The opening round of the 2026 FIA Formula Regional European Championship (FREC) at Spielberg delivered everything expected from one of junior single-seater racing’s most competitive grids. Across Collective Testing, Qualifying and three chaotic races, several drivers immediately established themselves as early contenders.
Reno Francot left the Red Bull Ring as the championship leader, while Rashid Al Dhaheri, Kean Nakamura-Berta, Sebastian Wheldon and Alex Ninovic all showed pace, racecraft and resilience across the weekend. With Round 2 at Zandvoort already underway, these five drivers have marked themselves out as key names to watch as the season develops.
Reno Francot: The early 2026 FREC leader
To begin with, Reno Francot heads into the second round as the driver everyone is chasing. The CL Motorsport driver ended the Spielberg opener on 43 points, giving him a narrow five-point advantage over Al Dhaheri in the Drivers’ Standings.
Francot’s weekend was built on consistency and composure. He was not always the outright fastest driver, but he repeatedly placed himself in strong positions and maximised opportunities when others faltered. In Collective Testing, he showed early pace by finishing fourth, having led for a significant part of the session before late improvements shuffled the order.
His strongest statement came in Race 3. Starting from the front row, Francot capitalised when Nakamura-Berta dropped down the order and then managed multiple Safety Car restarts with maturity. In a race disrupted by four Safety Cars, collisions and constant pressure, he stayed composed and secured CL Motorsport’s first victory in the category.
As a result, Francot has already shown he can combine pace with control under pressure. That balance makes him one of the strongest early title threats.
Rashid Al Dhaheri: Fast, aggressive and already a winner
Meanwhile, Rashid Al Dhaheri emerged from Spielberg as one of the most complete performers of the opening weekend. The R-ace GP driver sits second in the championship with 38 points after claiming a podium in Race 1 and victory in Race 2.
Al Dhaheri showed his speed from the first Qualifying session, topping Group B with a 1:25.951. Although that time fell short of overall pole, it secured him a front-row start for Race 1 and confirmed his ability to deliver under pressure.
In Race 1, he immediately attacked Nakamura-Berta and took the lead on the opening lap. Although he eventually finished second, his aggression and confidence made him one of the race’s central figures. Then, in Race 2, he combined patience with decisive overtaking to inherit victory after Dion Gowda’s penalty.
Even in Race 3, where he carried a five-place grid penalty for push-to-pass misuse under yellow flags, Al Dhaheri recovered strongly and finished fifth. Therefore, his Spielberg weekend showed both attacking instinct and damage limitation, two qualities that could prove crucial across a long championship.
Kean Nakamura-Berta: The Qualifying benchmark
Kean Nakamura-Berta may have left Spielberg third in the standings, but his raw pace made him one of the clearest standouts of Round 1. The PREMA Racing driver scored 34 points, despite losing a major opportunity in the final race.
Nakamura-Berta dominated Qualifying at the Red Bull Ring. First, he claimed pole for Race 1 with a 1:25.765, topping the combined order and making history as the first pole-sitter of the 2026 FREC season. Then, on Sunday, he repeated the feat with a 1:25.246 to secure pole for Race 3.
He converted his first pole into victory, winning Race 1 after a fierce battle with Al Dhaheri. That performance highlighted both his one-lap speed and his ability to fight back after losing the lead early.
However, Race 3 proved costly. After starting from pole, Nakamura-Berta initially led before dropping down the order in a chaotic sequence of Safety Cars and incidents. Later, contact with teammate Tomass Štolcermanis ended his race.
Even so, his Qualifying dominance makes him impossible to ignore. If PREMA and Nakamura-Berta can convert that pace more consistently, he has the tools to become a major championship contender.
Sebastian Wheldon: Consistency gives MP Motorsport early strength
Sebastian Wheldon also deserves close attention after a highly consistent Spielberg weekend. The MP Motorsport driver sits fourth in the Drivers’ Standings with 30 points, while his team leads the Teams’ Championship with 54 points.
Wheldon showed speed immediately in Collective Testing, finishing second behind Ninovic by just 0.084 seconds. That set the tone for a weekend where he remained close to the front across multiple sessions.
In Qualifying 1, he placed second in Group B, only 0.064 seconds behind Al Dhaheri. He then raced inside the lead group in Race 1 and finished fourth after fighting with Ninovic and Al Dhaheri. Although Race 2 proved more difficult after penalties reshuffled the order, he bounced back strongly in Race 3.
There, Wheldon completed the podium behind Francot and Ninovic, giving MP Motorsport another important points haul. His weekend may not have produced a win, but it showed consistency, adaptability and race pace. Consequently, he has already become one of MP Motorsport’s key championship assets.
Alex Ninovic: The pace-setter still waiting for a breakthrough win
Finally, Alex Ninovic was one of the most impressive drivers across the Spielberg opener, even if the standings do not fully reflect his pace. The Rodin Motorsport driver ended Round 1 fifth with 19 points after taking two podium finishes.
Ninovic made an immediate statement in Collective Testing, topping the timesheets with a 1:25.590. That lap placed him 0.084 seconds ahead of Wheldon and underlined his early adaptation to FREC machinery.
He then carried that form into Qualifying and the races. In Race 1, Ninovic started third and stayed in podium contention throughout a disrupted contest. After late battles and Safety Car restarts, he finished third behind Nakamura-Berta and Al Dhaheri.
In Race 2, he again climbed onto the podium after a penalty reshuffled the classification. Then, in Race 3, he defended strongly against Wheldon to finish second behind Francot.
Although he sits fifth rather than at the very top of the standings, Ninovic’s weekend showed that he has the speed to challenge regularly. If Rodin Motorsport continues to give him a competitive package, a first victory may not be far away.
Honourable mentions
Beyond the leading five, several other drivers left Spielberg with momentum. Zhenrui Chi stood out as one of the most consistent midfield performers, finishing fifth in Race 1 and seventh in Race 2 to end the opening round sixth in the standings with 18 points. His top-10 pace in Collective Testing and Qualifying 1 also helped MP Motorsport take an early Teams’ Championship lead.
Dion Gowda also showed clear front-running potential. The Van Amersfoort Racing driver crossed the line first in Race 2, but a five-second jump-start penalty dropped him to sixth. Even so, his pace suggested he could become a regular podium contender if he sharpens his execution.
Salim Hanna gave PREMA Racing valuable support, particularly in Race 3, where he finished fourth after running strongly in the lead group. Reza Seewooruthun also impressed in Race 2, starting from reverse-grid pole and converting it into second place after a composed drive under pressure.
Maksimilian Popov added a solid foundation for Trident Motorsport, finishing seventh in Race 1 and fifth in Race 2 to complete the top 10 in the standings. Meanwhile, Alexandre Muñoz emerged as one of the standout rookies, leading the rookie runners in Collective Testing and later scoring points in Race 3.
Emanuele Olivieri endured a mixed weekend, but his speed was evident. He qualified third in Group A for Race 1 and placed seventh in the Collective Test, although a stalled start and Race 3 retirement limited his final points haul.
Conclusion: A strong field and fierce competition in the 2026 FREC
Overall, Spielberg produced no clear runaway favourite in the 2026 FREC, but it did reveal a strong group of early contenders. Francot leads through consistency and a landmark victory, while Al Dhaheri has already shown race-winning ability. Nakamura-Berta remains the Qualifying benchmark, Wheldon offers dependable front-running consistency, and Ninovic continues to look like one of the fastest drivers in the field.
Therefore, as FREC moves deeper into the 2026 season, these five drivers stand out as the names most likely to shape the early championship narrative.
