Rashid Al Dhaheri secured his second victory of the 2026 FIA Formula Regional European Championship (FREC) season after charging from the fourth row in an unpredictable Race 2 at Monza.
The R-ace GP driver recovered from an early trip through the gravel and overtook Sebastian Wheldon shortly before the third Safety Car period. Race control kept the field under neutralised conditions through the chequered flag, which allowed Al Dhaheri to add a Monza victory to his maiden success at the Red Bull Ring.
Wheldon initially crossed the line second ahead of Salim Hanna. However, two five-second penalties dropped the MP Motorsport driver to 20th in the final classification. Consequently, Hanna inherited second place, while Andrea Dupé completed the official podium. Marcus Sæter also rose to sixth and claimed the Rookie victory after the post-race penalties reshaped the order.
Al Dhaheri recovers from gravel excursion to win
Al Dhaheri started seventh after officials reversed the leading positions from Qualifying 1. He immediately joined the fight near the front as contact and position changes disrupted the opening laps.
However, an excursion through the gravel temporarily halted his progress and cost him several places. Al Dhaheri remained patient, passed Yuki Sano and then overtook Emanuele Olivieri to return to the leading group.
The second Safety Car period brought the field together again after an incident involving Andrija Kostić and Alexandre Muñoz at Ascari. Once racing resumed, Al Dhaheri passed Dupé for third before overtaking Wheldon on the following lap to take the lead.
“I made a really good start and I was immediately in the fight at the front. Then I lost a couple of positions after going through the gravel. But at Monza these races are always unpredictable and anything can happen. I think I was a little lucky with the Safety Car towards the end because leading at the restart is not always the ideal situation, especially in these temperatures. In the end, I managed to hold on and take the win. It was a fun race and I’m very happy with the result.”
A separate incident involving Olivieri then triggered the third Safety Car intervention. Al Dhaheri, therefore, avoided another restart at a circuit where the slipstream and push-to-pass system could have left him vulnerable to the drivers behind. Instead, the R-ace GP driver led the field to the finish under neutralised conditions and secured his second victory of the campaign.
Wheldon’s recovery ends with two post-race penalties
Wheldon also made significant progress after starting seventh. The MP Motorsport driver moved into the leading group during the opening phase and followed Hanna past Dupé after the first Safety Car restart. He then capitalised when Hanna ran wide at the first chicane following the second restart. Wheldon drew alongside the PREMA Racing driver and moved into the lead, although Al Dhaheri passed him on the following lap.
Wheldon crossed the line second and initially celebrated a valuable result following a difficult opening race of the Monza weekend.
“It was a pretty chaotic race. After a difficult Race 1, we knew we needed a strong result from the reverse-grid race. Starting seventh and finishing second is a good outcome and gives us valuable points for the championship.
“There was a lot going on throughout the race and I had a couple of moments in the gravel, but I managed to stay calm and avoid any major issues. It’s a bit frustrating to have lost the lead before the final Safety Car, but overall it’s still a positive result and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
However, the stewards later issued two separate five-second penalties. They penalised Wheldon for overtaking Dion Gowda and Hanna off the track and gaining a lasting advantage in both incidents. The combined 10-second sanction dropped him from second to 20th. Therefore, Wheldon lost the podium and the championship points he had discussed immediately after the race.
Hanna inherits second after another consistent drive
Hanna continued his strong Monza weekend after finishing third in Race 1. He advanced through the order during the opening laps and moved into second behind Dupé before the first Safety Car period.
After the restart, the Colombian attacked Dupé at the first chicane. Although the Van Amersfoort Racing driver initially defended, Hanna completed the move shortly afterwards and took the lead. Wheldon followed him past Dupé, while Al Dhaheri continued closing from behind. Hanna then ran wide at the first chicane after the second restart, allowing Wheldon to move ahead before Al Dhaheri also overtook him.
“It was a pretty chaotic race out there, but we managed to stay out of danger and remain at the front. Overall, it was a good race for us and I’m pleased to come away with another podium.”
Hanna took the chequered flag third and secured his second podium finish of the weekend. Wheldon’s penalties subsequently promoted him to second, while Dupé advanced from fourth on the road to third in the official classification. As a result, Hanna left the reverse-grid contest with an even stronger result than he initially expected. His back-to-back podiums also continued PREMA Racing’s competitive Monza weekend following Nakamura-Berta’s Race 1 victory.
Sæter gains points and takes 2026 FREC Monza Race 2 Rookie victory
Sæter faced heavy traffic and several incidents as he attempted to progress from the middle of the field. The G4 Racing driver focused on avoiding the collisions ahead, although evasive action shortly before the final Safety Car cost him several positions.
He crossed the line outside the top ten but remained the leading Rookie. At that stage, Sæter believed the late setback had also cost him an opportunity to score championship points.
“It was a really tough race with a lot going on in front of me. I tried to stay out of trouble, but just before the final Safety Car I had to take avoiding action and lost a few positions, which unfortunately meant missing out on the points. Still, I’m happy to finish as the top Rookie and I want to thank the team for their hard work. We’ll keep pushing and focus on tomorrow.”
However, the post-race penalties significantly improved his final position. Sanctions for Wheldon, Reno Francot, Sano, Francisco Macedo, Reza Seewooruthun, Miguel Costa and Alex Ninovic promoted Sæter to sixth in the official classification.
Therefore, he retained the Rookie victory and also collected points despite his initial post-race assessment. The result placed him ahead of fellow Rookie Tomass Štolcermanis, who finished seventh after the stewards completed their investigations.
Penalties change the 2026 FREC Monza Race 2 podium
The stewards’ decisions transformed the final order after several drivers received sanctions for collisions, off-track overtakes and forcing rivals beyond the circuit boundaries.
Wheldon’s two five-second penalties produced the most significant change at the front. Hanna inherited second, while Dupé moved onto the podium in third. Zhenrui Chi advanced to fourth, and Race 1 winner Nakamura-Berta completed the top five.
Meanwhile, Sæter climbed to sixth and secured the Rookie win. Štolcermanis, Kabir Anurag, Saqer Almaosherji and Gabriel Gomez completed the official top ten.
Nevertheless, no penalty affected Al Dhaheri’s position. The R-ace GP driver retained the victory after overcoming his gravel excursion, passing the leading contenders and taking control before the final Safety Car. His recovery delivered his second win of the season and completed a dramatic reverse-grid contest at Monza.
