorsport and Rodin Motorsport duo Alex Ninovic and Reza Seewooruthun.
Zandvoort ready for another thriller
The championship now heads to the demanding 4.259-kilometre Zandvoort circuit, which sits among the sand dunes on the Dutch North Sea coast.
After the opening round produced incredibly close competition, another unpredictable weekend appears likely. Notably, 25 drivers finished within one second during the first qualifying session of the season in Austria.
Moreover, teams completed 2,655 laps during the opening event, covering nearly 11,500 kilometres. Those figures highlighted both the reliability of the field and the intensity of competition across all 10 teams and 30 drivers confirmed for Zandvoort.
Weekend schedule for the Zandvoort Round of the 2026 FREC
Track activity begins on Thursday with collective testing before the action intensifies on Friday with two 50-minute free practice sessions.
Qualifying 1 starts on Saturday at 08:55 CEST and features two split 15-minute sessions for Groups A and B. Later that day, Race 1 begins at 16:45 CEST.
On Sunday, Qualifying 2 starts at 08:50 CEST before the second and final race of the weekend gets under way at 16:45 CEST.
FREC will once again act as a support series for the DTM, having previously done so in Spielberg.
Where to watch
Fans around the world can follow the action through 78 broadcasters covering more than 200 territories.
ACI Sport TV will broadcast both qualifying sessions and races. Additionally, viewers can watch every race live on the championship’s official YouTube channel, @fiaformularegionaleu.
